Yongjiang Li was one of the Original Three graduate students
to join the Goodwin Laboratory. As with his cohorts Dr. Neil
Varnado and Dr. Rue Baker, these three laid the foundation from
which every subsequent graduate student has drawn. Li came to
us from Hefei, China. Li received his undergraduate training
in Chemistry from Fudan University. As a result of his efforts
there, he was honored with a People's Award each year from 1994 -
1998. Li was active in research before coming to Auburn, and
contributed to several publications (see below). In his time
here at Auburn, Li was twice recognized as a Professor Samuel H.
Nichols Summer Research Fellow. Li's research efforts in the
Goodwin laboratory were focused in two areas: 1) Methods
of activation of bacterial catalase-peroxidases, and 2) the
generation and characterization of deletion mutants of bacterial
catalase-peroxidases. Li successfully defended his
doctoral dissertation in July 2005. It is entitled Roles
of Two Interhelical Insertions in Catalase-Peroxidase Catalysis:
Tracing the Impact of Peripheral Protein Structures on Heme
Enzyme Function. As one can observe below, Dr. Li's work
had a substantial impact on our progess in the understanding of KatG
catalysis after his departure. Dr. Li engaged in postdoctoral
research at the National Institutes of Health, and subsequently at
the Scripps Institute in La Jolla, CA. Following nine years with
ScienCell Research Laboratories, Dr. Li has just taken a position as
a Senior Scientist in Assay Development with Roche.
Abstracts and Publications
Kudalkar, S.N., Njuma, O.J., Li, Y., Muldowney, M., Fuanta, N.R.,
and Goodwin, D.C. 2015. "A role for catalase-peroxidase large loop 2
revealed by deletion mutagenesis: Control of active site water and
ferric enzyme reactivity" Biochemistry 54, 1648 -
1662.
Kudalkar, S.N., Campbell, R.A., Li, Y., Varnado, C.L., Prescott, C.,
and Goodwin D.C. 2012. Enhancing the peroxidatic
activity of KatG by deletion mutagenesis J. Inorg. Biochem.
116, 106 - 115.
Li, Y., and Goodwin D. C. 2004. Central participation of
an interhelical insertion in catalase-peroxidase bifunctionality and
resistance to peroxide-dependent inactivation. Amer. Chem.
Soc. Southeast Regional Meeting, Research Triangle Park, NC.
Li, Y., and Goodwin D. C. 2004. Vital roles of an
interhelical insertion in catalase-peroxidase bifunctionality. Biochem.
Biophys.
Res. Comm. 318, 970 - 976.
Li, Y., and Goodwin, D. C. 2003. Use of deletion
mutagenesis to determine the novel functions of two unique
interhelical insertions in catalase-peroxidases. Amer.
Chem. Soc. Southeast Regional Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
Goodwin, D. C., Baker, R. D., Varnado, C. L., and Li, Y. 2003.
Structural requirements for the hemoprotein-dependent
decomposition of hydroperoxides: lessons from the
catalase-peroxidases. Amer. Chem. Soc. Southeast
Regional Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
Li, Y., and Goodwin, D. C. 2003. Roles of two
interhelical insertions in catalase-peroxidase bifunctionality.
Amer. Chem. Soc. 226th National Meeting, New York, NY.
Goodwin, D. C., Baker, R. D., and Li, Y. 2003. Protein
structural contributions to the unique catalytic properties of
catalase-peroxidases. Amer. Chem. Soc. 226th National
Meeting, New York, NY.
Goodwin, D. C., Baker, R. D., and Li, Y. 2003. Protein
structural contributions to the unique catalytic properties of
catalase-peroxidases. Enzymes, Coenzymes, and Metabolic
Pathways Gordon Conference, Meriden, NH.
Baker, R., Li, Y., and Goodwin D. 2002. Selective
elimination of catalase activity from catalase-peroxidase by
deletion mutagenesis. Am. Chem. Soc. Southeast Regional
Meeting, Charleston, SC.
Goodwin, D. C., Li, Y., Baker, R. D. 2002. Selective
elimination of catalase activity from catalase-peroxidases by
deletion mutagenesis. Enzymes, Coenzymes, and Metabolic
Pathways Gordon Conference, Meriden, NH.
Li, Y., P. Melius, and D. C. Goodwin. 2001. Activation
of bacterial catalase-peroxidase by addition of hemin. Am.
Chem. Soc. Southeast Regional Meeting, Savannah, GA.
Wei-Jiang Wang, He-Xing Li, Song-Hai Xie, Yong-Jiang Li, Jing-Fa
Deng. 1999. Regeneration at room-temperature for
amorphous NiB/SiO2 catalyst deactivated in cyclopentadiene
hydrogenation. Applied Catalyst A: General 184,
33-39.
Li-Wei Guo, Xiang Gao, Dan-Wei Zhang, Shi-Hui Wu, Hou-Ming Wu,
Yong-Jiang Li. 1999. Easy access to [60]fulleroalkaloids
via photoinduced reactions of tertiary amines with [60]fullerene. Chem.
Lett. 5 , 411.
Xiang Gao, Sheng-Lei Ma, Li-Wei Guo, -Wei Zhang, Shi-Hui Wu,
Hou-Ming Wu, Yong-Jiang Li. 1999. Unusual products
of enamines with [60]fullerene. Chem. Lett. 7, 671.
Ma, Sheng-Lei; Li, Wen-Yu; Zhang, Dan-Wei; Wu, Shi-Hui; Gao, Xiang;
Wu, Hou-Ming; Li, Yong-Jiang; Wang, Zhong-Hua. 2001.
Reactions of [60]fullerene with azo ylides from heteroaromatics.
Huaxue Xuebao 59, 1344.
Guo, Li-Wei; Gao, Xiang; Zhang, Dan-Wei; Wu, Shi-Hui; Wu, Hou-Ming;
Li, Yong-Jiang; Wilson, Stephen R.; Richardson, Christine F.;
Schuster, David I. 2000. Alkaloid-Fullerene Systems
through Photocycloaddition Reactions. Journal of Organic
Chemistry 65, 3804.