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Research and Creative Scholarship

2026-2027 Faculty Research Grants

Peter Lyons (Biology). 

Identification of biological and pharmaceutical substrates for unique proteolytic enzymes.

Carboxypeptidases are proteases that remove amino acids from one end of substrate proteins. They have many important functions in human health and disease, including in hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. We wish to identify substrate proteins for two unique carboxypeptidases, CPO and RsCPAA. CPO functions in digestion in the small intestine, basophils, and neurons. We will explore predicted neuronal substrates NAAG and DPP6 using biochemical approaches. We will explore the use of a recently described metal oxide-based ligand-exchange chromatography method for capturing unknown CPO substrates. Finally, we will modify a recently discovered and uniquely EDTA-resistant fungal enzyme, RsCPAA, for the processing of insulin for the biomanufacturing industry. Altogether these three projects will continue our successful exploration of carboxypeptidase enzymes in an environment that enables many undergraduates to gain experience in cell biology and biochemical techniques.