Dr. Bollivar performs research focused on understanding the molecular biology and biochemistry of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis. The products of the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway include heme, chlorophyll, and bacteriochlorophyll. These compounds are important for respiration and photosynthesis. The focus of his research incorporates studies of biochemical steps at various points in the pathway for making these compounds. His most recent focus has been on the first common step to all of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis catalyzed by the enzyme porphobilinogen synthase. This work has been done in collaboration with IWU students and faculty members at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Haverford College. Some of this work has been completed during a sabbatical at Fox Chase Cancer Center during the 2005-2006 academic year. He maintains an interest in working on the Mg-protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester cyclase, an enzyme that is involved in chlorophyll and bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis. He has also begun studying some of the later steps that are found only in bacteriochlorophyll a biosynthesis.
Articles
Putting Metal in the Middle, Structure (2010)
Placing metal ions into the center of a porphyrin ring is a significant cellular challenge....
Recent Advances in Chlorophyll Biosynthesis, Photosynthesis Research (2006)
The importance of chlorophyll (Chl) to the process of photosynthesis is obvious, and there is...
Rhodobacter capsulatus Porphobilinogen Synthase, a High Activity Metal Ion Independent Hexamer (with Cheryl Clauson, Rachel Lighthall, Siiri Forbes, Bashkim Kokona, Robert Fairman, Lenka Kundrat, and Eileen K. Jaffe), BMC Biochemistry (2004)
Background: The enzyme porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS), which is central to the biosynthesis of heme, chlorophyll...
Genetic Analysis of Chlorophyll Biosynthesis (with Jon Y. Suzuki and Carl E. Bauer), Annual Review of Genetics (1997)
During this decade, there have been major advancements in the understanding of genetic loci involved...
The Chlorophyll Biosynthetic Enzyme Mg-Protoporphyrin IX Monomethyl Ester (Oxidative) Cyclase (Characterization and Partial Purification from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803), Plant Physiology (1996)
A universal structural feature of chlorophyll molecules is the isocyclic ring. This ring is formed...