Welcome to the MUTUSLAB

 Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

University of Windsor

 

 

 

PI: Dr. Bulent Mutus, PhD (U. Manitoba 1981)

     Professor and U. Windsor Research Chair

     phone: 519 253 3000 ext. 3533

     email: mutusb@uwindsor.ca

 

 

Research Focus:

We study type 2 diabetes-mediated changes in nitric oxide (NO) and redox signaling pathways in blood platelets and endothelial cells, with the objective of lowering the susceptibility of persons with type 2 diabetes to thrombotic diseases.

 

Specific Projects: 

1.           Imaging/Analytical probe development for NOx and thiols. 

2.  Role of plasma membrane composition in NO biosynthesis and diffusion. 

3.  Role of plasma forms of protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) in diabetes-related prothrombotic activity. 

4.  Role of ER stress in plasma membrane lipid composition. 

5.  Conformational constraints in PDI-substrate recognition.

 

MUTUSLAB NEWS:

- Arun Raturi is now a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Dr. Wolfram Ruf’s lab at the Scripps Research Institute.

- Shane Miersch is now a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Dr. Joshua LaBaer’s Lab at the Harvard Institute of Proteomics

 

Current Research Group:

     PhD candidates:

           Ms. Ruchi Chaube            chaube@uwindsor.ca

           Ms. Harman Kaur             kaurm@uwindsor.ca

           Ms. Suzie Durocher         sdurocher@uwindsor.ca

     MSc candidates:

           Ms. Rebecca Heeney       heen_b@hotmail.com

           Ms. Vasantha Kallaunta   madhu.kv@gmail.com

           Mr. Adam Faccenda         afacenda@hotmail.com

 

Publications:

Miersch S, and Mutus B. (2007) Membrane Lipid Domains: Techniques for Visualization and Characterization. Current Analytical Chemistry, 3, 81-87. 

 

Raturi, A and Mutus B. (2007 ) Characterization of redox state and reductase activity of protein disulfide  isomerase under different redox environments using a sensitive fluorescent assay. Free Radic Biol Med. 43, 62-70.

 

Miersch, S, Sliskovic I, Raturi A, Mutus B. (2007) Antioxidant and antiplatelet effects of rosuvastatin in a hamster model of prediabetes. Free Radic Biol Med. 42, 270-279.

 

Kozarova, A, Sliskovic, I, Simon, SS, Andrews, PC, Mutus, B, Vacratis, I. (2007 ) Identificationof redox sensitive thiols of protein disulfide isomerase using isotope coded affinity technology and mass spectrometry. J Amer. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 18, 260-269.

 

Sliskovic, I, Mutus, B. (2006) Reversible inhibition of caspase-3 activity by iron(III):potential role in physiological  control of apoptosis. FEBS Lett. 580, 2233-2237.

 

Miersch S, Mutus, B. (2005) Protein S-nitrosation: biochemistry and characterization of protein thiol-NO interactions as cellular signals. Clin Biochem. 38, 777-91.

 

Raturi A, Vacratsis, PO, Seslija, D, Lee, L, Mutus B. (2005) A direct, continuous, sensitive assay for protein disulphide-isomerase based on fluorescence self-quenching. Biochem  J. 391, 351-7.

 

Sliskovic I, Raturi, A and Mutus B. (2005) Characterization of the S-Denitrosation Activity of Protein-Disulfide Isomerase. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 280, 8733-8741.

 

Al-Kassim, L, Wang, Z, Szabo, AG, Taylor, KE and Mutus, B. (2005) Synthesis and Characterization of a Synthetic Heme-Based Oxygen Carrier. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology. 80, 1026-1030.

 

Root, P, Sliscovic, I, and Mutus, B. (2004) Platelet Cell Surface Protein Disulfide Isomerase-Mediated S-Nitrosothiol Consumption. Biochemical J. 382, 575–580.

 

Raturi, A and Mutus, B. (2004) Use of 2,3-Diaminonapthalene for studying denitrosation activity of protein disulfide isomerase. Anal. Biochem. 326, 281-283.

 

Akhter, S, Green, JR, Root, P, Thatcher, GJ and Mutus, B. (2003) Peroxynitrite and NO+ form coloured nitrite adducts with sinapinic acid: potential applications. Nitric Oxide 8, 214-221.

 

Root, P. and Mutus, B O-Aminobenzoyl-S-nitrosohomocysteine, a fluorogenic probe for cell surface thiol determinations via a microtiter plate assay. (2003) Anal. Biochem. 320, 299-302.

 

Akhter S, Vignini A, Wen Z, English A, Wang PG, Mutus B. Evidence for S-Nitrosothiol-dependent changes in fibrinogen that do not involve transnitrosation or thiolation. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 99, 9172-9177.

 

Chen, X Wen, Z, Xian, M. Wang, K, Ramachandran, N, Tang, X, Schlegel, HB, Mutus, B and WangPG. Fluorophore-Labeled S-Nitrosothiols (2001) J. Org. Chem. 66, 6064-73.

 

Ramachandran, N, Root, P,Jiang X-M, Hogg, PJ and Mutus B. Mechanism of Transfer of NO from Extracellular S-Nitrosothiols Into the Cytosol by Cell-surface Protein Disulfide Isomerase(2001) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 98,9539-9544.

 

Mutus, B. Rabini, RA, Staffolani, R, Ricciotti, R, Fumelli, P, Moretti, N, Martarelli D, and Mazzanti L. (2001) Platelets from diabetic subjects show increased sensitivity to homocysteine-induced inhibition of NO production. Diabetologia. 44, 979-982.