The University of Toledo

Steven M. Peseckis, Ph.D.

Associate Professor 419.530.1944 Phone BO 2837 steven.peseckis@utoledo.edu

Click Here for Peseckis Group Information

Education

B.A. 1974-1978	Dartmouth College
Ph.D. 1978-1983	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Principal Scientist 1983-1990	Wyeth, Inc, Princeton, NJ
NIH Fellowship 1990-1991	Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Research Fellowship 1991-1994	Sloan Kettering Institute, NY, NY
Assistant Professor 1994-2000	University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
Associate Professor 2000-Present	University of Toledo, Toledo, OH

Research Interests

Peseckis research group interests in general revolve around heterotrimeric G-protein mediated signal transduction. As tools, we use informatic and experimental methodologies including molecular biology, cell biology, synthetic chemistry, and molecular modeling.

The group in 2004-2005 includes three Ph.D. candidate graduate students each with a distinctive project focus.

Gregory White, R.Ph., is investigating his theory concerning neurotension receptors, immune factors, and psychiatric disease states. Additionally, he is planning to use his experimental results to support drug development using molecular modeling and docking.

Rick Dudley, R.Ph. has made a series of lipophilical amino acids with an incorporated fluorescent tag and is studying the compounds behavior in regards to entering into and localizing within cells. Additionally, he is making modified peptides that will enter into cells, be processed, and then presented by MHC Class I molecules to the immune system in order to study aspects of diabetes. Overall, his research will lead to new understandings and methods for delivey of small drugs and peptides into cells.

Marc Christensen, R.Ph. has constructed models of a M1 muscarinic receptor and a phospholipid bilayer using MODELLER and Amber 8. He has combined the models of the G protein-coupled receptor and bilayer and is working to acheive meaningful molecular dynamic calculations using the combination. The resultant model will be used in ligand docking studies, attempts to predict active conformation of receptor, and models of receptor bound with heterotrimeric G-protein.

Publications and Presentations

Papers

1. Roush, W.R.; Peseckis, S.M. Intramolecular Diels-Alder Reactions: The Angularly Methylated trans-Perhydroindan Ring System. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1981, 103, 6696-6704.
   
   
2. Roush, W.R.; Peseckis, S.M. Studies on the Total Synthesis of Antibiotic X-14547A: The Pentaene Approach. Tetrahedron Lett. 1982, 4879-4882.
   
   
3. Roush, W.R.; Adam, M.A.; Peseckis, S.M. Regioselectivity of the Reactions of Trialkylaluminum Reagents with 2,3-Epoxyalcohols: Application to the Synthesis of alpha-Chiral Aldehydes. Tetrahedron Lett. 1983, 1377-1380.
   
   
4. Roush, W.R.; Peseckis, S.M.; Walts, A.E. Synthesis of Antibiotic X-14547A. J. Org. Chem. 1984, 49, 3429-3432.
   
   
5. Bagli, J.; Bogri, T.; Palameta, B.; Rakhit, S.; Peseckis, S.; McQuillan, J.; Lee, D.K.H. Chemistry and Positive Inotropic Effect of Pelrinone and Related Derivatives: A Novel Class of 2-Methylpyrimidones as Inotropic Agents. J. Med. Chem. 1988, 31, 814-823.
   
   
6. Peseckis, S.M., I. Deichaite and M.D. Resh. lodinated fatty acids as probes for myristate processing and function: Incorporation into pp6Ov-src. J. Biol. Chem. 1993, 268, 5107-5114.
   
   
7. Deichaite, I., L. Berthiaume, S.M. Peseckis, W. Patton and M.D. Resh. Novel use of an iodomyristyl CoA analog identifies a semialdehyde dehydrogenase in bovine liver. J. Biol. Chem. 1993, 268, 13738-13747.
   
   
8. Berthiaume, L., I. Deichaite, S.M. Peseckis and M.D. Resh. Regulation of enzymatic activity by active site acylation: A new role for long chain fatty acid acylation of proteins. J. Biol. Chem. 1994, 269, 6498-6505.
   
   
9. Alland, L., S.M. Peseckis, R. Atherton, L. Berthiaume, M.D. Resh. Dual Myristylation and Palmitylation of Src Family Member p59fyn Affects Subcellular Localization. J. Biol. Chem. 1994, 269, 16701-16705.
   
   
10. Peseckis, S.M., M.D. Resh. Fatty Acyl Transfer by Human N-Myristyl Transferase Is Dependent Upon Conserved Cysteine and Histidine Residues. J. Biol. Chem. 1994, 269, 30888-30892, 1994.
    
    
11. Huang, X.P.; M.A.N. Edgar, J. Freed, S. Peseckis, P.I. Nagy, B. Ojo, H. Zhang, W.S. Messer. Molecular studies of agonist interactions with wild-type, T234A, and N507A m3 receptors. Life Sciences 1997, 60, (13/14), 1178 (31).
    
    
12. Huang, X.-P., F.E. Williams, S.M. Peseckis, W.S.Messer, Jr. Pharmacological Characterization of Human m1 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors with Double Mutations at the Junction of TM VI and the Third Extracellular Domain. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Thr. 1998, 286, 3, 1129-1139.
    
    
13. Huang, X.-P., P.I. Nagy, F.E. Williams, S.M. Peseckis, W.S. Messer, Jr. Roles of threonine 192 and asparagine 382 in agonist and antagonist interactions with m1 muscarinic receptors. Br. J. Pharmacol. 1999, 126, 735-745.
    
    
14. Huang, X.-P, F.E. Williams, S.M. Peseckis and W.S. Messer, Jr. Differential Modulation of Agonist Potency and Receptor Coupling by Mutations of Ser388Tyr and Thr389Pro at the Junction of Transmembrane Domain VI and the Third Extraceulular Loop of Human M1 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors. Mol. Pharmacol. 1999, 56, 775-783.
    
    
15. Krishnan, V., Pham, W.N., Messer, WS., Jr., Peseckis, S.M. First fatty acylated dipeptides to affect muscarinic receptor ligand binding. Bioog. Med. Chem. Lett. 1999, 9, 23, 3363-3368.

Invited Papers

1. Berthiaume, L., S.M. Peseckis and M.D. Resh. Synthesis and use of iodo-fatty acid analogs. Methods Enzymology: Lipid Modifications of Proteins 1995, 250, 454-466.
   
   
2. Messer, W.S., Jr., W.G. Rajeswaran, Y. Cao, H.-J. Zhang, A.A. El-Assadi, C. Dochery, J. Liske, J. Obrien, F.E. Williams, X.-P. Huang, M.E. Wroblewski, P.I. Nagy, S.M. Peseckis. Design and Development of Selective Muscarinic Agonists for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease: Characterization of Tetrahydropyrimidine Derivatives and Development of New Approaches to Improved Affinity and Selectivity for M1 Receptors. Pharmaceutica Acta Helvetiae 2000, 74, 135-140.

Patents

1. Bagli, J.F., Peseckis, S.M. (1986). 5-Substituted-6-aminopyrimidines, Composition and Uses as Cardiotonic Agents for Increasing Cardiac Contractility. United States Patent #4,617,393.
   
   
2. Peseckis, S.M., Bagli, J.F., Heaslip, R.J., Colatsky, T.J. (1991). 5-Substituted-6-Aminopyrimidine Derivatives. United States Patent #5,002,949.

Presentations and Posters

1. William R. Roush*, and Steven M. Peseckis (1984). Synthesis of Antibiotic X-14547A. Abstr. Pap. Am. Chem. Soc., 187 Meet., ORGN 11. Oral Presentation.
   
   
2. Steven M. Peseckis*, Ida Deichaite and M.D. Resh (1991). Iodinated Fatty Acids as Probes for Myristate Processing and Function. ASBMB Fall Symposium, Keystone, CO. Oral presentation.
   
   
3. Ida Deichaite*, Steven M. Peseckis, and Marilyn D. Resh (1991). Identification and Purification of a Novel 57 K Protein Using Radiolabelled Myristate Analogs. ASBMB Fall Symposium, Keystone, CO. Poster presentation.
   
   
4. Vyjayanthi Krishnan*, Steven M. Peseckis. ìHuman N-Myristyl Transferase Inhibition in Tissue Culture.î 25th National Medicinal Chemistry Symposium, University of Michigan, June 1996. Poster
   
   
5. Botao Zhao*, Vyjayanthi Krishnan, Steven M. Peseckis. ìAzapeptide Inhibitors of Protein N-Terminal Fatty Acid Transferases and Esterases.î 25th National Medicinal Chemistry Symposium, University of Michigan, June 1996. Poster
   
   
6. Steven M. Peseckis. ìReceptor : G Protein Coupling and Protein Palmitoylation.ì Department of Biology, University of Toledo, November 21, 1997. Seminar
   
   
7. Steven M. Peseckis ìProtein Fatty Acid Modifications and Receptor : G Protein Coupling.î Department of Biology, Bowling Green State University, December 10, 1997. Seminar
   
   
8. Wellington N. Pham*, Vyjayanthi Krishnan, Steven M. Peseckis. ìSynthesis of Dual Fatty Acylated Peptides.î Organic Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society 1999 National Meeting, Madison, Wisconsin. June 13-17, 1999. Poster
   
   
9. Vyjayanthi Krishnan*, Wellington N. Pham, William S. Messer, Jr., Steven M. Peseckis. ìEffects of Acylated Peptides on m2 Receptor Ligand Bindingî Organic Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society 1999 National Meeting, Madison, Wisconsin. June 13-17, 1999. Poster
   
   
10. Wellington N. Pham*, Vyjayanthi Krishnan, Steven M. Peseckis. "Synthesis of N-Terminal Gia Fatty Acylated Peptides." 32nd Mid-Atlantic Graduate Student Symposium in Medicinal Chemistry, July 11-13, 1999 Buffalo, NY. Poster
    
    
11. Vyjayanthi Krishnan*, Wellington N. Pham, William S. Messer, Jr., Steven M. Peseckis. "Novel Peptide Inhibitors of G-Protein Receptor Ligand Binding." 32nd Mid-Atlantic Graduate Student Symposium in Medicinal Chemistry, July 11-13, 1999, Buffalo, NY. Seminar
    
    
12. Rahim Lila*, Steven M. Peseckis. "Bioinformatic Studies of G Protein Signal Transduction" 34th Mid-Atlantic Graduate Student Symposium in Medicinal Chemistry, June 28-30, 2001, Columbus, OH. Seminar
    
    
13. Steven M. Peseckis. ìStudying Cell Signaling by Experimentation and Informaticsî DePauw University, Greencastle, IN, October 2001. Seminar
    
    
14. Rahim Lila*, Steven M. Peseckis. "A New Bioinformatic Resource: G-Protein Database (GPDB)," UT Symposium on Bioinformatics, Toledo, OH. Nov 17-18, 2001. Poster.