Ahn Y, Albertsson I, Gennis RB & Ädelroth P (2018) Mechanism of proton transfer through the KC proton pathway in the Vibrio cholerae cbb3 terminal oxidase. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics 1859 (2018) 1191–1198.
Melin, F, Xie H, Meyer T, Ahn Y, Gennis RB, Michel H and Hellwig P (2016) The unusual redox properties of C-type oxidases. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics 1857(12): 1892-1899.
Ahn Y, Lee HJ, Kaluka D, Yeh Syun-Ru, Rousseau D, Ädelroth P & Gennis RB (2015) The two transmembrane helices of CcoP are sufficient for assembly of the cbb3-type heme-copper oxygen reductase from Vibrio cholerae. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics 1847(10):1231-1239.
Ahn Y, Mahinthichaichan P, Lee HJ, Ouyang H, Kaluka D, Rousseau D, Yeh S, Tajkhorshid E, Ädelroth P & Gennis RB (2014) Conformational coupling between the active site and residues within the KC-channel of the Vibrio cholerae cbb3-type (Cfamily) oxygen reductase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111(42): E4419-4428.
Chang HY*, Ahn Y*, Pace L, Lin M, Lin YH & Gennis RB (2010) The diheme cytochrome c4 from Vibrio cholerae is a natural electron donor to the respiratory cbb3 oxygen reductase. Biochemistry 49(35):7494-7503. (*Equal contribution)
I work in the fields of bacterial physiology, bioenergetics and enzymology. I am most excited when tackling basic biological questions that have the potential to impact public health. Interdisciplinary approaches are often key when answering these questions and I try to exploit my background in biochemistry, microbiology, biophysics, and organic chemistry to the fullest.
My PhD thesis was on the biochemical characterization of heme-copper oxygen reductases (HCOs) from various bacteria. What makes these enzymes truly exciting to me is the fact that they make attractive drug targets. As a terminal oxidase in the respiratory chain, the function of these enzymes is crucial to the survival of any living organisms, including pathogens, which rely on aerobic respiration.
I try to extend my excitement to classrooms where I employ active learning methodologies to engage our students in performing actual scientific research, contributing in a real way to advancing scientific knowledge. I believe exposing students to open ended research questions is the best way to stimulate higher order cognition.