and Production of Reagents to Facilitate Structural Studies

This work is dedicated to my dear friend, Chip Sommer, who has helped me in countless ways, all while making me smile. I also dedicate this to my parents, Floyd and Virginia Brown: my constant supporters and encouragers, and a great source of genes. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my mentor, Cynthia Peterson, for her guidance and support and for giving me the opportunity to work on the projects I found interesting. I thank my other committee members, Engin Serpersu and Nitin Jain, for their advice and contribution to my education. I am gratefully indebted to the support received from the University of Tennessee Center of Excellence in Structural Biology Fellowship. Vitronectin is a multifunctional glycoprotein involved in regulation of such processes as hemostasis, cell migration, immunity, and tumor metastasis. Many of its functions require interaction with various binding partners. One such partner, plasminogen activator inhibitor-type 1 (PAI-1), belongs to the serine protease inhibitor (serpin) superfamily of proteins. PAI-1 helps regulate hemostasis by affecting blood clo