VT Chemistry Department Faculty Member Felicia Etzkorn

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» Felicia A. Etzkorn
Associate Professor, Bioorganic Chemistry

fetzkorn@vt.edu
office: 3105 Hahn Hall
phone: 540-231-2235 fax: 540-231-3255
group web page: www.chem.vt.edu/chem-dept/etzkorn/group

Education

B.S. 1981 Southwest Missouri State University
Ph.D. 1991 University of California at Berkeley
Postdoctoral Associate 1991-1993 Harvard Medical School

Research Interests

The three-dimensional structures of proteins have an inherent beauty. We explore the nature of protein structure by designing and synthesizing conformationally-constrained mimics of peptides, a process of sculpture on the molecular level. The molecules we design using computers are small and amenable to short, stereoselective synthesis using well-known reactions. We are making mimics of helix-turn-helix (HTH) proteins to bind DNA, and cis-proline peptides to inhibit peptidyl-prolyl isomerase enzymes. We are investigating the anti-cancer potential of these compounds.

Selected Publications

Kapustin, G.; Fejer, G.; Gronlund, J. L.; Seto, E.; McCafferty, D. G.; Etzkorn, F. A. Phosphorus-Based Transition State Analogues as Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors. Org. Lett. 2003, 5, 3053-3056.
Etzkorn, F. A.; Travins, J. M. Stereospecific Labeling of proR b-Protons in the NMR Structure Determination of a Helix-Turn-Helix Turn Peptidomimetic. J. Pept. Res. 2000, 55, 436-446.
Foulds, G. J.; Etzkorn, F. A. Protein-DNA affinities by capillary electrophoresis. In Capillary Electrophoresis of Nucleic Acids, Vol. 2; K. Mitchelson and J. Cheng, Eds.; Methods in Molecular Biology Vol. 163, Humana Press Inc.: Totowa, N.J., 2001; 369-378.
Hart, S. A.; Trindle, C. O.; Etzkorn, F. A. Solvent-Dependent Stereoselectivity in a Still-Wittig Rearrangement: an Experimental and Ab Initio Study. Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 1789-1791.
Wang, X. J.; Hart, S. A.; Xu, B.; Mason, M. D.; Goodell, J. R.; Etzkorn, F. A. Serine-cis- and -trans-Proline Isosteres: Stereoselective Synthesis of (Z)- and (E)-Alkene Mimics by Still-Wittig and Ireland-Claisen Rearrangements. J. Org. Chem. 2003, 68, 2343-2349.

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