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
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Publication Tags
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Ligands Cytoplasmic And Nuclear Receptors Liver Proteins Agonist Iron Enzymes Transcription Factors Rna Ligand Phospholipids Molecular Dynamics Simulation Dna Therapeutics Catalysis Hormone Glucocorticoid Receptors Antimalarials Dna Binding Proteins Plasmodium Electrons Parasites Alkylation Crystal Structure Gene ExpressionMost Recent Publications
Interactions governing transcriptional activity of nuclear receptors
Sabab Hasan Khan, C. Denise Okafor, 2022, Biochemical Society Transactions on p. 1941-1952
Inhibitors of ApiAP2 protein DNA binding exhibit multistage activity against Plasmodium parasites
Timothy James Russell, Erandi K. De Silva, Valerie M. Crowley, Kathryn Shaw-Saliba, Namita Dube, Gabrielle Josling, Charisse Flerida A. Pasaje, Irene Kouskoumvekaki, Gianni Panagiotou, Jacquin C. Niles, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, C. Denise Okafor, Francisco Javier Gamo, Manuel Llinás, 2022, PLoS Pathogens
A phospholipid mimetic targeting LRH-1 ameliorates colitis
Suzanne G. Mays, Emma H. D'Agostino, Autumn R. Flynn, Xiangsheng Huang, Guohui Wang, Xu Liu, Elizabeth J. Millings, C. Denise Okafor, Anamika Patel, Michael L. Cato, Jeffery L. Cornelison, Diana Melchers, René Houtman, David D. Moore, John W. Calvert, Nathan T. Jui, Eric A. Ortlund, 2022, Cell Chemical Biology on p. 1174-1186.e7
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
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
Ligand-induced shifts in conformational ensembles that describe transcriptional activation
Sabab Khan, Sean Braet, Stephen Koehler, Elizabeth Elacqua, Ganesh Srinivasan Anand, C. Denise Okafor, 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
Bile acids and the gut microbiota: metabolic interactions and impacts on disease
Stephanie L. Collins, Jonathan G. Stine, Jordan E. Bisanz, C. Denise Okafor, Andrew David Patterson, 2022, Nature Reviews Microbiology
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
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
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
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
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
Structure and assembly of the diiron cofactor in the heme-oxygenase–like domain of the N-nitrosourea–producing enzyme SznF
M McBride, S Pope, K Hu, C. Denise Okafor, C Denise Okafor, E Balskus, J Bollinger, J. Martin Bollinger, Amie K. Boal, 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
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
Structural analysis of the glucocorticoid receptor ligand-binding domain in complex with triamcinolone acetonide and a fragment of the atypical coregulator, small heterodimer partner
Emily R. Weikum, C. Denise Okafor, Emma H. D'Agostino, Jennifer K. Colucci, Eric A. Ortlund, 2017, Molecular Pharmacology on p. 12-21
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
News Articles Featuring Denise Okafor
Feb 16, 2023
Penn State biochemist Denise Okafor receives 2023 Marion Milligan Mason Award
C. Denise Okafor, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of chemistry at Penn State, has been selected as a recipient of the 2023 Marion Milligan Mason Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Full Article
Jan 03, 2022
Okafor receives 2021 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
C. Denise Okafor, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, has been honored with a Faculty Early Career Development award from the U.S. National Science Foundation. The award is the NSF’s most prestigious honor in support of early-career faculty members who have the potential to serve as academic role models.
Full Article