Professor Paul Race

Summary

Teaching

Biophysics and Molecular Life Sciences i

Biological Chemistry

Science and Society

Synthetic Biology

Science in Society

Biomedical Research, Employability and Enterprise Skills

The Dynamic Proteome

Advanced Options in Biochemistry

Expertise

I am interested in natural products synthesised by the polyketide and related non-ribosomal peptide pathways. My research group employs a range of structural (X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, NMR and solution scattering) and functional (enzyme kinetics, spectroscopy, etc.) methods to deconvolute, at the molecular level, the catalytic mechanisms of the individual component enzymes from selected synthetic pathways. These investigations form the basis of protein engineering approaches, where we seek to manipulate pathway enzymes to yield novel derivative products with improved therapeutic activities. Other areas of major interest include hybrid polyketide/non-ribosomal peptide antibiotics and anticancer drugs as well as polyketide based cholesterol lowering agents.

Memberships

Organisations

School of Biochemistry

Other sites

• Biochemistry

Recent publications

• Lees, NR, Han, L-C, Byrne, M, Davies, J, Parnell, A, Moreland, P, Stach, JEM, Kamp, MVd, Willis, C & Race, P, 2019, ‘An Esterase-like Lyase Catalyzes Acetate Elimination in Spirotetronate/Spirotetramate Biosynthesis’. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, vol 58., pp. 2305-2309
• Xiao, W, Green, TIP, Liang, X, Delint, RC, Perry, G, Roberts, MS, Le Vay, K, Back, C, Ascione, R, Wang, H, Race, P & Perriman, A, 2019, ‘Designer artificial membrane binding proteins direct stem cells to the myocardium’. Chemical Science, vol 2019., pp. 7610 - 7618
• Wang, W, Moreau, N, Yuan, Y, Race, P & Pang, W, 2019, ‘Towards machine learning approaches for predicting the self-healing efficiency of materials’. Computational Materials Science, vol 168., pp. 180-187
• Marsh, CO, Lees, NR, Han, L-C, Byrne, MJ, Mbatha, SZ, Maschio, L, Pagden-Ratcliffe, S, Duke, P, Stach, JEM, Curnow, P, Willis, CL & Race, PR, 2019, ‘A Natural Diels-Alder Biocatalyst Enables Efficient [4 + 2] Cycloaddition Under Harsh Reaction Conditions’. ChemCatChem.
• Walker, P, Williams, C, Weir, A, Wang, L, Crosby, J, Race, P, Simpson, T, Willis, C & Crump, M, 2019, ‘Control of beta-Branching in Kalimantacin Biosynthesis: Application of Direct Observe 13C NMR to Polyketide Programming.’. Angewandte Chemie, vol 58., pp. 12446-12450
• Maschio, L, Parnell, A, Lees, NR, Willis, C, Berger-Schaffitzel, C, Stach, JEM & Race, P, 2018, ‘Cloning, Expression and Purification of Intact Polyketide Synthase Modules’. in: [forthcoming Methods in Enzymology volume]. Elsevier Inc., pp. 63-82
• Mohammad, HH, Connolly, JA, Song, Z, Hothersall, J, Race, PR, Willis, CL, Simpson, TJ, Winn, PJ & Thomas, CM, 2018, ‘Fine Tuning of Antibiotic Activity by a Tailoring Hydroxylase in a Trans-AT Polyketide Synthase Pathway’. ChemBioChem, vol 19., pp. 836-841
• Wang, L, Parnell, A, Williams, C, Bakar, NA, Challand, MR, Kamp, MWvd, Simpson, TJ, Race, PR, Crump, MP & Willis, CL, 2018, ‘A Rieske oxygenase/epoxide hydrolase-catalysed reaction cascade creates oxygen heterocycles in mupirocin biosynthesis’. Nature Catalysis, vol 1., pp. 968-976
• Back, C, Sztukowska, MN, Till, M, Lamont, RJ, Jenkinson, HF, Nobbs, A & Race, P, 2017, ‘The Streptococcus gordonii adhesin CshA protein binds host fibronectin via a catch-clamp mechanism’. Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol 292., pp. 1538-1549
• Gao, S, Wang, L, Song, Z, Hothersall, J, Stevens, ER, Connolly, J, Winn, PJ, Cox, R, Crump, M, Race, P, Simpson, T & Willis, C, 2017, ‘Selected Mutations Reveal New Intermediates in the Biosynthesis of Mupirocin and the Thiomarinol Antibiotics’. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, vol 56., pp. 3930-3934

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system