Paul W. King - Research Scientist
Dr. Paul King joined NREL in 2001 as a postdoctoral associate to study the [FeFe]-hydrogenases of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Recently his group identified in this organism the proteins that function in the biosynthesis of the unique catalytic FeS-cluster, known as the H-cluster, of [FeFe]-hydrogenases. This discovery has led to the development of a biosynthetic system for production of [FeFe]-hydrogenases from both algal and bacterial organisms. Current areas of investigation include: 1) enzyme structure and function, 2) 3D-structure determination (in collaboration with Juan Fontecilla-Camps at CEA-Grenoble), 3) biophysical characterization of the catalytic H-cluster (in collaboration with Steve Cramer at LBNL), and 4) photobiochemical cell integration to develop models for bio-hybrid H2-production systems (in collaboration with Devens Gust, Tom Moore, and Ana Moore at ASU).
A collaboration with NREL-CSC and The Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign has led to the development of theoretical methods to study the relationship between [FeFe]-hydrogenase structure and the diffusion properties that are fundamental to H2 catalysis and O2 inactivation. The overall research aims are to better understand how [FeFe]-hydrogenases have evolved to be highly efficient catalysts (kcat ~6000 sec-1), to dissect the mechanisms of O2 inactivation, and to use this knowledge to engineer more robust enzyme variants for biotechnological applications.
Education
| 1986 | B.S., Bacteriology and Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| 1989 | M.S., Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| 2001 | Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia |
Selected Publications
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Cohen, J., Kim, K., King, P., Seibert, M., and Schulten, K., "Finding Gas Diffusion Pathways in Proteins: Application to O2 and H2 Transport in CpI [FeFe]-Hydrogenase and the Role of Packing Defects," Structure 13, 1321–1329 (2005).
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Ghirardi, M.L., King, P.W., Posewitz, M.C., Maness, P.C., Fedorov, A., Kim, K., Cohen, J., Schulten, K., and Seibert, M., "Approaches to developing biological H(2)-photoproducing organisms and processes," Biochem Soc. Trans. 33, 70–72 (2005).
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Posewitz, M.C., King, P.W., Smolinski, S.L., Zhang, L., Seibert, M., and Ghirardi, M.L., "Discovery of Two Novel Rradical S-adenosylmethionine Proteins Required for the Assembly of an Active [Fe] hydrogenase. J. Biol. Chem. 279, 25711–25720 (2004).
NREL Publications
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Other Team Members
Paul W. King |
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