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Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station A5300
Austin, TX 78712-0165
Contact Information
Office: WEL: 3.420
Phone: 471-9361
Lab
Office:
Phone:
Fax: 471-9299
Lauren Webb
lwebb@cm.utexas.edu
Assistant Professor
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Research GroupWebb Research Group |
EducationPh.D, California Institute of Technology, 2005 Chemistry A.B., Bowdoin College, 2000 NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University, 2005-2008 |
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Affiliations
Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology; Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology;
Physical Chemistry of Biological Interfaces
Research in the Webb group seeks to understand and manipulate the mechanisms of interaction, organization, and self-assembly of biological macromolecules that lead to the complex and emergent properties of living systems. We are interested in these topics as a fundamental understanding the organization of biological systems is of vital biomedical importance. In addition, we seek to exploit this understanding in integrating biological and inorganic materials in a controlled and robust manner.
Research in the Webb group is multidisciplinary and employs a variety of physical and analytical techniques. We study the physical chemistry of electrostatic fields at protein-protein interfaces using vibrational spectroscopy coupled with computational methods; we prepare and characterize chemically modified surfaces that interact
specifically with folded, functional proteins using Xray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and surface spectroscopic techniques; and we use biochemical control over the dynamic behavior of cytoskeletal fibers tethered to patterned surfaces and monitored through optical microscopy.
Electrostatic Fields at the Protein-Protein Interface
Macromolecular interactions in biological systems are now a major focus of interest. As these interactions lead to emergent properties necessary for life. They can only be studied or understood if the molecular-level details that drive and control those interactions are themselves understood. The affinity and specificity of macromolecular interactions are the result of both structural and electrostatic driving forces, but while the field of structural biology has made great advances, much less is understood about electrostatic influences. The Webb group measures electrostatic fields at protein-protein interfaces and seeks to develop computational models that accurately predict these interactions. We do this using vibrational Stark effect (VSE) spectroscopy, in which spectral shifts of a probe oscillator’s energy is related directly to that probe’s local electrostatic environment.
Electrostatic Control of Protein Binding at Surfaces
Incorporation of a protein into a sensing, electronic, or biofuel device often requires that the protein be tethered to an inorganic surface. The Webb group uses surface chemical modification to prepare substrates that present an ideal electrostatic interface for the noncovalent binding of proteins in a controlled and organized manner. We are developing surface chemical functionalization techniques that are completely general to allow controlled binding of any protein of interest, including those of unknown structure or complicated molecular biology. A major goal of this work is to produce chemically modified surfaces that are well characterized and highly reproducible and we employ a variety of surface analytical techniques including XPS, AFM, and surface vibrational spectroscopy.
For further information, please contact Lauren Webb at lwebb@cm.utexas.edu.
Representative Publications
Webb, L. J.; Boxer, S. G. "Electrostatic Fields Near the Active Site of Human Aldose Reductase: 1. New Inhibitors and Vibrational Stark Effect Measurements." Biochemistry 47 (2008): 1588-1598.
Webb, L. J.; Rivillon, S.; Michalak, D. J.; Chabal, Y. J.; Lewis, N. S. "Transmission Infrared Spectroscopy of Methyl- and Ethyl-Terminated Silicon(111) Surfaces." J. Phys. Chem. B 110 (2006): 7349-7356.
Webb, L. J.; Michalak, D. J.; Biteen, J. S.; Brunschwig, B. S.; Chan, A. S. Y.; Knapp, D.W.; Meyer, H. M.; Nemanick, E. J.; Traub, M. C; Lewis, N. S. "High-Resolution Soft X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic Studies and Scanning Auger Microscopy Studies of the Air Oxidation of Alkylated Silicon(111) Surfaces." J. Phys. Chem. B 110 (2006): 23450-23459.
Webb, L. J.; Nemanick, E. J.; Biteen, J. S.; Knapp, D. W.; Michalak, D. J.; Traub, M. C.; Chan, A. S. Y.; Brunschwig, B. S.; Lewis, N. S. "High-Resolution X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic Studies of Alkylated Crystalline Silicon(111) Surfaces." J. Phys. Chem. B 109 (2005): 3930-3937.