Dr. Andrew Terentis
Assistant Professor
PhD: University of Sydney
BS: University of Sydney

Research in our laboratory aims to develop a deep understanding of the structure, dynamics, binding interactions and function of biomolecules in solution and in living cells by applying and developing new laser-based optical spectroscopic techniques and computational methods. Our current efforts fall into the following three main areas:

Small-molecule binding to DNA and RNA
The modes of recognition and binding of small, medicinally-relevant compounds with DNA and RNA are studied in order to better understand the mechanisms that control their binding specificity and biological activity. The binding interactions of the compounds are studied in solution using a range of spectroscopic techniques, and in single, living cells with confocal Raman microscopy.

Bioanalytical applications of confocal Raman microscopy
Confocal Raman microscopy is being applied and developed as a bioanalytical tool used to measure the local concentrations, locations and interactions of cellular constituents or other metabolites within single, living cells in real-time. Spectral signatures obtained from diseased (e.g., cancerous) versus normal cells are analyzed to reveal biomarkers for disease.

Oxygenase enzyme catalysis
Raman spectroscopy is used to characterize the structure of the active sites of recombinant wild-type and mutant enzyme forms. Rapid-mixing and cryogenic sampling methodologies are used to detect and characterize oxidative reaction intermediates. Raman microscopy is used to characterize the concentration, locations, structure and redox status of enzymes in living cells.

Recent Publications

SW Vetter, AC Terentis, RL Osborne, JH Dawson, DB Goodin (2008) Replacement of the axial histidine heme ligand with cysteine in nitrophorin 1: spectroscopic and crystallographic characterization, J Biol Inorg Chem Online First, 10.1007/s00775-008-0436-x.

SR Thomas, AC Terentis, H Cai, O Takikawa, A Levina, P Lay, M Freewan, R Stocker (2007) Post-translational regulation of human indolamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity by nitric oxide, J Biol Chem 282: 23778 - 23787.

AC Terentis, L Ujj, H Abramczyk, GH Atkinson (2005) Primary events in the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle: torsional vibrational dephasing in the first excited electronic state, Chem Phys 313, 51-62.

AC Terentis, Y Zhou, GH Atkinson, L Ujj (2003) Picosecond time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy of the artificial bacteriorhodopsin pigment BR6.11, J Phys Chem A 107, 10787-10797.

AC Terentis, SR Thomas, O Takikawa, TK Littlejohn, RJW Truscott, RS Armstrong, S-R Yeh, R Stocker (2002) The heme environment of recombinant human indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase - structural properties and substrate-ligand interactions, J Biol Chem 277, 15788-15794.

JM Upston, AC Terentis, K Morris, JF Keaney, Jr., R Stocker (2002) Oxidized lipid accumulates in the presence of a-tocopherol in atherosclerosis, Biochem J 363, 753-760.

AC Terentis, SR Thomas, JA Burr, DC Liebler, R Stocker (2002) Vitamin E oxidation in human atherosclerotic lesions, Circ Res 90, 333-339.
(Cited as one of the top 25 papers for 2002 in the Annual Bibliography of Significant Advances in Dietary Supplement Research 2002 by the National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements)

GF Metha, AC Terentis, SH Kable (2002) Near-threshold photochemistry of propanal. Barrier height, transition state structure, and product state distributions for the HCO channel, J Phys Chem A 106, 5817-5827.

AC Terentis, SE Waugh, GF Metha, SH Kable (1998) HCO (N, K_a, K_c, J) distributions from near-threshold photolysis of H₂CO (J, K_a, K_c), J Chem Phys 108, 3187-3198.

AC Terentis, SH Kable (1996) Near-threshold dynamics and dissociation energy of the reaction H₂CO ® HCO + H, Chem Phys Lett 258, 626-632.

PT Knepp, AC Terentis, SH Kable (1995) Photodissociation dynamics of NO₂ at moderately high available energy (l = 309 nm; E_avail = 7220 cm^-1), J Chem Phys 103, 194-204.

AC Terentis, PT Knepp, SH Kable (1995) Nascent state distribution of the HCO photoproduct arising from the 309 nm photolysis of propionaldehyde, J Phys Chem 99, 12704-12710.

AC Terentis, M Stone, SH Kable (1994) Dynamics of acetaldehyde dissociation at 308 nm: rotational (N,K_a) and translational distributions of the HCO photoproduct, J Phys Chem 98, 10802-10808.

AC Terentis, A Doughty, JC Mackie (1992) Kinetics of pyrolysis of a coal model-compound, 2-picoline, the nitrogen heteroaromatic analogue of toluene, J Phys Chem 96, 10334-10339.
 

Reviews
JM Upston, AC Terentis, R Stocker (1999) Tocopherol-mediated peroxidation (TMP) of lipoproteins: implications for vitamin E as a potential antiatherogenic supplement, FASEB J 13, 977-994.

Monographs and Proceedings
R Stocker, AC Terentis, JM Upston, L Kritharides (2002) Is there a role for vitamin E in the prevention of atherosclerosis?, in The antioxidant vitamins C and E, Packer L, Traber M, Kraemer K, Frei B, Eds; (AOCS Press, Champaign, IL), 228-242.

AC Terentis, SR Thomas, JA Burr, DC Liebler, R Stocker (1999) Alpha-tocopherol oxidation products in atherosclerotic lesions, Free Rad Biol Med 27, S99-S99.

SR Thomas, AC Terentis, O Takikawa, NH Hunt, R Stocker (1999) Antioxidant activity and redox control of oxidative tryptophan metabolism in IFN -g-primed macrophages, Free Rad Biol Med 27, S56-S56.

R Stocker, JM Upston, X Nui, AC Terentis, V Zammit, LJ Hazell, S Fu, RT Dean (1998) Lipoprotein oxidation in human atherosclerosis, in Atherosclerosis XI: proceedings of the XIth international symposium on atherosclerosis, Paris, October 5-9, 1997, Jacotot B, Mathé D, Fruchart J-C, Eds; International Congress Series 1155, 475-482.

SE Waugh, AC Terentis, GF Metha, SH Kable (1998) Conservation of angular momentum in polyatomic photochemical reactions: H₂CO (n, J, K_a, K_c) ® H + HCO (N, K_a, K_c, J), Proc SPIE 3271, 36-46.

AC Terentis, PT Knepp, SH Kable (1995) Radical channel photodissociation dynamics of aliphatic aldehydes: the nascent state distribution of the HCO photoproduct, Proc SPIE 2548, 328-339.

PT Knepp, AC Terentis, SH Kable (1995) Photodissociation dynamics of NO₂ at 309.1 nm, Proc SPIE 2548, 316-327.
 

Conference Oral Presentations
D Memran, AC Terentis (Sep 21, 2006) Spectroscopic studies of porphyrin binding to G-quadruplex-forming oligonucleotides, 2nd Annual FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Research Symposium, Boca Raton, FL, USA.

C Williams, AC Terentis (Sep 21, 2006) Density Functional Theory study of TMPyP4 binding to human telomeric DNA, 2nd Annual FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Research Symposium, Boca Raton, FL, USA.

AC Terentis, SR Thomas, JA Burr, DC Liebler, R Stocker (2000) Oxidation of a‑tocopherol in human atherosclerotic lesions, The 9th Annual Meeting of the Society for Free Radical Research (Australasia), Wellington, New Zealand.

AC Terentis, SR Thomas, JA Burr, DC Liebler, R Stocker (1999) a‑Tocopherol oxidation products in atherosclerotic lesions, Oxidative Pathways in Health and Disease, Sydney, Australia.

AC Terentis, SR Thomas, JA Burr, DC Liebler, R Stocker (1999) a‑Tocopherol oxidation products in atherosclerotic lesions, 6th Annual Meeting of the Oxygen Society, New Orleans, USA.

AC Terentis, SR Thomas, B Collins, O Takikawa, RS Armstrong, R Stocker (1999) Electronic absorption and resonance Raman spectroscopic studies of the regulation of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase by nitric oxide, 23rd Annual Meeting of the Australian Society for Biophysics, Gold Coast, Australia.

AC Terentis, JA Burr, DC Liebler, R Stocker (1998) a‑Tocopherol oxidation products present in human atherosclerotic plaque, 24th Annual Meeting of the Australian Atherosclerosis Society, Cairns, Australia.

AC Terentis, PT Knepp, SH Kable (1995) Photodissociation dynamics of aliphatic aldehydes, Australian Conference on Physical Chemistry (RACI), Canberra, Australia.

AC Terentis, A Doughty, JC Mackie (1991) High temperature pyrolysis of 2-picoline, the nitrogen heteroaromatic analogue of toluene, Combustion Conference, Melbourne, Australia.
 

Conference Poster Presentations
D Memran, AC Terentis (Aug 20-25, 2006) Spectroscopic studies of porphyrin binding to intramolecular G-quadruplex DNA, 20th International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy, Yokohama, Japan

D Memran, C Williams, AC Terentis (May 11-13, 2006) Spectroscopic and DFT study of TMPyP4 binding to G-quadruplex DNA, Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition, Orlando, FL, USA
 

D Memran, AC Terentis (2005) Mechanistic studies of porphyrin binding to G-quadruplex-forming oligonucleotides with resonance Raman spectroscopy, ACS-South Florida Chemical Sciences Symposium, Ft Lauderdale, USA.

D Memran, AC Terentis (2005) Mechanistic studies of porphyrin binding to G-quadruplex-forming oligonucleotides with resonance Raman spectroscopy, FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Research Symposium, Boca Raton, USA.

AC Terentis, H Abramczyk, L Ujj, GH Atkinson (2003) Vibrational spectrum of a picosecond intermediate in the photoreaction of the 13-cis-locked artificial bacteriorhodopsin pigment BR5.13, 11th International Conference on Time-Resolved Vibrational Spectroscopy, Castiglione della Pescaia, Italy.

AC Terentis, Y Zhou, L Ujj, A Aharoni, M Sheves, M Ottolenghi, GH Atkinson (2002) Dynamics and retinal structural changes in the photocycle of the artificial bacteriorhodopsin pigment BR6.9, 10th International Conference on Retinal Proteins, Seattle, USA.

AC Terentis, SR Thomas, B Collins, RS Armstrong, T Littlejohn, O Takikawa, R Stocker (1999) Resonance Raman spectroscopic characterization of the active sites of met- and deoxy-indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, Oxidative Pathways in Health and Disease, Sydney, Australia.

AC Terentis, JM Upston, R Stocker (1997) Cholesteryl linoleate oxidation products isolated from human atherosclerotic lesions show regiospecificity, 6th Conference of the Society for Free Radical Research (Australasia), Otago, New Zealand.

AC Terentis, PT Knepp, SH Kable (1995) Photodissociation dynamics of aliphatic aldehydes, Conference on Molecular Collisions, Asilomar, USA.

AC Terentis, PT Knepp, SH Kable (1995) Photodissociation dynamics of aliphatic aldehydes, International Society for Optical Engineering conference, San Diego, USA.

AC Terentis, M Stone, SH Kable (1993) Photodissociation dynamics of acetaldehyde at 308nm, Australian Conference on Optics, Lasers and Spectroscopy, Melbourne, Australia.

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