Areas of Research
Our research focuses on novel nitrogen biochemistries with significance to neurodegeneration, infectious diseases, discovery of human therapeutics in bacteria, development of green chemistries, and bioremediation of environmental contaminants. We study these topics using the tools of mechanistic enzymology, protein engineering, and natural product biosynthesis.
Awards
2025 COS Outstanding Scholarship, Creative Works, and Research (OSCAR) Award
2024 UCF Teaching Incentive Program (TIP) Award
2024 UCF Research Incentive Award (RIA)
2022 UCF Champion of Undergraduate Research Faculty Award
Publications
- Albert, T.; Kumar A.; Caranto, J.D.; Moënne-Loccoz, P.* Vibrational analyses of the reaction of oxymyoglobin with NO using a photolabile caged NO donor at cryogenic temperatures J. Inorg. Biochem. 2024, 258, 112633.
- Strickland, K.A.; Martinez Rodriguez, B.; Holland, A.A.; Wagner, S.; Luna-Alva, M.; Graham, D.A.; Caranto, J.D.* Activity assays of NnlA homologs suggest the natural product N-nitroglycine is degraded by diverse bacteria Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 830-840.
- Invited article in Thematic Issue titled, “Young Investigators in Natural Products Chemistry, Biosynthesis, and Enzymology” in Bielstein J. Org. Chem.
- Shultz-Johnson, L.R.; Chang, M.; Bisram, N.N.; Bryant, J.T.; Martin, C.P.; Rahmani, A.; Furst, J.I.; Caranto, J.D.; Banerjee, P.;* Uribe-Romo, F.J.;* Gamelin, D.R.;* and Jurca, T.* Multivariate analysis on the structure−activity parameters for 2 nano-CuOx‑catalyzed Reduction Reactions ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2024, 7, 928-939.
- Bryant, J.T,; Logan, M.W.; Chen, X.; Djokic, M.; Cairnie, D.R.; Vazquez-Molina, D.A.; Nijamudheen, A.; Langlois, K.R.; Markley, M.J.; Pombar, G.; Holland, A.A.; Caranto, J.D.; Harper, J.K; Morris, A.J.;* Mendoza-Cortes, J.L.;* Jurca, T.;* Chapman, K.;* Uribe-Romo, F.J.* Synergistic steric and electronic effects on the photoredox catalysis by a multivariate library of titania metal–organic frameworks. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 4589–4600.
- Nix, C.A.; Nottolini, I.; Caranto, J.D.; Gerasimova, Y.; Kolpashchikov, D.; Saitta, E.K.H.* Championing the Involvement of Practitioners in the Biochemistry Educational Research Process: A Phenomenological View of the Early Stages of Collaborative Action Research. Int. J. High. Educ. 2022, 11, 114–139.
- Strickland, K.A.; Holland, A.A.; Trudeau, A.; Szlamkowicz, I.; Beazley, M.J.; Anagnostopoulos, V.A.; Graham, D.A.; Caranto, J.D.* Reduction of a Heme Cofactor Initiates N-Nitroglycine Degradation by NnlA. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2022, 88, e0102322.
- Spotlight selection in Environ. Microbiol. 2022, Vol. 88., Issue 16.
- Ma, Z; Holland, A.A.; Szlamkowicz, I.; Anagnostopoulos, V.A.; Caldas Nogueira, M.L.; Caranto, J.D.;* Davidson, V.L.* The hemerythrin-like diiron protein from Mycobacterium kansasii is a nitric oxide peroxidase. J. Biol. Chem. 2022, 298, 101696.
- Martin, C.P.; Chen, M.; Martinez, M.F.; Ding, Y.;* Caranto, J.D.* The ferric-superoxo intermediate of the TxtE nitration pathway resists reduction, facilitating its reaction with nitric oxide. Biochemistry 2021, 60, 2436–2446.
- Caranto, J.D.* The emergence of nitric oxide in the biosynthesis of bacterial natural products, Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 2019, 49, 130–138.
- Vilbert, A.C.; Caranto, J.D.; Lancaster, K.M. The Lysine Cross-Link to Heme P460 Obviates NO-Dependent Histidine-Dissociation from Nitrosomonas europaea Cytochrome P460 {FeNO}7. Sci. 2018, Advance Article. http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2018/sc/c7sc03450d
- Weitz, A.C; Giri, N.; Caranto, J.D.; Kurtz, D.M., Jr.; Bominaar, E.L.; Hendrich, M.P. Spectroscopy and DFT calculations of a flavo-diiron enzyme implicate new diiron site structures, Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 12009–12019. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jacs.7b06546
- Caranto, J.D.; Lancaster, K.M. Nitric oxide is an obligate bacterial nitrification intermediate produced by hydroxylamine oxidoreductase, Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2017, 114, 8217–8222. http://www.pnas.org/content/114/31/8217
- Caranto, J.D; Vilbert, A.C.; Lancaster, K.M. Nitrosomonas europaea cytochrome P460 is a direct link between nitrification and nitrous oxide emission, Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2016, 113, 14704–14709. http://www.pnas.org/content/113/51/14704
- Caranto, J.D.; Weitz, A.; Giri, N.; Hendrich, M.P.; Kurtz, D.M., Jr. A diferrous-dinitrosyl intermediate in the N2O-generating pathway of a deflavinated flavo-diiron protein, Biochemistry 2014, 53, 5631–5637. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/bi500836z
- Caranto, J.D.; Weitz, A.; Hendrich, M.P.; Kurtz, D.M., Jr. The nitric oxide reductase mechanism of flavo-diiron protein: Identification of active-site intermediates and products, Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 7981–7992. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja5022443
- Fang, H.; Caranto, J.D.; Mendoza, R.; Taylor A.B.; Hart, P.J.; Kurtz, D.M., Jr. Histidine ligand variants of a flavo-diiron protein: effects on structure and activities, Biol. Inorg. Chem. 2012, 17, 1231-1239. http://www.springerlink.com/content/4m588426u1345054/fulltext.pdf
- Caranto, J.D.; Gebhardt, L.L.; MacGowan, C.E.; Limberger, R.J.; Kurtz, D.M., Jr. Treponema denticola superoxide reductase: In vivo role, in vitro reactivities and a novel [Fe(Cys)4] site, Biochemistry, 2012, 51, 5601-5610. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/bi300667s
- Hayashi, T.; Caranto, J.D.; Matsumara, H.; Kurtz, D.M. Jr.; Moenne-Loccoz, P. Vibrational analysis of mononitrosyl complexes in hemerythrin and flavodiiron proteins: relevance to detoxifying NO reductase, Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 6878-6884. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ja301812p
- Hayashi, T.; Caranto, J.D.; Wampler, D.A.; Kurtz, D.M. Jr.; Moenne-Loccoz, P. Insights into the nitric oxide reductase mechanism of flavo-diiron proteins from flavin-free enzyme, Biochemistry 2010, 49, 7040-7049. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/bi100788y