IDeA Award 2022: Catie Shelton

Institution: Northern Kentucky University

Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry

Rank: Assistant Professor

Project Title: Characterization of the isomerase and lyase mechanisms of MST enzymes

About the project: The Shelton Lab is looking for new ways to treat antibiotic resistant bacteria like Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We do this by studying a class of enzymes that produce molecules essential for the organisms to survive. We study how the enzymes do their job so we can better understand what kinds of drugs/compounds will act as good inhibitors. Inhibiting the enzyme seriously compromises the organism’s ability to survive.

Intended outcomes: To help define the catalytic mechanism of menaquinone, siderophore, and tryptophan (MST) enzymes so new inhibitors can be developed as antibiotics.

How KY INBRE will help accomplish these goals: In addition to providing stipends for several undergraduate research students, KY INBRE funding has helped purchase equipment for our x-ray crystallography experiments and supplies and reagents for our enzymology experiments.

Outside of the classroom/lab: I enjoy gardening and spending time with family.