An ongoing two-year enzyme study, conducted by a team from the UH Physics department has been accepted into the National Academy of Sciences.
Assistant professor Margaret S. Cheung and physics graduate student Antonios Samiotakis composed a research paper on the enzyme phosphoglycerate kinase, and concluded that PGK is 15 times more active in a crowded environment.
Research results concluded that when PGK is in a crowded surrounding, it is still able to function despite being in an enclosed area. However, experiments determined how much faster PGK works while it is in fact crowded.
This study can help future researchers clarify exactly how large and multi-domain enzymes are able to adapt and increase their function while in a crowded environment.
Cheung said that Samiotakis is an outstanding graduate student.
“He is very hardworking,” Cheung said. “(He) has produced a stellar amount of papers with me.”
Because of his research, Samiotakis is the recipient of the prestigious 2010 Hyer Research Award given by the Texas Section of the American Physical Society.
“I am very proud of him,” Cheung said.
