Dr. Bryan Schmidt

Professor, Science Division Chair

Office: Cyril Moore 332
Email: b.schmidt@minotstateu.edu
Phone: 858-4250

Chem 115 – Introductory Chemistry
Chem 240 – Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry
Chem 480L – Biochemistry Lab
Chem 481 – Biochemistry I
Chem 482 – Biochemistry II

Dr. Schmidt received his B. S. degree in Chemistry from Texas A&M in 1998. In 2003 he attained a dual Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Chemistry from Michigan State University where he studied the details of proton and water movement in the protein cytochrome c oxidase. From 2004 – 2006, Dr, Schmidt worked as a Research Officer at the School of Medical Sciences at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, developing a novel cancer imaging agent and working in bioinformatics. In late 2006, Dr. Schmidt moved to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, to work in a second post-doctoral position in the Department of Chemistry, studying the protein SOD1 and its relevance in ALS pathology and designing a new fast micromixer. In 2008 Dr. Schmidt joined the faculty of the Division of Science at Minot State University, teaching introductory level and upper level chemistry classes.

Dr. Schmidt's research interests center around a special type of motif in protein structures, called allosteric disulfide bonds, which can affect how proteins work. Current work focuses on using bioinformatics to find more proteins that contain allosteric disulfide bonds, as well as classic biochemistry and enzymology to characterize the proteins and disulfide bonds highlighted in the bioinformatics studies. Current projects are concerned with the role of allosteric disulfide bonds in metal incorporation into proteins and in cellular infection by bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Publications:

C. Tabrett, C. Harrison, B. Schmidt, S.A. Bellingham, T. Hardy, Y.-H. Sanejouand, A.S. Hill, P.J. Hogg (2010) “Changing the solvent accessibility of prion protein disulfide bond markedly influences its trafficking and affect on cell function” Biochem. J. 248, 169-182.

B. Schmidt, P.J. Hogg (2007) “Search for allosteric disulfide bonds in NMR structures” BMC Struct. Biol. 7, 4-9.

B. Schmidt, L. Ho, P.J. Hogg (2006) “Allosteric disulfide bonds” Biochemistry 45, 7429 -7433.

A. Maekawa, B. Schmidt, B. Fazekas de St Groth, Y.-H. Sanejouand, P.J. Hogg (2006) “Evidence for a domain-swapped CD4 dimer as the co-receptor for binding to class II major histocompatability complex” J. Immunol. 176, 6873-6878.

G. Branden, M. Branden, B.Schmidt, D.A. Mills, S. Ferguson-Miller, P. Brzezinski (2005) “The protonation state of a heme propionate controls electron transfer in cytochrome c oxidase” Biochemistry 44, 10466-14474.

D.A. Mills, L. Geren, C. Hiser, B. Schmidt, B. Durham, F. Millet, S. Ferguson-Miller (2005) “An arginine to lysine mutation in the vicinity of the heme propionates affects the redox potentials of the hemes and associated electron and proton transfer in cytochrome c oxidase” Biochemistry 44, 10457-14465.

J. Qian, D.A. Mills, L. Geren, K. Wang, C.W. Hoganson, B. Schmidt, C. Hiser, G.T. Babcock, B. Durham, F. Millett, S. Ferguson-Miller (2004) “Role of the conserved arginine pair in proton and electron transfer in cytochrome c oxidase” Biochemistry 43, 5748-5756.

B. Schmidt, W. Hillier, J. McCracken, S. Ferguson-Miller (2004) “The use of stable isotopes and spectroscopy to investigate the energy transducing function of cytochrome c oxidase” Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1655, 248-255.

B. Schmidt, J. McCracken, S. Ferguson-Miller (2003) “A discrete water exit pathway in the membrane protein cytochrome c oxidase” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 15539-15542.

J.D. Artz, B. Schmidt, J. L. McCracken, M.A. Marletta (2002) “Effects of nitroglycerin on soluble guanylate cyclase: Implications for nitrate tolerance” J. Biol. Chem. 277, 18253-18256.

D.A. Mills, B. Schmidt, C. Hiser, E. Westley, S. Ferguson-Miller (2002) “Membrane potential-controlled inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase by zinc” J. Biol. Chem. 277, 14894-14901.

Y.J. Zhen, B. Schmidt, U.G. Kang, W. Antholine, S. Ferguson-Miller (2002) “Mutants of the CuAsite in cytochrome c oxidase of Rhodobacter sphaeroides: I. Spectral and functional properties” Biochemistry 41, 2288-2297.

L. Florens, B. Schmidt, J. McCracken, S. Ferguson-Miller (2001) “Fast deuterium access to the buried magnesium/manganese site in cytochrome c oxidase” Biochemistry 40, 7491-7497.