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Robert L. VanEtten
Professor—Biochemistry
Email: vanetten@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-494-5274
Office: WTHR 361A
Our research centers on the chemical details underlying the mechanisms of enzymatic catalysis. We are studying two very distinct types of phosphatase enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphate esters. One enzyme type is exemplified by human prostatic acid phosphatase, which is an important tumor marker that has been used in the clinical chemistry laboratory as an aid in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. The other type of enzyme, including two human isoenzymes and one from bovine heart, is a low molecular weight phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatase that is critical to cellular signal transduction processes including the immune response. The human enzyme, also known as red cell acid phosphatase, is in fact expressed in all human tissues and is an important genetic marker.
Experimental approaches being used in our laboratory to study these enzymes includes cloning, large-scale expression of the proteins using bacterial and yeast vectors, site-directed mutagenesis to change specific amino acids, physical-organic and other tests of mechanism including rapid kinetic measurements, 600- and 500-MHz NMR spectroscopy to study the structure of the protein in solution, and X-ray crystallography to obtain high resolution solid-state structures of the normal and mutant proteins. This range of techniques enables students to obtain an exceptionally broad background in protein chemistry and enzymology.
Education
B.S., 1959, University of Chicago; Ph.D., 1965, University of California, Davis; NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, 1965-1966, Northwestern University.Recognitions
- Silver Medal of the Polish Academy of Science (Krakow) , 1982
- Purdue Cancer Research Award, Indiana Lions Club, 1979
- Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, 1975-1976
- NIH Career Development Award, 1969-1973
Selected Publications
- Kikawa K. D.;Vidale, D. R.;Van Etten, R. L.;Kinch, M. S., Regulation of the EphA2 kinase by the low molecular weight tyrosine phosphatase induces transformation . J. Biol. Chem. 2002 , 277 , 39274-39279.
- Thomas C. L.;McKinnon, E.;Granger, B. L.;Harms, E.;Van Etten, R. L., Kinetic and spectroscopic studies of Tritrichomonas foetus low-molecular weight phosphotyrosyl phosphatase. Hydrogen bond networks and electrostatic effects . Biochemistry 2002 , 41 , 15601-15609.
- Waheed A.;Van Etten, R. L., Protection of prostatic acid phosphatase activity in human serum samples by plasmin inhibitors . Clin. Chim. Acta 2002 , 320 , 127-131.