Denise Okafor
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

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408 Althouse Lab
University Park, PA - cdo5093@psu.edu
- 814-865-0116
Research Summary
Structural mechanisms of signaling and regulation in protein complexes.
Huck Affiliations
Links
Publication Tags
Proteins Rna Liver Cytoplasmic And Nuclear Receptors Iron Ligands Agonist Magnesium Catalysis Protein Enzymes Molecular Dynamics Simulation Alkylation Lipids Electrons Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors Muscle Cells Ions Water Orphan Nuclear Receptors Therapeutics Gene Expression Muscles Crystal Structure X RaysMost Recent Papers
Structural and Biophysical Mechanisms Driving Differential Hormone Response in Steroid Receptors
Sabab H. Khan, Sean M. Braet, Stephen J. Koehler, Elizabeth Elacqua, Ganesh S. Anand, Denise Okafor, 2022, FASEB Journal
Ligand Specificity in Progesterone Receptor
Namita Dube, Denise C. Okafor, 2022, FASEB Journal
Structural Basis for an Unprecedented Enzymatic Alkylation in Cylindrocyclophane Biosynthesis
Nathaniel R. Braffman, Terry B. Ruskoski, Katherine M. Davis, Nathaniel R. Glasser, Cassidy Johnson, C. Denise Okafor, Amie K. Boal, Emily P. Balskus, 2022, eLife
Ancestral sequence reconstruction for evolutionary characterization of proteins
Namita Dube, Sabab H. Khan, C. Denise Okafor, 2022, Trends in Biochemical Sciences on p. 98-99
Differential Modulation of Nuclear Receptor LRH-1 through Targeting Buried and Surface Regions of the Binding Pocket
Michael L. Cato, Jeffery L. Cornelison, Racheal M. Spurlin, Valentine V. Courouble, Anamika B. Patel, Autumn R. Flynn, Alyssa M. Johnson, C. Denise Okafor, Filipp Frank, Emma H. D'Agostino, Patrick R. Griffin, Nathan T. Jui, Eric A. Ortlund, 2022, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
The Rho-GEF PIX-1 directs assembly or stability of lateral attachment structures between muscle cells
Jasmine C. Moody, Hiroshi Qadota, April R. Reedy, C. Denise Okafor, Niveda Shanmugan, Yohei Matsunaga, Courtney J. Christian, Eric A. Ortlund, Guy M. Benian, 2020, Nature Communications
Allosteric regulation of thioesterase superfamily member 1 by lipid sensor domain binding fatty acids and lysophosphatidylcholine
Matthew C. Tillman, Norihiro Imai, Yue Li, Manoj Khadka, C. Denise Okafor, Puneet Juneja, Akshitha Adhiyaman, Susan J. Hagen, David E. Cohen, Eric A. Ortlund, 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 22080-22089
Cutting in-line with iron: ribosomal function and non-oxidative RNA cleavage
Rebecca Guth-Metzler, Marcus S. Bray, Moran Frenkel-Pinter, Suttipong Suttapitugsakul, Claudia Montllor-Albalate, Jessica C. Bowman, Ronghu Wu, Amit R. Reddi, C. Denise Okafor, Jennifer B. Glass, Loren Dean Williams, 2020, Nucleic Acids Research on p. 8663-8674
Rewiring ancient residue interaction networks drove the evolution of specificity in steroid receptors
C. Denise Okafor, David Hercules, Steven A. Kell, Eric A. Ortlund, 2020, Structure with Folding & design on p. 196-205.e3
Development of the first low nanomolar liver receptor homolog-1 agonist through structure-guided design
Suzanne G. Mays, Autumn R. Flynn, Jeffery L. Cornelison, C. Denise Okafor, Hongtao Wang, Guohui Wang, Xiangsheng Huang, Heather N. Donaldson, Elizabeth J. Millings, Rohini Polavarapu, David D. Moore, John W. Calvert, Nathan T. Jui, Eric A. Ortlund, 2019, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry on p. 11022-11034
Most-Cited Papers
RNA with iron(II) as a cofactor catalyses electron transfer
Chiaolong Hsiao, I. Chun Chou, C. Denise Okafor, Jessica C. Bowman, Eric B. O'neill, Shreyas S. Athavale, Anton S. Petrov, Nicholas V. Hud, Roger M. Wartell, Stephen C. Harvey, Loren Dean Williams, 2013, Nature Chemistry on p. 525-528
RNA-magnesium-protein interactions in large ribosomal subunit
Anton S. Petrov, Chad R. Bernier, Chiaolong Hsiao, C. Denise Okafor, Emmanuel Tannenbaum, Joshua Stern, Eric Gaucher, Dana Schneider, Nicholas V. Hud, Stephen C. Harvey, Loren Dean Williams, 2012, Journal of Physical Chemistry B on p. 8113-8120
Ribosomal small subunit domains radiate from a central core
Burak Gulen, Anton S. Petrov, C. Denise Okafor, Drew Vander Wood, Eric B. O'Neill, Nicholas V. Hud, Loren Dean Williams, 2016, Scientific Reports
The first crystal structure of a DNA-free nuclear receptor DNA binding domain sheds light on DNA-driven allostery in the glucocorticoid receptor
Filipp Frank, C. Denise Okafor, Eric A. Ortlund, 2018, Scientific Reports
Iron mediates catalysis of nucleic acid processing enzymes: support for Fe(II) as a cofactor before the great oxidation event
C. Denise Okafor, Kathryn A. Lanier, Anton S. Petrov, Shreyas S. Athavale, Jessica C. Bowman, Nicholas V. Hud, Loren Dean Williams, 2017, Nucleic Acids Research on p. 3634-3642
Crystal structures of the nuclear receptor, liver receptor homolog 1, bound to synthetic agonists
Suzanne G. Mays, C. Denise Okafor, Richard J. Whitby, Devrishi Goswami, Józef Stec, Autumn R. Flynn, Michael C. Dugan, Nathan T. Jui, Patrick R. Griffin, Eric A. Ortlund, 2016, Journal of Biological Chemistry on p. 25281-25291
Nonenzymatic ligation of DNA with a reversible step and a final linkage that can be used in PCR
Aaron E. Engelhart, Brian J. Cafferty, C. Denise Okafor, Michael C. Chen, Loren Dean Williams, David G. Lynn, Nicholas V. Hud, 2012, ChemBioChem on p. 1121-1124
Structural and dynamics comparison of thermostability in ancient, modern, and consensus elongation factor tus
C. Denise Okafor, Manish C. Pathak, Crystal E. Fagan, Nicholas C. Bauer, Megan F. Cole, Eric A. Gaucher, Eric A. Ortlund, 2018, Structure with Folding & design on p. 118-129.e3
Development of the first low nanomolar liver receptor homolog-1 agonist through structure-guided design
Suzanne G. Mays, Autumn R. Flynn, Jeffery L. Cornelison, C. Denise Okafor, Hongtao Wang, Guohui Wang, Xiangsheng Huang, Heather N. Donaldson, Elizabeth J. Millings, Rohini Polavarapu, David D. Moore, John W. Calvert, Nathan T. Jui, Eric A. Ortlund, 2019, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry on p. 11022-11034
Structure and dynamics of the liver receptor homolog 1-PGC1α complex
Suzanne G. Mays, C. Denise Okafor, Micheal L. Tuntland, Richard J. Whitby, Venkatasubramanian Dharmarajan, Józef Stec, Patrick R. Griffin, Eric A. Ortlund, 2017, Molecular Pharmacology on p. 1-11