Ferman Chavez Developes a Model System for the Enzyme Urease

Metalloproteins are proteins that contain a metal cofactor. One metalloprotein, urease, contains the metal Nickel and catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia. It is present in some plants and bacteria, and has several medical applications. Often when trying to understand fundamental properties of a complex molecule like urease, it is best to use a simplified model system. In the September, 2008 issue of Inorganic Chemistry Communications, Associate Professor Ferman Chavez and his team in the Department of Chemistry reported how to make one such model in their paper Synthesis, Structure, and Magnetic Properties of a New Binuclear Ni(II) Complex Supported by 1,4,8-Triazacycloundecane (volume 11, pages 1023-1026). First author Piotr Pawlak is an Oakland University graduate student in the Biomedical Sciences: Health and Environmental Chemistry PhD Program. Chavez, a bioinorganic chemist, holds a prestigeous CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation.