Faculty and Staff

Anatoliy Dragan

Anatoliy Dragan, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

The Institute of Fluorescence,
UMBC,
The Columbus Center,
701 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA

Main Lab: 410-576-5720
Fax: 410-576-5722
E-mail: dragan@umbc.edu

 

Education/Academic Positions:

  • Ph.D. 1985, National University, Kiev, Ukraine
  • Senior Research Scientist, National University, Kiev, Ukraine, 1985-1988.
  • Associate Professor at the Biology Faculty of the National University, Kiev, Ukraine, 1988-2000.
  • Visiting Scientist at the Biophysical Laboratories of the Portsmouth University, UK, 1999 and 2000.
  • Visiting Scientist at the Biology Department of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 2000.
  • Associate Research Scientist, Johns Hopkins University, Biology Department, Baltimore, 2001-2003.
  • Research Scientist, Johns Hopkins University, Biology Department, Baltimore, 2003-2008.
  • Senior Research Associate, MBC/IoF, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 2008.

Awards/Honors:

  • Award of the Academy of Science of Ukraine in recognition of outstanding contribution to studies of chromatin structure and function, 1994.
  • Award of the International Soros Science Education Program (ISSEP) in recognition and appreciation of outstanding contribution to science education, 1995.

Research Interests:

Principles of structural organization of biological macromolecules (proteins, nucleic acids), their interactions and cooperation in the formation of the specific protein/nucleic acids complexes. These includes the energetics of bio-molecular structures, forces determining folding and stability of biopolymers, the mechanisms of their association with the partners.  Understanding of these physical bases of the biological systems is important not only for fundamental research in biology but also for practical realization of these fundamental achievements, particularly in engineering various analytical applications.

Development of the new physical methods for studying the structural organization of biological molecules and their complexes. This includes various photo-physical techniques: fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), photo-sensibilization and selective photo-scissoring of nucleic acids in vitro and in situ; microcalorimetric techniques: isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and scanning calorimetry (DSC).

My special interest is in the theory and application of the metal enhance fluorescence (MEF) phenomenon, application of which in medicine and biotechnology attracts now great attention.  The physics of this phenomena is not as of yet fully understood, but it opens a new prospect for express analysis of drugs, proteins and cell genomic DNA; creation of new sensor platforms in medicine and biology. 

Publications in the past three years:
(I have more that 60 publications in peer reviewed scientific journals).

  • Dragan, A. I. & Privalov, P. L.  (2008) Use of fluorescence energy transfer (FRET) in studying protein-induced DNA bending.  Methods in Enzymology, in press.
  • Crane-Robinson, C., Dragan, A. I. and Read, C. M. (2008) Defining the Thermodynamics of Protein/DNA Complexes and Micro-calorimetry. Methods in Mol. Biol., in press.
  • Favicchio, R., Dragan, A. I., Kneale, G and Read C. M. (2008) Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Anisotropy in the Analysis of DNA-Protein Interactions. Methods in Mol. Biol., in press.
  • Dragan, A.I., Hargreaves, V.V., Makeyeva, E.N. & Privalov, P.L. & (2007) Mechanisms of activation of interferon regulator factor 3: the role of C-terminal domain phosphorylation in IRF-3 dimerization and DNA binding. Nucleic Acids Res. 35(11), 3525-3534.
  • Privalov, P.L. & Dragan, A.I. (2007) Microcalorimetry of biological macromolecules. Biophys Chem. 126(1-3), 16-24.
  • Serebruany, V., Malinin, A., Dragan, V.A., Atar, D., van Zyl, L., Dragan, A. I. (2007) Fluorimetric quantitation of citalopram and escitalopram in plasma: developing an express method to monitor compliance in clinical trials.
    Clin Chem Lab Med. 45(4), 513-20.
  • McDonald, R.J., Dragan, A.I., Kirk, W.R., Neff, K.L., Privalov, P.L. & Maher, L.J. (2007) DNA bending by charged peptides: electrophoretic and spectroscopic analyses. Biochemistry 46(9), 2306-16.
  • Privalov, P.L., Dragan, A.I., Crane-Robinson, C., Breslauer, K.J., Remeta, D.P. & Minetti, C.A. (2007) What drives proteins into the major or minor grooves of DNA? J Mol Biol. 365(1), 1-9.
  • Crane-Robinson, C., Dragan, A.I. & Privalov, P.L. (2006) The extended arms of DNA-binding domains: a tale of tails. Trends Biochem Sci. 31(10), 547-52.
  • Dragan, A.I., Li, Z., Makeyeva, E., Milgotina, E., Liu, Y., Crane-Robinson, C. & Privalov, P.L  (2006) Forces driving the binding of homeodomains to DNA. Biochemistry, 45, 141-151.
  • Privalov, P.L & Dragan. A.I. (2006) Heat capacity microcalorimetry in studying the energetic bases of proteins and their complexes. Chapter in Protein Structures: Methods in Protein Structure and Stability Analysis. ; Ed. V. Uversky, Nova Science Publisher, Inc. NY.
  • Hargreaves, V.V, Makeyeva, E.N., Dragan. A.I. & Privalov, P.L  (2005) Stability and DNA binding ability of the DNA binding domains of interferon regulatory factors 1 and 3. Biochemistry, 44, 14202-14209.
  • Oshrine B, Malinin A, Pokov A, Dragan A, Hanley D, Serebruany V. (2005) Criticality of pH for accurate fluorometric measurements of dipyridamole levels in biological fluids. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol., 27(2), 95-100.
  • Dragan A.I., Frank L., Liu Y., Makeyeva E. N.,  Crane-Robinson C. & Privalov P.L. (2004) Thermodynamic signature of GCN4-bZIP binding to DNA indicates the role of water in discriminating between the AP-1 and ATF/CREB sites. J.Mol. Biol. 343, 865-878.
  • Dragan, A.I., Potekhin, S.A., Sivolob, A.V., Lu M. and Privalov, P.L. (2004) Kinetics and Thermodynamics of the Unfolding and Refolding of the Three-Stranded alpha-Helical Coiled Coil, Lpp-56. Biochemistry 43(47), 14891-14900.
  • Dragan A.I., Read C. M., Makeyeva E. N., Milgotina E. I., Churchill M.E.A.,Crane-Robinson C. & Privalov P.L. (2004) DNA binding and bending by sequence specific HMG boxes: energetic determinants of specificity. J. Mol. Biol. 343, 371-393.
  • Dragan A.I., Liu Y., Makeyeva E. N. & Privalov P.L. (2004) GCN4-bZIP induces bending of both the ATF/CREB and AP-1 binding sites of DNA. Nucleic Acids Res. 32, 5192-5197.