The O'Halloran Group

The O’Halloran group's research centers on the molecular mechanisms regulating the uptake, trafficking, utilization and intracellular fluxes of metals essential for growth and proliferation (i.e., zinc, copper and iron), nanoscale drug delivery mechanisms, and on the mechanisms of clinically important anticancer agents. Discoveries have established the functions and structures of two classes of soluble receptors: metalloregulatory proteins that govern metal responsive gene expression and metallochaperone proteins that control intracellular trafficking pathways. My research program focuses on how the discovery of these soluble metal receptor proteins, the pathways they participate in, and the mechanisms by which they regulate cellular events and the physiology of the organism. My group adopts a highly interdisciplinary approach to elucidation of chemical mechanisms, protein structures, biochemistry and physiology of metal receptors, and this work has led to the discovery of two novel families of factors. In the course of these studies, we defined a new family of metal receptors that regulate gene expression in response to changes in metal ion concentration: i.e., the metalloregulatory proteins. In collaboration with colleagues at Johns Hopkins, we discovered another class of proteins called metallochaperone proteins, which govern metal flow through the cell. These studies reveal how cells control transition element quotas in normal and disease states.