Former Lab Member

Josh Baker

Office:     BSBE
Phone:
Fax:		 (612) 625-2466
(612) 624-0632
Mail: Josh Baker 
Department of Biochemistry 
University of Minnesota Medical School 
4-225 Millard Hall 
435 Delaware St SE 
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Email: jb@ddt.biochem.umn.edu



Research Interests:

Simultaneous EPR and Force Measurements of Single Muscle Fibers.

I am interested in the relationship between molecular structure, dynamics and function in biological systems. Currently, I am using spectroscopic, biochemical and physiological techniques to simultaneously correlate the force generated by a single muscle cell with the motional and conformational changes of myosin in that cell. I determine local rotations and orientations of spin-labeled myosin using electron paramagnetic resonance. I determine global motions and conformations of myosin by combining site-specific spin labeling EPR studies of myosin with molecular modeling and molecular dynamic simulations of myosin. 
 

 

Publications:

Baker, J.E., O. Roopnarine, S. Ramachandran, and D.D. Thomas. 1995. Saturation Transfer EPR of Spin-Labeled Light Chains in Contracting Muscle Fibers. Biophys. J. 68:A66 (Abstract). 

Baker, J.E., N. Meyer, and D.D. Thomas. 1996. Simultaneous Electron Paramagnetic Resonance And Force Of A Single Spin-Labeled Muscle Fiber: Correlating Muscle Mechanics With Structural Transitions in the Catalytic Domain Of Myosin. Biophys. J. 70:A266 (Abstract). 

 

 

Techniques:  

Spectroscopy
  • Transient, conventional and saturation-transfer EPR 

Protein Chemistry
  • Functional assays 
  • Protein purification 
  • Protein modification 
  • Analysis 

Enzyme Kinetics
  • Correlate biochemical and molecular dynamics 

Computation
  • Kinetic, spectral and molecular dynamic simulations 
  • Analysis 
  • Molecular modeling 

Physiology
  • Tissue dissection 
  • Measure muscle mechanics 



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