Dr Frederick Grant Pearce

Phone: +64 3 364 2987 ext. 45722
Office: Biological Sciences 624

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Fields of Research

• Enzyme kinetics and inhibition
• Protein chemistry
• Protein crystallography
• Structure-function studies

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Researcher Summary

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Subject Area: Disciplines

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Research Groups

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Publications

• Lassé, M., Gerrard, J.A. and Pearce, F.G. (2012) Aggregation and fibrillogenesis of proteins not associated with disease: A few case studies. In J.R. Harris (Ed.), Protein Aggregation and Fibrillogenesis in Cerebral and Systemic Amyloid Disease: 253-270. Dordrecht/New York: Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5416-4_11. (Chapter in Book)

• Griffin, M.D.W., Billakanti, J.M., Wason, A., Keller, S., Mertens, H.D.T., Atkinson, S.C., Dobson, R.C.J., Perugini, M.A., Gerrard, J.A. and Pearce, F.G. (2012) Characterisation of the first enzymes committed to lysine biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLoS One 7(7): e40318. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0040318. (Journal Article)

• Atkinson, S.C., Dogovski, C., Downton, M.T., Pearce, F.G., Reboul, C.F., Buckle, A.M., Gerrard, J.A., Dobson, R.C.J., Wagner, J. and Perugini, M.A. (2012) Crystal, Solution and In silico Structural Studies of Dihydrodipicolinate Synthase from the Common Grapevine. PLoS ONE 7(6): e38318. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0038318. (Journal Article)

• Evans, G., Schuldt, L., Griffin, M.D.W., Devenish, S.R.A., Pearce, F.G., Perugini, M.A., Dobson, R.C.J., Jameson, G.B., Weiss, M.S. and Gerrard, J.A. (2011) A tetrameric structure is not essential for activity in dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 512(2): 154-159. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.abb.2011.05.014. (Journal Article)

• Pearce, F.G., Dobson, R.C.J., Jameson, G.B., Perugini, M.A. and Gerrard J.A. (2011) Characterisation of monomeric dihydrodipicolinate synthase variant reveals the importance of substrate binding in optimizing oligomerisation. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Proteins & Proteomics 1814(12): 1900-1909. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbapap.2011.07.016. (Journal Article)

• Griffin, M.D., Billakanti, J.M., Gerrard, J.A., Dobson, R.C.J. and Pearce, F.G. (2011) Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of dihydrodipicolinate synthase 2 from Arabidopsis thaliana. Acta crystallographica Section F: Structural biology and crystallization communications 67(11): 1386-1390. http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1744309111033276. (Journal Article)

• Raynes, J.K., Pearce, F.G., Meade, S.J. and Gerrard, J.A. (2011) Immobilization of organophosphate hydrolase on an amyloid fibril nanoscaffold: Towards bioremediation and chemical detoxification. Biotechnology Progress 27(2): 360-367. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/btpr.518. (Journal Article)

• Dommaraju, S., Gorman, M.A., Dogovski, C., Pearce, F.G., Gerrard, J.A., Dobson, R.C.J., Parker, M.W. and Perugini, M.A. (2010) Cloning, expression and crystallization of dihydrodipicolinate reductase from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Acta Crystallographica Section F: Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications 66(1): 57-60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/s1744309109047964. (Journal Article)

• Muscroft-Taylor, A.C., Catchpole, R.J., Dobson, R.C.J., Pearce, F.G., Perugini, M.A. and Gerrard, J.A. (2010) Disruption of quaternary structure in Escherichia coli dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS) generates a functional monomer that is no longer inhibited by lysine. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 503: 202-206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.abb.2010.08.009. (Journal Article)

• Dommaraju, S.R., Gorman, M.A., Dogovski, C., Pearce, F.G., Gerrard, J.A., Dobson, R.C.J., Parker, M.W. and Perugini, M.A. (2009) Cloning expression and crystallization of Dihydrodipicolinate reductase from Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Acta Crystallographica Section F: Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications 66(1): 57-60. (Journal Article)

• Pearce, F.G., Griffin, M.D.W. and Gerrard, J.A. (2009) Does domain swapping improve the stability of RNase A? Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 382(1): 114-118. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.02.142. (Journal Article)

• Pearce, F.G., Sprissler, C. and Gerrard, J.A. (2008) Characterization of dihydrodipicolinate reductase from Thermotoga maritima reveals evolution of substrate binding kinetics. Journal of Biochemistry 143: 617-623. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jb/mvn012. (Journal Article)

• Dobson, R.C.J., Griffin, M.D.W., Devenish, S.R.A., Pearce, F.G., Hutton, C.A., Gerrard, J.A., Jameson, G.B. and Perugini, M.A. (2008) Conserved main-chain peptide distortions: a proposed role for Ile203 in catalysis by dihydrodipicolinate synthase. Protein Science 17(12): 2080-2090. http://dx.doi.org/10.1110/ps.037440.108. (Journal Article)

• Kefala, G., Evans, G.L., Griffin, M.D.W., Devenish, S.R.A., Pearce, F.G., Perugini, M.A., Gerrard, J.A., Weiss, M.S. and Dobson, R.C.J. (2008) Crystal structure and kinetic study of dihydrodipicolinate synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Biochemical Journal 411(2): 351-360. http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/BJ20071360. (Journal Article)

• Griffin, M.D.W., Dobson, R.C.J., Pearce, F.G., Antonio, L., Whitten, A.E., Liew, C.K., Mackay, J.P., Trewhella, J., Jameson, G.B., Perugini, M.A. and Gerrard, J.A. (2008) Evolution of quaternary structure in a homotetrameric enzyme. Journal of Molecular Biology 380(4): 691-703. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2008.05.038. (Journal Article)

• Mitsakos, V., Dobson, R.C.J., Pearce, F.G., Devenish, S.R., Evans, G.L., Burgess, B.R., Perugini, M.A., Gerrard, J.A. and Hutton, C.A. (2008) Inhibiting dihydrodipicolinate synthase across species: Towards specificity for pathogens? Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 18(2): 842-844. /http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2007.11.026. (Journal Article)

• Pearce, F.G., Dobson, R.C.J., Weber, A., Lane, L.A., McCammon, M.G., Squire, M.A., Perugini, M.A., Jameson, G.B., Robinson, C.V. and Gerrard, J.A. (2008) Mutating the tight-dimer interface of dihydrodipicolinate synthase disrupts the enzyme quaternary structure: Toward a monomeric enzyme. Biochemistry 47(46): 12108-12117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/bi801094t. (Journal Article)

• Pearce, F.G., Mackintosh, S.H. and Gerrard, J.A. (2007) Formation of amyloid-like fibrils by ovalbumin and related proteins under conditions relevant to food processing. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(2): 318-322. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf062154p. (Journal Article)

• Pearce, F.G. (2006) Catalytic by-product formation and ligand binding by ribulose bisphosphate carboxylases from different phylogenies. Biochemical Journal 399(3): 525-534. http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/BJ20060430. (Journal Article)

• Pearce, F.G., Perugini, M.A., McKerchar, H.J. and Gerrard, J.A. (2006) Dihydrodipicolinate synthase from Thermotoga maritima. Biochemical Journal 400(2): 359-366. http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/BJ20060771. (Journal Article)

• Dobson, R.C.J., Devenish, S.R.A., Turner, L.A., Clifford, V.R., Pearce, F.G., Jameson, G.B. and Gerrard, J.A. (2005) Role of Arginine 138 in the catalysis and regulation of Escherichia coli dihydrodipicolinate synthase. Biochemistry 44: 13007-13013. (Journal Article)

• Dobson, R.C.J., Gerrard, J.A. and Pearce, F.G. (2004) Dihydrodipicolinate synthase is not inhibited by its substrate, (S)-aspartate beta-semialdehyde. Biochemical Journal 377: 757-762. (Journal Article)

• Pearce, F.G. (2003) Self-Inhibition of Rubisco by Inhibitory By-Products. PhD, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. (Thesis - Doctor of Philosophy)

• Pearce, F.G. and Andrews, T.J. (2003) The Relationship between Side Reactions and Slow Inhibition of Ribulose-bisphosphate Carboxylase Revealed by a Loop 6 Mutant of the Tobacco Enzyme. Journal of Biological Chemistry 278(35): 32526-32536. (Journal Article)

• Pearce, F.G., Andrews, T.J., Kane, H.J., Sharwood, R.E. and Whitney S.M. (2001) A Mutation in the Rubisco Large Subunit Reduces the Decline in Activity During Catalysis. Brisbane, Australia: 12th International Congress on Photosynthesis, 18-23 Aug 2001. In PS2001: Proceedings of the 12th International Congress on Photosynthesis online(http://www.publish.csiro.au/issue/1342.htm) 5 pp. http://www.publish.csiro.au/issue/1342.htm. (Conference Contribution - Paper in published proceedings)