DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

J. Ricky Cox

B.S.-University of Tennessee at Martin
M.S.-Murray State University
Ph.D.-University of Tennessee at Knoxville

Associate Professor
Director, Molecular Modeling and Bioinformatics Lab
Biochemistry and Bioorganic Chemistry
Office:  413B Blackburn
Phone:  270-809-6543
E-mail:  ricky.cox@murraystate.edu

HOMEPAGE

Teaching Chemistry with the Tablet PC.......Click HERE.

Web-based visualization of protein structures.......Click HERE.

Dr. Cox's research interests are focused in two major areas. The first involves studying various aspects of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. These enzymes are largely responsible for the loss of antibacterial activity of aminoglycoside antibiotics, which used to be clinically important agents against pathogenic bacteria. Projects including inhibitor design and protein perdeuteration will shed light on the recognition of the aminoglycosides by the enzymes and lay a foundation for recapturing the clinical effectiveness of these antibiotics.

Another focus of his research pertains to the area of p-interactions in proteins. One project in this area will include site-directed mutagenesis and enzyme kinetics to quantitate the energetics of p-interactions in proteins. A project in the area of computational biochemistry will investigate the electrostatic nature of a variety of p-interactions between the adenine ring of ATP and NADH and the side chains of aromatic amino acids.

Selected Publications

Rogers, J. W. and Cox, J. R. “Integrating a Single Tablet PC in Chemistry, Engineering and Physics Courses” J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 2008, 37, 34-39.

Lyles, H., Robertson, B., Mangino, M. and Cox, J. R. “Audio Podcasting in a Tablet PC-Enhanced Biochemistry Course” Biochem. Mol. Biol. Educ. 2007, 35, 456-461.
 

Kohorst, K. and Cox, J. R. “Virtual Office Hours Using a Tablet PC:  E-lluminating Biochemistry in an Online Environment” Biochem. Mol. Biol. Educ. 2007, 35, 193-197.

Cox, J. R. “Developing an Alternate Assessment Exercise for an Introductory Chemistry Course” The Teaching Professor. 2006, 20(9), 5.

Cox, J. R. “Screen Capture on the Fly:  Combining Molecular Visualization and a Tablet PC in the Biochemistry Classroom” Biochem. Mol. Biol. Educ. 2006, 34, 12-16.

Boehr, D. D., Farley, A. R., LaRonde, F., Murdock, T. R., Wright, G. D. and Cox, J. R. “Establishing the Principles of Recognition in the Adenine-Binding Region of an Aminoglycoside Antibiotic Kinase (APH(3')-IIIa)”.  Biochemistry 2005, 44, 12445-12453.

Cox, J. R. and Rogers, J. W. “Enter: The (Well-Designed) Lecture” The Teaching Professor. 2005, 19(5), 1/6.

Cox, J. R. and Rogers, J. W. “Tablet PCs:  Are They the Next Technopedagogical Fad? J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 2005, 34(6), 7.

Harper, S. A., Cox, J. R. and Wright, S. N. “Modeling of Benzocaine Analog Interactions with the D4S6 Segment of Nav4.1 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels” Biophys. Chem. 2005, 113, 1-7.

Yeiser, A. J., Cox, J. R. and Wright, S. N. “Voltage-Dependent Inhibition of Rat Skeleton Muscle Sodium Channels by Aminoglycoside Antibiotics”.  Eur. J. Physiol. 2004, 448, 204-213.

Carpenter, R. A., Farley, A. R., Cox, J. R., Dobson, A. J. and Whitlock, C. W. “Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a Novel Tris-Indolyl Amine”  J. Under. Chem. Res. 2004, 1, 11-14.

Keller, H. and Cox, J. R. “The Proteomics Stock Market Project:  A Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration in Biochemistry and Business Education”.  J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 519-522. 

Whittemore, N. A., Welch, K. T., Cox, J. R., Dougall, D. K. and Baker, D. C. “A Quenched Molecular Dynamics-Rotating Frame Overhauser Spectroscopy Study of a Series of Semibiosynthetically Monoacylated Anthocyanins” J. Org. Chem. 2004, 69, 1663-1669.

Honey, D. W. and Cox J. R. “Lesson Plan for Protein Exploration in a Large Biochemistry Class” Biochem. Mol. Biol. Educ. 2003, 31, 356-362.

Boehr, D. D., Farley, A. R., Wright, G. D. and Cox, J. R. “Analysis of the pi-pi Stacking Interactions Between the Aminoglycoside Antibiotic Kinase APH(3’)-IIIa and Its Nucleotide Ligands”.  Chemistry & Biology 2002, 9, 1209-1217.

Cox, A. L. and Cox, J. R. “Determining Oxidation-Reduction on a Simple Number Line”.  J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 965-967.

Peterson, R. R. and Cox, J. R. “Integrating Computational Chemistry into a Project-Oriented Biochemistry Laboratory Experience: A New Twist on the Lysozyme Experiment” J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 1551-1555.

Canning, D. R. and Cox, J. R. "Teaching the Structural Nature of Biological Molecules: Molecular Visualization in the Classroom and in the Hands of Students". Chem. Educ. Res. Prac. 2001, 2, 109-122. (Invited Paper)

Johnston, T. C. and Cox, J. R. “Divergence of the Proteins for Bacterial Bioluminescence Was Driven by GC Ratio Requirements for Bacterial Genomes. In Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence 2000. Case, J. F., Herring, P. J., Robison, B. H., Haddock, S. H. D., Kricka, L. J., and Stanley, P. E., Eds.; World Scientific:  London, 2001, 83-86.

Cox, J. R., Ekman, D. R., DiGiammarino, E. L., Akal-Strader, A., and Serpersu, E. H. "Aminoglycoside Antibiotics Bound to Aminoglycoside-Detoxifying Enzymes and RNA Adopt Similar Conformations" Cell Biochem. Biophys. 2001, 33, 297-308.

Serpersu, E. H., Cox, J. R., DiGiammarino, E. L., Mohler, M.L., Ekman, D. R., Akal-Strader, A., and Owston, M. "Conformations of Antibiotics in the Active Sites of Aminoglycoside-Detoxifying Enzymes". Cell Biochem. Biophys. 2001, 33, 309-321.

Cox, J. R. "Teaching Noncovalent Interactions in the Biochemistry Curriculum Through Molecular Visualization: The Search for p Interactions" J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 1424-1428.

Mohler, M., Cox, J. R. and Serpersu, E. H. "Aminoglycoside Phosphotransferase (3)-IIIa (APH(3)-IIIa)-Bound Conformation of the Aminoglycoside Lividomycin A Characterized by NMR" Carbohydr. Lett. 1998, 3, 17-24.

Cox, J. R. and Serpersu, E. H. "Biologically Important Conformations of Aminoglycoside Antibiotics Bound to an Aminoglycoside 3-Phosphotransferase as Determined by Transferred Nuclear Overhauser Effect Spectroscopy" Biochemistry 1997, 36, 2353-2359.

Cox, J. R., McKay, G. A., Wright, G. D., and Serpersu, E. H. "Arrangement of Substrates at the Active Site of An Aminoglycoside Antibiotic 3'-Phosphotransferase As Determined by NMR" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 1295-1301.

Cox, J. R. and Serpersu, E. H. "The Complete ¹H NMR Assignments of Aminoglycoside Antibiotics and Conformational Studies of Butirosin A Through the Use of 2D NMR Spectroscopy" Carbohydr. Res. 1995, 271, 55-63.

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