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Faculty Detail    
Name DONALD MUCCIO
  
Campus Address CHEM 290 Zip 1240
Phone  (205) 934-8285
E-mail  muccio@uab.edu
Other websites
     


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Primary  Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics  Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Professor
Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations
Biochemistry and Structural Biology 
Integrative Biomedical Sciences 

Biographical Sketch 
Donald D. Muccio, Associate Professor of Chemistry, received his undergraduate (B.S., 1973) and graduate training (Ph.D., 1979) in the Department of Biophysics at the Ohio State University under the mentorship of Professor Joseph Cassim. He completed post-doctoral training in biophysical chemistry with Professors Gheorghe Mateescu and William Abrahamson in the Department of Chemistry at Case Western Reserve University. In 1982, he accepted a faculty position in the Department of Chemistry at UAB. Dr. Muccio is a Scientist in the Vision Science Research Center, a member of the Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Pharmaceutical Design Program at UAB.



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Retinoids for cancer prevention and therapy
Description
My research interests involve the study of vitamin A related compounds, retinoids, and the manner by which they interact with various proteins. These include the vision-related proteins (rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin) important for the primary photoevent in vision; certain intercellular binding proteins (cytoplasmic retinoic acid binding protein, CRAPBs) needed for intracellular storage and metabolism; and various nuclear receptor proteins (nuclear retinoic acid receptors, RARs and RXRs) which control gene expression. Using a bioorganic approach, we design and synthesize new, conformationally rigid retinoids which are expected to selectively interact with the unique binding sites in each protein. We employ NMR and CD spectroscopies to study the structure and stability of protein-retinoid complexes. Not only do we gain a fundamental understanding on how retinoids interact with proteins, but the new retinoids we generate are potential novel agents for preventing and treating different cancers.

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
DD Muccio, WJ Brouillette, TR Breitman, M Taimi, PD Emanuel, BP Sani, P Venepally, L Reddy, M Alam, L Simpson-Herren, and DL Hill. Conformationally Defined Retinoic Acid Analogs: 4 Potential New Agents for the Treatment of Acute Promyelocytic and Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia. J. Med. Chem. 41:1679-1687, 1997.   
WJ Brouillette, DD Muccio, M Jedrzejas, C Brouillette, R Singh, J Kearney, Y Devedjeiv, W Cristofoli, and L DeLucas. " NAD Synthetase Inhibitors." Provisional Application for US Patent Application filed January 14, 1998.   
DD Muccio and WJ Brouillette. "Novel Retinoids and Use Thereof." Provisional Application for US Patent Application filed April 6, 1998.   
DD Muccio, YC Lee, M Alam, and WJ Brouillette. 13C NMR Assignments of Conformationally Defined 6-s-cis-Retinoids. Magn. Reson. Chem. 36:82-85, 1999.   
BK Berdiev, VG Shlyonsky, CM Fuller, DD Muccio, II Ismailov, and DJ Benos. Peptide Block of EnaC. Biochemistry 38:354-363, 1999.