Aaron Leconte,
KSC137
https://sites.google.com/view/lecontegroup/home
Academic History
(2009-2012) NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
(2004-2009) Ph.D. Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA)
(2000-2004) B.A. Carleton College (Northfield, MN)聽
Academic Focus
Courses Taught
CHEM14L: Introduction to Chemistry聽
CHEM29L: Accelerated General Chemistry聽
CHEM40L: Introduction to Biological Chemistry聽
CHEM125L: Advanced Laboratory in Biochemistry聽
CHEM127L: Advanced Laboratory in Chemistry II聽
CHEM177/BIO177: Biochemistry聽
CHEM180: Applied Biomolecular Evolution聽
Selected Research and Publications
Publications
(underline indicates undergraduates from Claremont Colleges, *indicates equal author contribution)
- S. J. Williams, J. A. Gewing-Mullins, W. K. Lieberman, B. Kolbaba-Kartchner, R. Iqbal, H. M. Burgess, C. M. Colee, M.Y. Ornelas, E. S. Reid-McLaughlin, J. H. Mills, J. A. Prescher*, and A. M. Leconte*聽(2023). Biochemical analysis leads to optimized of orthogonal bioluminescent tools, 颁丑别尘叠颈辞颁丑别尘,听24, e20220072.
- T. A. Christensen, K. Y. Lee, S. Z. P. Gottlieb, M. B. Carrier, and A. M. Leconte (2022). Mutant polymerases capable of 2鈥 fluoro-modified nucleic acid synthesis and amplification with improved accuracy, RSC Chemical Biology,聽3, 1044.
- A. S. Thompson, S. E. Barrett, A. G. Weiden, A. Venkatesh, M. K. C. Seto, S. Z. P. Gottlieb, and A. M. Leconte聽(2020).聽聽Accurate and efficient one-pot reverse transcription and amplification of 2鈥 fluoro-modified nucleic acids by commercial DNA polymerases, Biochemistry, 59, 2833.
- M. D. Liu*, E. A. Warner*, C. A. Morrissey, C. W. Fick, T. S. Wu, M. Y. Ornelas, G. V. Ochoa, B. Zhang, C. M. Rathbun, W. B. Porterfield, J. A. Prescher, and A. M. Leconte, (2018). Statistical Coupling Analysis-guided library design for discovery of mutant luciferases, Biochemistry, 57, 663.
- E. L. Lewis and A. M. Leconte, (2017).聽聽DNA polymerase activity assay using near-infrared fluorescent labeled DNA visualized by acrylamide gel electrophoresis, Journal of Visualized Experiments,听128, e56228.
- S. L. Rosenblum, A. G. Weiden, E. L. Lewis, A. L. Ogonowsky, H. E. Chia, S. E. Barrett, M. D. Liu, and A. M. Leconte, (2017) Design and discovery of new combinations of mutant DNA polymerases and modified DNA substrates, Chembiochem, 18, 816.聽
- H. J. Schultz, A. M. Gochi, H. E. Chia, A. L. Ogonowsky, S. Chiang, N. Filipovic, A. Weiden, E. E. Hadley, S. E. Gabriel, and A. M. Leconte, (2015) Taq DNA polymerase mutants and 2鈥 modified sugar recognition, Biochemistry, 54, 5999.
Awards and Honors
Cottrell Postbaccalaureate Research Award (Research Corporation for Science Advancement),聽鈥淢arcell Simon: Exploring the C-terminal domain of Firefly Luciferase鈥, Principal Investigator, $50,000 (2023-2024)
Cottrell Scholar Collaborative Project (Research Corporation for Science Advancement), 鈥淢oving the Dial: A Network for Systemic Change鈥, Co-Investigator, $25,000 (2020-2022)聽
R15 Award (National Institutes of Health), 鈥淗igh-throughput engineering and characterization of brighter luciferases鈥, Principal Investigator, $362,752 (2019-2023)
CAREER Award (National Science Foundation), 鈥淒evelopment of DNA polymerases capable of high fidelity modified DNA synthesis鈥, Principal Investigator, $400,000 (2018-2024)
Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions, 鈥淎pplying molecular evolution to solve chemical problems 鈥 funding to bring Prof. David R. Liu to the Claremont Colleges鈥, co-lead Principal Investigator, $18,500 (2017-2018)
Cottrell Scholar Award (Research Corporation for Science Advancement), 鈥淏iochemical characterization and engineering of luciferases through Statistical Coupling Analysis鈥, Principal Investigator, $100,000 (2016-2019)
Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation, 鈥Acquisition of a Fluorimeter for Undergraduate Instruction and Research鈥, co-Principal Investigator, $20,000 (2016)
Cottrell College Science Award (Research Corporation for Science Advancement), 鈥淏iochemical characterization and engineering of Taq DNA polymerase mutants for the synthesis of 2鈥檓odified DNA鈥, Principal Investigator, $50,200 (2014-2016)
TriLink ResearchRewards Grant (TriLink Biotechnologies), 鈥淒iscovery and Characterization of New Mutant DNA Polymerase - Modified Substrate Interactions鈥, Principal Investigator, $10,000 (2013-2015)
S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, 鈥淔unding for purchase of a biomolecular gel imager鈥, co-Principal Investigator, $50,000 (2011).聽