Overview

Welcome to the Toone group home page. Here you will find descriptions of our various research efforts, references to recent publications, information about the various Departments and Programs at Duke in which students in the Toone lab participate, information about Durham and the Triangle area, and a variety of tools you might find useful in your own research.

Our research is best described as physical organic chemistry considered in the context of biological problems. Within this broad description, we have historically been active in two areas; applied enzymology/biocatalysis, and association in aqueous solution. More recently we have initiated an effort in the chemistry of nitric oxide.

Biocatalysis involves the use of enzymes to conduct organic synthesis. Today our effort in this field surrounds the relationships between structure and activity in protein catalysts, specifically how does the structure of an enzyme determine its catalytic activity? We study this question by modifying the structure of various enzymes and then evaluating the effect of these changes on both the physical and chemical properties of the protein. The changes are introduced both by site-directed and random (directed evolution) strategies. In the second instance, we apply the tools of organic synthesis, biophysical chemistry and molecular biology to the question why does anything bind to anything else in dilute aqueous solution? Put another way, what are the facets of molecular structure that lead to affinity and specificity during aqueous association processes? Although we have traditionally studied these questions in the context of protein-carbohydrate interaction, we are interested in the issue broadly and have considered a variety of other systems. Finally, we are interested in the physical organic chemistry of potential donors of nitric oxide; such compounds have a wide variety of biological activities and constitute a novel class of therapeutic agents.

More detailed descriptions of each area can be found in the links in the left-side. We urge you to explore our site and to contact us should you have questions regarding any of what you find here.