Supervisor: Professor Christopher Dennison

I am currently in the second year of my PhD at Newcastle University. I studied Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry at Newcastle University and graduated in 2018 with a 1^st class MChem (Hons) degree. I started my PhD in the Faculty of Medical Sciences in the September after graduating, switching fields from chemistry to biochemistry. My Masters project, which I carried out in the fourth year of my degree, involved development and optimisation of novel multi-modal fluorescent imaging agents, specifically designed to target cancerous and ischaemic heart cells. It was during this project that my interest in research was sparked and I decided to undertake a PhD. My wider scientific interests include metalloprotein structure, function and dynamics, inorganic chemistry and biomedical imaging.

Project Title: Studying the structure and function of a novel family of bacterial copper storage proteins

Aerobic methanotrophs are an important class of Gram-negative bacteria that can oxidise the greenhouse gas methane. Methanotrophs are natures only way of mitigating anthropogenic methane emissions. The principle enzyme used by methanotrophs for oxidising methane is the copper-requiring particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO). Because of this, methanotrophs have a high demand for copper. A novel family of bacterial proteins that store copper (the Csps) have been identified in the model methanotroph Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b. The genome of M. trichosporium OB3b encodes three Csps (MtCsp1, MtCsp2 and MtCsp3). These proteins are cysteine-rich four-helix bundles that have high capacities and affinities for Cu(I). MtCsp1 is exported via the twin-arginine translocation pathway and stores Cu(I) for pMMO. MtCsp3 is cytosolic, and Csp3s are more widespread in bacteria than Csp1s, yet the exact function of any Csp3 remains unknown. The main difference between MtCsp1 and MtCsp3 is the rate of Cu(I) removal: a bidentate high-affinity ligand can acquire all bound Cu(I) from MtCsp1 within approximately 1 hour, whilst only around 20% is removed from MtCsp3 in 85 hours. My project involves investigating the key structural features that influence Cu(I) handling by MtCsp3 using site-directed mutagenesis, with a particular focus on residues around the mouth of the bundle as well as those that coordinate Cu(I). I will also compare the effect of changing corresponding residues in other Csps including the proteins from Bacillus subtilis (Csp3), Streptomyces lividans (Csp3) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Csp1).

Where did I get my PIPs

PIPS Internship Organisation Name 

High Force Research

Location 

Sedgefield

When deciding on your internship, what did you want to experience and what did you hope to gain from that experience? 

I wanted to experience science in industry and broaden my skillset during my PhD

Did you get the experience you were expecting and did you achieve the personal development you had hoped to make? 

I learned a lot about how an SME works, I interacted with clients and worked on important projects with tight deadlines. I have become more confident and sure of myself and what I would like to do in the future.

Did you discover anything about yourself or make any achievements that you were not expecting? 

I realised I am quick to pick things up and apply my current knowledge of science to new situations and I am good at working under pressure.

Has the internship made you feel differently about potential career options and has it helped to put the skills from research into a broader context? 

I think the placement has been imperative to my understanding of life outside of academia and is a really good opportunity to get a taste of alternative career avenues. It was a fantastic experience and I cannot recommend it enough.