CURRENT RESEARCH

Mechanistic studies of oxygen activation and substrate oxidation in the non-heme iron enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) oxidase, the ethylene-forming enzyme in plants.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Bioinorganic Chemistry, Stanford University, 2005
Advisor: Prof. T. Daniel P. Stack
Thesis: Characterization and Mechanistic Investigations of Model Complexes Relevant to Binuclear and Multinuclear Copper Enzymes.

B.S. Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, 1999
Advisor: Prof. Harry B. Gray

PUBLICATIONS

10. Thrower, J. T.; Mirica, L. M.; McCusker K. P.; Klinman J. P. Mechanistic Investigations of 1-Aminocylcyclopropane 1-Carboxylic Acid Oxidase with Alternate Cyclic and Acyclic Substrate. Biochemistry, 2006, 45, ASAP.

9. Mirica, L. M.; Rudd, D. J.; Vance, M.; Solomon, E. I.; Hedman, B.; Hodgson, K. O.; Stack, T. D. P. A m-h2:h2-Peroxodicopper(II) Complex with a Secondary Diamine Ligand: A Functional Model of Tyrosinase. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 2654-2665.

8. Cole, A. P.; Mahadevan, V.; Mirica L. M.; Ottenwaelder, X.; Stack T. D. P. Bis(m-oxo)dicopper(III) Complexes of a Homologous Series of Simple Peralkylated 1,2-Diamines: Steric Modulation of Structure, Stability, and Reactivity. Inorg. Chem., 2005, 44, 7345-7364.

7. Yoon, J.; Mirica, L. M.; Stack, T. D. P.; Solomon, E. I. Variable-Temperature Variable-Field Magnetic Circular Dichroism Studies of Tris-Hydroxy and m3-Oxo Bridged Trinuclear Cu(II) Complexes: Geometric and Electronic Structures of the Native Intermediate of Multicopper Oxidases. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2005, 127, 13680-13693.

6. Mirica, L. M.; Vance, M.; Rudd, D. J.; Hedman, B.; Hodgson, K. O.; Solomon E. I.; Stack T. D. P. Tyrosinase Reactivity in a Model Complex: An Alternative Hydroxylation Mechanism. Science, 2005, 308, 1890-1892. Featured as a perspective in Science, 2005, 308, 1876-1877 and Chem. & Eng. News, 2005, 83, 26, 38.

5. Mirica, L.M.; Stack, T.D.P. A Tris(m-hydroxy)tricopper(II) Complex as a Model of the Native Intermediate in Laccase and Its Relationship to a Binuclear Analogue. Inorg. Chem., 2005, 44, 2131-2133.

4. Pratt R.C.; Mirica L.M.; Stack T.D.P. Snapshots of a Metamorphosing Cu(II) Ground State in a Galactose Oxidase-Inspired Complex. Inorg. Chem., 2004, 43, 8030-8039.

3. Yoon, J.; Mirica, L. M.; Stack, T. D. P.; Solomon, E. I. Spectroscopic Demonstration of a Large Antisymmetric Exchange Contribution to the Spin-Frustrated Ground State of a D3 Symmetric Hydroxy-Bridged Trinuclear Cu(II) Complex: Ground-to-Excited State Superexchange Pathways. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2004, 126, 12586-12595.

2. Mirica L.M.; Ottenwaelder X.; Stack T.D.P. Structure and Spectroscopy of Copper-Dioxygen Complexes. Chem. Rev., 2004, 104, 1013-1045.

1. Mirica L.M.; Vance M.; Jackson-Rudd D.; Hedman B.; Hodgson K.O.; Solomon E.I.; Stack T.D.P. A Stabilized m-h2:h2 Peroxodicopper(II) Complex with a Secondary Diamine Ligand and Its Tyrosinase-like Reactivity. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2002, 124, 9332-9333.