Rebecca Jockusch

Academic Title: Assistant Professor

Phone: 416-946-7198

Office: LM 512B

Email:

Research Homepage: http://www.chem.utoronto.ca/staff/JOCKUSCH/OO_Home.html

Our research uses a combination of mass spectrometry and optical spectroscopy to characterize biological molecules in a highly controlled environment - both isolated in the gas phase and in small complexes or clusters. Using these techniques, we can examine the intrinsic properties (such as structure or stability) of isolated biological molecules. Then selected pieces of the local environment (a known number of water molecules, metal ions or binding partners, etc.) can be added back into the system in order to examine the effect of each, separately. These studies provide a bridge between the gas and solution-phase regimes.

In our experimental set-up, gas phase biological ions, complexes or clusters are produced using electrospray ionization (ESI) and then trapped in either a Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer or an electrodynamic ion trap . In addition to traditional trapping mass spectrometry techniques (isolation of ions of the desired mass-to-charge, probing via dissociation reactions or ion/molecule reactions), we are developing gas-phase fluorescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) techniques as a probe of structure.

Forbes MW, Jockusch RA, Young AB, et al., Fragmentation of protonated dipeptides containing arginine. Effect of activation method ,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY   Volume: 18   Issue: 11   Pages: 1959-1966   Published: NOV 2007

Forbes MW, Bush MF, Polfer NC, et al., Infrared spectroscopy of arginine cation complexes: Direct observation of gas-phase zwitterions, JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A   Volume: 111   Issue: 46 Pages: 11759-11770   Published: NOV 22 2007

Bush MF, Forbes MW, Jockusch RA, et al., Infrared spectroscopy of cationized lysine and epsilon-N-methyllysine in the gas phase: Effects of alkali-metal ion size and proton affinity on zwitterion stability, JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A   Volume: 111   Issue: 32 Pages: 7753-7760   Published: AUG 16 2007

R. A. Jockusch, F. O Talbot, P. S. Rogers, M. I. Simone, G. W. J. Fleet and J. P. Simons, Carbohydrate Amino Acids: The Intrinsic Conformational Preference for a Beta-Turn-Type Structure in a Carbopeptoid Buildings Block, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 128, 16771, 2006

P. Çarçabal, R. A. Jockusch, I. Hünig, L. C. Snoek, R. T. Kroemer, B. G. Davis, D. P. Gamblin, J. Oomens and J. P. Simons, Hydrogen Bonding and Cooperativity in Isolated and Hydrated Sugars: Mannose, Galactose, Glucose and Lactose , J. Am. Chem. Soc., 127, 11414, 2005 .

R. A. Jockusch, F. O. Talbot, N. Asano, G. W. J. Fleet, and J. P. Simons, Gas-Phase Structure and Conformation of the Glycosidase and Ceramide Glucosyltransferase Inhibitor N -Benzyl-Deoxynojirimycin , Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. , 6, 5283, 2004 .

R. A. Jockusch, R. T. Kroemer, F. O. Talbot , L. C. Snoek, P. Çarçabal, J. P. Simons, M. Havenith, J. M. Bakker, I. Compagnon, G. Meijer, and G. von Helden, Probing the Glycosidic Linkage: UV and IR Ion-Dip Spectroscopy of a Lactoside , J. Am. Chem. Soc. , 106(18), 5709, 2004 .

R. A. Jockusch, R. T. Kroemer, F. O. Talbot and J. P. Simons, Hydrated Sugars in the Gas Phase: Spectroscopy and Conformation of Singly Hydrated Phenyl α-D-Glucopyranoside , J. Phys. Chem. A , 107(49), 10725, 2003 .

R. A. Jockusch, A. S. Lemoff and E. R. Williams, The Effect of Metal Ion and Water Coordination on the Structure of a Gas-Phase Amino Acid , J. Am. Chem. Soc. , 123(49), 12255, 2001 .

R. A. Jockusch, A. S. Lemoff and E. R. Williams, Hydration of Valine-Cation Complexes in the Gas Phase: On the Number of Water Molecules Necessary to Form a Zwitterion , J. Phys. Chem. A , 105(48), 10929, 2001 .

R. A. Jockusch, K. Paech and E. R. Williams, Energetics from Slow Infrared Multiphoton Dissociation of Biomolecules , J. Phys. Chem. A , 104(14), 3188, 2000 .

R. A. Jockusch, W. D. Price and E. R. Williams , Structure of Cationized Arginine (ArgM + , M = H, Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs) in the Gas Phase: Further Evidence for Zwitterionic Arginine , J. Phys. Chem. A . 103(46), 9266, 1999 .