Christopher J. Fischer, Assistant Professor

2056A Malott Hall
Lab: 6000 Malott Hall
Lab phone: 864-1172
Tel: (785) 864-4579
Fax: (785) 864-5262
Email: shark@ku.edu

Professional Background:

2004-present, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Kansas
2002-2004: NIH Postdoctoral Fellow
2000-2002: Postdoctoral Research Associate

Education:

2000: Ph.D., Applied Physics, University of Michigan
1998: M.S., Applied Physics, University of Michigan
1994, A.B., Physics, Magna Cum Laude, Washington University

Honors Awards:

2002-2004: NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship
1999-2000: NIA Multidisciplinary Research Training Grant
1997-1999: NIH Molecular Biophysics Training Grant
1994-1996: Reagents Fellowship, University of Michigan
Member, Biophysical Society 

Research Interests:

My general research interests include both the kinetics and the thermodynamics of protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions as well as the development and implementation of new biophysical methodologies and techniques for the study of these phenomena. The specific research focus of my group is trying to understand the interactions between the ISW2 enzyme, a member of the ISWI family of chromatin remodeling proteins, and eukaryotic DNA. We are developing a quantitative physical description of the mechanism by which this molecular motor utilizes the chemical potential energy it gains from ATP binding and hydrolysis to perform the mechanical work of regulating chromatin structure. 

Selected Publication:

1. Eric J. Tomko, Christopher J. Fischer, Anita Niedziela-Majka and Timothy M. Lohman, A Discontinuous Stepping Mechanism for E. coli UvrD Monomer Translocation along Single Stranded DNA. Molecular Cell, 2007: in press.

2. Katherine M. Brendza, Wei Cheng, Christopher J. Fischer, Marla A. Chesnik, Anita Niedziela-Majka, and Timothy M. Lohman. Auto-inhibition of E. coli Rep Monomer Helicase Activity by Its 2B Sub-domain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 102 (2005): 10076-10081

3. Christopher J. Fischer, Nasib K. Maluf and Timothy M. Lohman, Mechanism of ATP-Dependent Translocation of E. coli UvrD Monomers Along Single-Stranded DNA, Journal of Molecular Biology 344, 1287-1309 (2004)

4. Christopher J. Fischer and Timothy M. Lohman, ATP-Dependent Translocation of Proteins along Single-Stranded DNA: Models and Methods of Analysis of Pre-Steady State Kinetics, Journal of Molecular Biology 344, 1265-1286 (2004)

5. Timothy M. Lohman, J.H., Nasib K. Maluf, Wei Cheng, Aaron L. Lucius, Christopher J. Fischer, Katherine M. Brendza, Sergey Korolev, and Gabriel Waksman, DNA Helicases, Motors that Move Along Nucleic Acids: Lessons from the SF1 Helicase Superfamily, The Enzymes, Volume 23, David D. Hackney and Fuyuhiko Tamanoi, Editors, Elsevier Academic Press: San Diego, CA. p. 303-369 (2004)

6. Aaron L. Lucius, Nasib K. Maluf, Christopher J. Fischer, Timothy M. Lohman, General Methods for Analysis of Sequential “n-step” Kinetic Mechanisms: Application to Single Turnover Kinetics of Helicase Catalyzed DNA Unwinding, Biophysical Journal 85, 2224-39 (2003)

7. Nasib K. Maluf, Christopher J. Fischer, Timothy M. Lohman, A Dimer of Escherichia coli UvrD is the Active Form of the Helicase in Vitro, Journal of Molecular Biology 325, 913-935 (2003)

8. C.J. Fischer, A. Gafni, D.G. Steel, J.A. Schauerte, The Triplet-State Lifetime of Indole in Aqueous and Viscous Environments: Significance to the Interpretation of Room Temperature Phosphorescence in Proteins, Journal of the American Chemical Society 124, 10359-10366 (2002)

Dr. Fischer's Biophysics Lab Facilities at KU