Cynthia B. Peterson

Dean, LSU College of ScienceCynthia Peterson
Seola Arnaud and Richard V. Edwards, Jr. Professor
BMB Division
PhD: Louisiana State University Medical Center, Shreveport, 1986

Office Phone: 225-578-8859
Office: 124 Hatcher Hall/LSA A210
E-mail: cbpeterson@lsu.edu 

Curriculum Vitae

Area of Interest

My scientific area of expertise is biophysical chemistry. Specifically, my group works on the biophysical and protein chemistry of important circulatory and tissue-localized human proteins that regulate formation and breakdown of blood clots. I am particularly interested in protein: protein interactions, evaluating the mechanisms and structures of complexes (even higher-order complexes) that form and modulate the function of circulatory proteins. These interests have been leveraged over the years to study structure, activity and regulation of the serine protease inhibitor (serpin) PAI-1, which inhibits serine proteases that initiate plasminogen activation leading to fibrinolysis. We have had fruitful studies on the cofactor vitronectin that have provided some of the first structural detail about this protein.

Selected Publications

Bucci, J.,C., Trelle, M. B., McClintock, C.S., Qureshi, T., Jorgensen, T.J.D., and Peterson, C. B. (2016) Biochemistry, 55, 4386-3498. “Copper Increases PAI-1 Protein Dynamics in Key Structural Regions that Govern Stability.”

Kapoor, K., McGill, N., Peterson, C. B., Meyers, H,. Blackburn, M. N., and Baudry, J. (2016) Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 56(3), 535-547, “Discovery of Novel Nonactive Site Inhibitors of the Prothrombinase Enzyme Complex.”

Qureshi, T., and Peterson, C. B. (2016) Protein Science, 25, 487-498. “Single Fluorescence Probes along the Reactive Center Loop Reveal Site-Specific Changes During the Latency Transition of PAI-1,”

Qureshi, T., Goswami, S., McClintock, C. S., Ramsey, M. R., and Peterson, C. B. (2016) Protein Science, 25, 499-510, “Distinct Encounter Complexes of PAI-1 with Plasminogen Activators and Vitronectin Revealed by Changes in the Conformation and Dynamics of the Reactive Center Loop.“

Goswami, S., Thompson, L. C, Wickman, L., and Peterson, C. B. (2013) Adv. Biol. Chem., 3, 114-132. “The Cellular Microenvironment Modulates the Role of PAI-1 and Vitronectin in Mediating Cell-Matrix Interactions.”

Bae, H.-B., Tadie, J. M., Jiang, S., Park, D. W, Bell, C. P., Thompson, L.C. Peterson, C. B., Thannickal, V. J., Abraham, E., and Zmijewski1, J. W (2013), Journal of Immunology 190(5), 2273-81. "Vitronectin inhibits efferocytosis through interactions with apoptotic cells as well as with macrophages."

Jing, X., Wright, E., Bible, A. N., Peterson, C. B., Alexandre, G., Bruce, B. D., and Serpersu, E. H. (2013) Biochemistry, 51(45), 9147-55. “Thermodynamic Characterization of a Thermostable Antibiotic Resistance Enzyme, the Aminoglycoside Nucleotidyltransferase (4’’).”

Jayaraman, M., Kodali, R., Sahoo, B., Thakur, A.K., Mayasundari, A., Mishra, R., Peterson, C. B., and Wetzel, R. (2012) J. Mol. Biol, 415(5), 881-899. “Slow Amyloid Nucleation via α-helix-rich Oligomeric Intermediates in Short Polyglutamine-containing Huntingtin Fragments.”

Jensen, J. K., Thompson, L. C., Nissen, P., Gettins, P. G. W., Peterson, C. B., Andreasen, P. A., and Morth, J. P. (2011) J. Biol. Chem., 286, 29709-29717. “Crystal Structure of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 in a Metastable Active Conformation.”

Behrens, M.A. Botkjaer, K.A., Goswami, S., Oliveira, C. L. P, Jensen, J. K., Schar, C. S., Declerck, P. J., Peterson, C. B., Andreasen, P.A., and Pedersen, J. S. (2011) J. Mol. Biol, 411, 417-429. “Activation of the Zymogen to Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator is Associated with Increased Interdomain Flexibility.”

Zmijewski, J. W., Bae, H., Deshane, J. S., Peterson, C.B., Chaplin, D., and Abraham, E. (2011) Am. J. Physiol, Lung Cell Mol. Physiol, 301, L247-254. “Inhibition of Neutrophil Apoptosis by PAI-1.”

Thompson, L., C., Goswami, S., Ginsberg, D. S., Day, D. E., Verhamme, I. M. and Peterson, C. B. (2011) Protein Sci., 20, 353-365. “Metals Affect the Structure and Activity of Human Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1: I. Modulation of stability and protease inhibition.”

Thompson, L. C., Goswami, S., and Peterson, C. B. (2011) Protein Sci., 20, 366-378. “Metals Affect the Structure and Activity of Human Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1: II. Binding Affinity and Conformational Effects.”