Biochemical studies on the structural and functional diversity of these organisms has been shown to be paralleled by diversity at the molecular level. Red cells and respiratory proteins of marine organisms are being studied in order to increase the understanding of molecular adaptations and the mechanisms that give rise to functional flexibility. The kinetics and equilibria of ligand binding to hemoglobins, hemocyanins, and cytochrome c oxidase are studied with emphasis on the reactivity of these proteins as regulated by metabolic effectors. These studies are complemented by work in the biomedical sciences. Some of this work is carried out in the Protein Engineering and Technology Laboratory where properties of chemically modified, crosslinked, and immobilized forms of biologically active molecules are characterized.
Recent research concerns the development of a synthetic blood substitute for humans.
A new focus concerns the biochemistry of nitric acid in the human body and the development of a hypothesis of how this simple molecule might act as a regulator of the biosphere. A dynamic activity of blood involved in vascular control. Robertson, J.D., J. Bonaventura, A. Kohm and M. Hiscat. Nitric oxide is necessry for visual learning in Octopus vulgaris . T.J. McMahon, I.T. Demchenko, J. Bonaventura, K. Gernert and C.A. Piantadosi.