Postdoctoral Research Fellow : Dr Chris Noble

Address:
Centre for Magnetic Resonance
Ritchie Building
The University of Queensland
Brisbane Qld 4072
E-mail address: Chris Noble
Telephone: +61-7-3365 3349
Fax: +61-7-3365 3833
Home Page: Chris Noble

Career Profile:

One of the most promising applications of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is in the biological and health sciences.  Using EPR it is possible to obtain crystallographic data of transition metal ion active sites in metalloproteins and enzymes.  Several important enzymes including plant purple acid phosphatases with Fe(III)-Zn(II) and Fe(III)-Mn(II) centres, the molybdenum enzymes DMSo reductase and DMS dehydrogenase and human cytochrome P450 are currently being analysed extensively using EPR.  EPR gives the bond lengths and orientation of ligands that surround the metal ion site with a precision greater than that obtainable from other techniques such as X-ray crystallography.  EPR has the further advantage that single crystals are not necessary as orientationally selective ESEEM can be used to obtain crystallographic information from frozen solutions.
Dr Noble’s current research has focused on the development of a general software package for the simulation of CW and pulsed EPR to be used by scientists working in such disparate fields as pharmacology, biochemistry, physics and medicine that use EPR as a technique in their research.  This has involved a detailed knowledge of quantum physics, numerical methods and computer programming, together with an understanding of the way that scientists use the experimental technique as an aid in their research.

Research Interests :

Selected Publications:

• Lane, I., Noble, C.J., Ridge, J., Benson, N., McEwan, A.G. and Hanson, G.R. (2006). Structural characterisation of the Mo(V) high-g unsplit species from Rhodobacter capsulatus dimethylsulfoxide reductase.  Journal of the American Chemical Society. Submitted.
• Krivokapic, I., Noble, C., Klitgaard, S., Tregenna-Piggott, P., Weihe, H. and Barra, A.-L. (2005).  Anisotropic hyperfine interaction in the manganese(III) hexaaqua ion.  Angewandte Chemie 44: 3613-3615.
• Dobe, C., Noble, C., Carver, G., Tregenna,-Piggott, P.L.W., McIntyre, G.J., Barra, A.-L., Neels, A., Janssen, S. and Juranyi, G. (2004).  Electronic and molecular structure of high-spin d(4) complexes: experimental and theoretical study of the [Cr(D2O)(6)](2+) cation on Tutton’s salts.  Journal of the American Chemical Society 126: 16639-16652.
• Hanson, G.R., Gates, K.E., Noble, C.J., Griffin, M., Mitchell, A. and Benson, S. (2004). XSophe - Sophe – XeprView®. A computer simulation software suite (v. 1.1.3) for the analysis of continuous wave EPR spectra.Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 98: 903-916.
• Hanson, G.R., Lane, I., Noble, C.J., McEwan, A.G. and Benson, N. (2003). Structural characterisation of the Mo(V) high-g unsplit species from Rhodobacter capsulatus dimethylsulfoxide reductase. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 96:
• Hanson, G.R., Noble, C.J., Griffin, M. and Burrage, K. (2003). Xsophe – Sophe – XeprView, a computer simulation software suite for the analysis of continuous wave EPR spectra.  EPR of Free Radicals in Solids: Trends in Methods and Applications 10: 197.
• Mitchell, A., Noble, C.J., Benson, S., Gates, K.E. and Hanson, G.R. (2003). XSophe: an integrated molecular approach to the analysis of continuous wave and pulsed EPR spectroscopy from metalloproeteins. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 96: 191.
• Hanson, G.R., Gates, K.E., Noble, C.J., Mitchell, A., Benson, S., Griffin, M. and Burrage, K. (2003). XSophe - Sophe - XeprView a computer simulation software suite for the analysis of continuous wave EPR spectra. In M. Shiotani and A. Lund (Eds), EPR of Free Radicals in Solids: Trends in Methods and Applications, Kluwer Press, pp. 197-237.
• McDevitt, C.A., Hanson, G.R., Noble C.J., Cheesman M.R. and McEwan A.G. (2002). Characterization of the redox centers in Dimethylsulfide Dehydrogenase from Rhodovulum sulfidophilum. Biochemistry 41:15234 -15244.
• Lai, P.F., Prawer, S. and Noble, C. (2002).  Electron spin resonance investigation of ion-irradiated diamond.  Diamond and Related Materials 11:
  Hanson, G.R., Noble, C.J., Gates, K.E. and Burrage, K. (2001). XSophe, a computer simulation software suite for the analysis of electron paramagnetic resonance spectra.  Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 86: 248.
• Schenk, G., Boutchard, C.L., Carrington, L. E., Noble, C.J., Moubaraki, B., de Jersey, J., Hanson, G.R. and Hamilton, S. (2001). A purple acid phosphatase from sweet potato contains an antiferromagnetically coupled binuclear Fe-Mn centre. Journal of Biological Chemistry 276: 19084-19088.
• Griffin, M., Muys, A., Noble, C.J., Wang, D., Eldershaw, C., Gates, K.E., Burrage, K. and Hanson, G.R. (2000.  Xsophe, a computer simulation software suite for the analysis of electron paramagnetic resonance spectra.  Molecular Physics Reports 26: 60-84.
• Tregenna-Piggott, P.L.W., Noble, C.J. and Pilbrow, J.R. (2000).  The study of the influence of Jahn-Teller coupling and low symmetry strain on the anomalous electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum of titanium(III) doped CsAl(SO4)2.12H2O. Journal of Chemical Physics 113: 3289-3301.
• Griffin, M., Muys, A., Noble, C., Wang, D.M., Eldershaw, C., Gates, K.E., Burrage, K. and Hanson, G.R. (1999).  Xsophe, a computer simulation software suite for the analysis of electron paramagnetic resonance spectra.  Molecular Physics Rep. 26: 60-84.
• Pawlik, Th., Noble, C.J. and Spaeth, J.-M. (1998).  Optically detected electron paramagnetic resonance of Ni-related defects in synthetic diamond crystals.  Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 10: 9833-9840.
• Noble, C.J., Pawlik, T. and Spaeth, J.M. (1998).Electron paramagnetic resonance investigations of nickel defects in natural diamonds.  Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 10(50): 11781-11793.
• Tregenna-Piggot, P.L.W., O’Brien, M.C.M., Pilbrow, J.R., Güdel, H.U., Best, S.P. and Noble, C.J. (1997). Paramagnetism of caesium titanium alum and the Jahn-Teller interaction.  Journal of Chemical Physics 107: 8275.
• Pilbrow, J.R., Hutton, D.R., Zhong, Y.C., Noble, C.J. and Song, R. (1996).  Pulsed EPR investigations of hyperfine structure in gamma-irradiated alanine.  Applied Radiation and Isotopes 47: 1257-1261.
• Song, R., Zhong, Y.C., Noble, C.J., Pilbrow, J.R. and Hutton, D.R. (1996).  Line-shifting method in electron-spin-echo-envelope-modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy.  Applied Magnetic Resonance 11: 391-399.
• Shaltiel, D., Noble, C., Pilbrow, J., Hutton, D. and Walker, E. (1996).  Interaction between localized and conduction electron spins in the high Tc superconductor Gd:EuBa2Cu3O6+xI.  Physics Reviews B 53: 12430-12435.
• Song, R., Zhong, Noble, C.J., Pilbrow, J.R. and Hutton, D.R. (1995).  Separation of overlapped line sin two-dimensional electron-spin-echo-envelope-modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy.  Journal of Magnetic Resonance A 117: 320-323.
• Song, R., Zhong, Y.C., Noble, C.J., Pilbrow, J.R. and Hutton, D.R. (1995).  A one-dimensional mixing-frequency electron spin echo envelope modulation (MIF-ESEEM) spectroscopy.  Chemical Physics Letters 243: 324-329.
• Song, R., Zhong, Y.C., Noble, C.J., Pilbrow, J.R. and Hutton, D.R. (1995).  A new six-pulse two-dimensional electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) correlation spectroscopy.  Chemical Physics Letters 237: 86-90.
• Murad, E., Cashion, J.D., Noble, C.J. and Pilbrow, J.R. (1995).  The chemical state of Fe in rutile from an albatite in Norway.  Mineralogical Magazine 59: 557-560.
• Noble, C.J., Zhong, Y.C., Pilbrow, J.R. and Hutton, D.R. (1993).  Echo-detected Fourier-transform EPR spectroscopy.  Journal of Magnetic Resonance A 105: 323-325.

Grants 2000-present :

2003  UQ.  Novel Algorithms for the Analysis of Pulsed EPR Spectra and the Structural Characterisation of High Spin Paramagnetic Centres.  Noble
$49,444
2000-2002   ARC . Orientation selective ESEEM/ENDOR: Determination of Crystallographic Information of the Metal Ion's Coordination Sphere in Metalloenzymes. Noble
$184,000: The International Biomaterials Research Alliance.
Whittaker, Rasoul, Blake, Monteiro, Liu, etc.
$2,763,972

Other activities:

Awards: 2000: ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship,;  1997: Queens Trust Achiever Award;  1993: IMMA prize.
Memberships: 2000-present: Australian and New Zealand Society of Magnetic Resonance;  1993-present:  International EPR Society, Institute for Metals and Material Australasia