Office: CAP 2.52 Email: j.butt@uea.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1603-593877 University Positions: Professor of Biophysical Chemistry, Deputy Head of Chemistry, Molecules and Pathways Theme Leader (BIO) and Associate Dean of Post-Graduate Research (SCI).

Our inter-disciplinary research centres on the use of electrochemical methods to characterise redox-active metalloproteins. In essence we interface proteins of interest with electrodes, ‘excite’ them through the application of a defined potential, and interpret the resulting flow of electrical current in terms of the protein’s intrinsic functionality. On-going projects include studies of multi-heme cytochromes that participate in respiratory nitrite ammonification and porin:cytochrome complexes that support extracellular mineral respiration by Shewanella species. One outcome of these projects has been a desire to enhance the resolving power of protein voltammetry. With this aim we are integrating voltammetry with magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy and developing methods to study quinol-dehydrogenases in electrode supported bilayers.

Biography

Prof Butt joined UEA as a Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow and was subsequently appointed a faculty member in the School of Chemistry and the School of Biological Sciences. Prior to working at UEA, she pursued Post-Doctoral Research at the National Institutes of Health, USA and Wageningen Agricultural University, NL. In 2002 Dr Butt was honoured with the British Biophysical Society Young Investigators Award for her application of novel voltammetric methods to the study of redox proteins.

Selected Publications

Probing a Complex of Cytochrome c and Cardiolipin by Magnetic Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy: Implications for the Initial Events in Apoptosis
Bradley JM, Silkstone G, Wilson MT, Cheesman MR, Butt JN
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011 133, 19676-19679.
DOI: 10.1021/ja209144h

A novel fluorescent probe for NAD-consuming enzymes
Pergolizzi G, Butt JN, Bowater RP, Wagner GK
Chem. Comm. 2011, 47, 12655-12657.

Structure of a bacterial cell surface decaheme electron conduit.
Clarke TA, Edwards MJ, Gates AJ, Hall A, White GF, Bradley J, Reardon CL, Shi L, Beliaev AS, Marshall MJ, Wang Z, Watmough NJ, Fredrickson JK, Zachara JM, Butt JN and Richardson DJ
Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 2011, 108 9384-9389
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1017200108

The relationship between redox enzyme activity and electrochemical potential – cellular and mechanistic implications from protein film electrochemistry.
Gates AJ, Kemp GL, To CY, Mann J, Marritt SJ, Mayes AG, Richardson DJ, Butt JN.
PhysChemChemPhys, 2011, 13, 7720-7731
DOI: 10.1039/c0cp02887h