Faculty

 

 

Room: Tech K348
Phone: 847-491-3441
Email: fdl@northwestern.edu
Lewis Research Group Website
Division: Organic
Research Interests: Organic, Bio-Organic, Physical Organic, Biophysical
B.A.: Amherst College 1965
Ph.D.: University of Rochester 1968
Associate Research Administrator: Nikki Piech

Research Statement

Our research is directed toward understanding the relationship between the unique structure of DNA and its interaction with light. The foundation for these studies is the design, synthesis, and characterization of short stable DNA base pair domains. Incorporation of organic chromophores either at the ends or within the interior of synthetic DNA hairpins and dumbbells permits study of the dynamics and efficiency of photoinduced electron transfer, energy transfer, and exciton coupling – all of which are mediated by the helical, π-stacked base pair domain. We have recently begun an investigation of the photodimerization of adjacent thymine bases in single strand and duplex DNA and find that the selectivity and efficiency of reaction is governed by both the ground state conformation and the identity of neighboring base pairs. Our research benefits from extensive collaboration with physical and theoretical chemists interested in the behavior of DNA.

Selected Publications

Hariharan, M.; Zheng, Y.; Long, H.; Zeidan, T. A.; Schatz, G. C.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M. R.; Zuo, X. B.; Tiede, D. M.; Lewis, F. D. Hydrophobic dimerization and thermal dissociation of perylenediimide-linked DNA hairpins. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 5920-5929.

Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M. R.; Thazhathveetil, A. K.; Lewis, F. D. Efficient charge transport in DNA diblock oligomers. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 9722-9727.

Daublain, P.; Thazhathveetil, A. K.; Wang, Q.; Trifonov, A.; Fiebig, T.; Lewis, F. D. Dynamics of photochemical electron injection and efficiency of electron transport in DNA. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 16790-16797.

Siegmund, K.; Daublain, P.; Wang, Q.; Trifonov, A.; Fiebig, T.; Lewis, F. D. Structure and photoinduced electron transfer in DNA hairpin conjugates possessing a tethered 5'-pyrenecarboxamide J. Phys. Chem. B 2009, 113, 16276-16284.

Lewis, F. D.; Thazhathveetil, A. K.; Zeidan, T. A.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M. R. Dynamics of ultrafast singlet and triplet charge transfer in anthraquinone-DNA conjugates. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 444-445.

Wilson, T. M.; Zeidan, T. A.; Hariharan, M.; Lewis, F. D.; Wasielewski, M. R. Electron hopping among cofacially stacked perylenediimides assembled by using DNA hairpins. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 2385-2388.

McCullagh, M.; Hariharan, M.; Lewis, F. D.; Markovitsi, D.; Douki, T.; Schatz, G. C. Conformational control of TT dimerization in DNA conjugates. A molecular dynamics study. J. Phys. Chem. A 2010, 114, 5215-5221.

Hariharan, M.; McCullagh, M.; Schatz, G. C.; Lewis, F. D. Conformational control of thymine photodimerization in single-strand and duplex DNA containing locked nucleic acid TT steps. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 12856-12858.

Hariharan, M.; Siegmund, K.; Lewis, F. D. Structure and stability of alkane-linked DNA hairpin conjugates. J. Org. Chem. 2010, 75, 6236-6243.

Awards

• Arthur C. Cope Senior Scholar Award, American Chemical Society, 2005
• I-APS Award in Photochemistry, Inter-American Photochemical Society, 2003
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow, 1975
• Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 1973