Heather J. Kulik

A second-sphere threonine residue directs iron-oxygen species in a Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent isonitrile synthase

The paper identifies a second-sphere threonine residue that directs iron-oxygen species in an Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent isonitrile synthase, revealing its role in catalytic regulation.

A previously unappreciated class of metal-dependent bile salt hydrolases from the human gut microbiome

The paper discovers a new class of bile salt hydrolases in the human gut microbiome that use metal cofactors instead of the typical Ntn mechanism.

The specificity and structure of DNA crosslinking by the gut bacterial genotoxin colibactin

This study determines the structure and specificity of colibactin-DNA interstrand crosslinks using mass spectrometry and NMR, revealing how the toxin's central motif mediates sequence specificity.

Tracing the stepwise Darwinian evolution of a plant halogenase

This study traces the evolutionary origin of a plant halogenase by showing it evolved from a flavonol synthase gene through duplication, neofunctionalization, and structural changes.