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Research in the Peterson lab uses an interdisciplinary approach to understand important biological processes by utilizing tools from synthetic organic chemistry, chemical biology, biochemistry and molecular biology. We currently have two main projects ongoing in our lab: 1) synthesis of potential small molecule inhibitors to probe the active site requirements of LpxC, an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of Lipid A, an integral component of Gram-negative bacteria cell walls (collaboration with Prof. Elaine Frawley, Rhodes Biology) and 2) synthesis of dopamine analogues and related catechols to investigate the mechanism of various enzymes, including L-DOPA dioxygenase (collaboration with Prof. Keri Colabroy at Muhlenberg) or inhibit enzymes involved in the metabolism of dopamine. Some of the novel catechols have also been observed endogenously (collaboration with Prof. Gilberto De Nucci, Brazil). For more information about Prof. Peterson’s research, visit Peterson Research Group.

Selected publications

Rhodes College undergraduates underlined

A.T. Demisew, J.R. Cohen, E.G. Gruss, J.D. Bui, J.L. Steiner, R.N. Marasco, M. Betonio, G. Xhafkollari, D. Strzeminski, S. Leyes Porello, K.L. Colabroy*, L.W. Peterson*. Probing L-DOPA 2,3-dioxygenase mechanism using synthetic derivatives of 3,4-Dihydroxyhydrocinnamic Acid, ACS Omega, 2025, 10(29), 32053-32069. 

J. Britto-Júnior A. T. Lima, D.L. Oliveira, F.V. Mariano, V.B. de Souza, A.A. Schenka, L.W. Peterson, M. S. Slotd, R. Fjord, T. Wang, E. Antunes, G. De Nucci*. 6-Cyanodopamine as an endogenous modulator of heart chronotropism and inotropism. Life Sciences, 2025, 366–367, 123504. 

S. Ringenbach, R. Yoza, P.A. Jones, M. Du, K.L. Klugh, L.W. Peterson, K.L. Colabroy*. Discovery and Characterization of L-DOPA 2,3-Dioxygenase from Streptomyces hygroscopicus jingganensis, Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2024, 755, 109967.  

G.Q. Júnior, J. Britto-Júnior, T.B. Magalhaes, R. Campos, K.L. Nyamkondiwa, K.L. Klugh, L.W. Peterson, F. Frecentese, G. Caliendo, and G. De Nucci*. Measurement of 6-cyanodopamine, 6-nitrodopa, 6-nitrodopamine and 6-nitroadrenaline by LC-MS/MS in Krebs-Henseleit’s solution. Assessment of basal release from rabbit isolated right atrium and ventricles, Biomedical Chromotography, 2023, e5691. 

A.K. Hatstat, G.M. Kennedy, T.R. Squires, G. Xhafkollari, C.S. Cochrane, M. Cafiero, L.W. Peterson*. Synthesis and analysis of novel catecholic ligands as inhibitors of catechol-O-methyltransferase, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2023, 88, 129186. 

A.M. Goldberg, M.K. Robinson, E.S. Starr, R.N. Marasco, A.C. Alana, C.S. Cochrane, K.L. Klugh, D.J. Strzeminski, M. Du, K.L. Colabroy, L.W. Peterson*. L-DOPA dioxygenase activity on 6-substituted dopamine analogues, Biochemistry, 2021, 60(32), 2492–2507. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00310

B.J. Roldan, A.O. Pajarillo, J. Greenberg, J. Karlinsey, M. Cafiero, E. Frawley, L.W. Peterson*. Propargylglycine-based antimicrobial compounds are targets of TolC-dependent efflux systems in Escherichia coli, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2020, 30(2), 126875. DOI:  

S.N. Malkowski, C.F. Dishuck, G.G. Lamanilao, C.P. Embry, C.S. Grubb, M. Cafiero, L.W. Peterson*. Design, modeling and synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole-linked nucleoside-amino acid conjugates as potential antibacterial agents, Molecules, 2017, 22(10), 1682.

J.C. Rote, S.N. Malkowski, C. S. Cochrane, G.E. Bailey, N.S. Brown, M. Cafiero, L.W. Peterson*. Catechol reactivity: Synthesis of a series of 6-substituted dopamine derivatives, Synthetic Communications, 2017, 47(5), 435-441.

A.K. Hatstat, M. Morris, L.W. Peterson, M. Cafiero*. Ab initio study of electronic interaction energies and desolvation energies for dopaminergic ligands in the catechol-O-methyltransferase enzyme active site, Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, 2016, 1078, 146-162.