The Lemon Lab at Montana State University

The Lemon lab is an interdisciplinary research group that works at the interface of synthetic chemistry and protein biochemistry to make a positive impact on human health. To achieve these goals, our research combines organic and inorganic synthetic chemistry, protein biochemistry, and optical spectroscopy.

Research

With expertise in the biochemistry of heme proteins, we are interested in the development of designer heme proteins with novel functionality. This is accomplished by incorporating a synthetic heme analog with the desired optical, magnetic, or other chemical properties into a stable protein scaffold. These designer proteins can then be used for biomedical sensing and imaging applications or as artificial metalloenzymes.

Latest Publications

Hangman Dipyrrin Complexes

We have developed hangman dipyrrin complexes with secondary sphere residues that

perform proton transfer and bind small molecules. Atropisomerism confers rigidity,

mimicking the stable positioning of amino acid site chains in protein active sites.