Research Interests

Protease specificity and regulation. Protein engineering.

Selected Publications

• Papaconstantinou, M.E., Gandhi, P.S., Chen, Z., Bah, A. and Di Cera, E. Na(+) Binding to meizothrombin desF1. Cell Mol Life Sci. (E-pub ahead of print.) (2008).

• Page, M.J. and Di Cera, E. Evolution of peptidase diversity. J Biol Chem (E-pub ahead of print.) (2008).

• Di Cera, E. How I became a biochemist. IUBMB Life (E-pub ahead of print.) (2008).

• Tanaka, K.A., Gruber, A., Szlam, F., Bush, L.A., Hanson, S.R. and Di Cera, E. Interaction between thrombin mutant W215A/E217A and direct thrombin I\inhibitor. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis 19:465-468 (2008).

• Papaconstantinou, M.E., Bah, A. and Di Cera, E. Role of the A chain in thrombin function. Cell Mol Life Sci. [Epub ahead of print] (2008)

• Di Cera, E. Engineering protease specificity made simple, but not simpler. Nat Chem Biol 4:270-271 (2008)

• Page, M.J., Carrell, C.J. and Di Cera, E. Engineering protein allostery: 1.05 A resolution structure and enzymatic properties of a Na(+)-activated trypsin. J Mol Biol. 378:666-672 (2008).

• Di Cera, E. Thrombin. Mol Aspects Med. 29:203-254 (2008).

• Nieman, M.T., Burke, F., Warnock, M., Zhou, Y., Sweigart, J., Chen, A., Ricketts, D., Lucchesi, B.R., Chen, Z., Di Cera, E., Hilfinger, J., Kim, J.S., Mosberg, H.I. and Schmaier, A.H. Thrombostatin FM compounds: Direct thrombin inhibitors - Mechanism of action in vitro and in vivo. J Thromb Haemost. 6:837-845 (2008).

• Page, M.J. and Di Cera, E. Serine peptidases: Classification, structure and function. Cell Mol Life Sci. 65:1220-1236 (2008).

• Gandhi, P.S., Chen, Z., Mathews, F.S. and Di Cera, E. Structural identification of the pathway of long-range communication in an allosteric enzyme. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 105:1832-1837 (2008).

• Berny, M.A., White, T.C., Tucker, E.I., Bush-Pelc, L.A., Di Cera, E., Gruber, A. and McCarty, O.J. Thrombin mutant W215A/E217A acts as a platelet GPIb antagonist. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 28:329-334(2008).