Eventi

Venerdì 11 luglio 2025 alle ore 11.30

presso l’Aula 1 dell’Edificio F
Area della Ricerca CNR
Via Madonna del Piano, 10 Sesto F.no (Firenze)

il Prof. Samer Gozem
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Stati Uniti d'America

terrà il seminario:

"Electrostatic Tuning of LOV Domain Photophysics"

Abstract: Flavin's spectroscopic, photophysical, and redox properties are sensitive to its interactions with neighboring polar or charged groups. Flavoproteins capitalize on this sensitivity to tune the chemical reactivity and photochemistry of flavin. A fundamental understanding of this tuning mechanism is necessary for the design of novel flavoproteins. Photoactive flavoproteins such as Light-Oxygen-Voltage (LOV) domains have served as important scaffolds to tune photophysics through amino acid mutations, resulting in a series of engineered LOV-based proteins that optimize fluorescence, intersystem crossing (ISC), photoreduction, and/or adduct formation over a range of timescales. To better guide future engineering efforts, we have recently employed hybrid quantum mechanical / molecular mechanical (QM/MM) models of LOV domains to study how intradomain electrostatics exert control over flavin's early photophysics.

Samer Gozem short bio: Samer Gozem is an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Director of Graduate Studies at Georgia State University. He obtained his B.Sc. in Chemistry in 2008 from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and his Ph.D. in Photochemical Sciences in 2013 at Bowling Green State University. He then carried out postdoctoral training at the University of Southern California before joining Georgia State University as a faculty member in 2017. His research interests include using classical and quantum mechanics to study light-responsive chemical and biological systems.

Chi desidera partecipare da remoto può collegarsi al seminario tramite Teams