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Alexander McPherson
560 SH
Mail Code: 3900
Irvine, CA 92697
PHONE:
(949) 824-1931
FAX:
(949) 824-1954
E-MAIL:
amcphers@uci.edu
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Alexander McPherson |
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Professor, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry School of Biological Sciences |
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B.S., Duke University PH.D., Purdue University |
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Research Interests
Research on macromolecular crystal growth; X-ray and diffraction analysis of protein, nucleic acid and virus crystals; Atomic Force Microscopy studies of biological structures
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Faculty/lab web: http://phase.bio.uci.edu/mcpweb/ |
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Graduate Programs: Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics Biotechnology |
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Abstract Research is divided among a number of areas focused ultimately on the determination and description of biological structure, principally at the molecular level, but extending to the organelle and cellular as well. The primary techniques employed are X-ray crystallography, atomic force microscopy, quasi elastic light scatting and optical interferometry. In support of the application of these biophysical methods we employ a wide range of conventional biochemical, as well as molecular biological techniques. Of chief interest in terms of molecular structure are intact immunoglobulins, whose dynamics we hope to reveal through a series of static, X-ray derived images, and small spherical viruses for which we are attempting to define the molecular structures and mechanisms involved in assembly. To promote our research in structure determination, a major interest is in the growth of macromolecular crystals. Using AFM and QELS we are attempting to elucidate the phase transition phenomenon leading to nucleation, and the mechanisms, kinetic factors, and thermodynamic parameters fundamental to the crystal growth process. Among the diverse approaches utilized, is crystallization of macromolecules in microgravity, including missions aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. These experiments allow us, in many instances, to improve the quality of crystals used in our analyses and hence, the precision of the molecular structures derived form those crystals. Most recently we have undertaken investigations of living cells, animal viruses, and virus infected cells using AFM. These have included herpes simplex virus, and several retroviruses including mouse leukemic virus and human immunodeficiency virus. |
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Other Experience |
| Updated: Last Updated: 10/14/2004 |
McPherson, A., Cudney, R. and Patel, S. (2003) The crystallization of proteins, nucleic acids, and viruses for X-ray diffraction analysis. S. R. Fahnestock and A. Steinbuchel, eds. Biopolymers, Vol. 8, Chapter 16, 427-468.
Malkin, A. J., McPherson, A. and Gershon, P. D. (2003) Structure of intracellular mature vaccinia virus visualized by in situ atomic force microscopy. J. of Virology 77,(11) 6332-6340.
McPherson, A. (2003) Macromolecular crystallization in the structural genomics era. J. Struc. Biol. 142, 1-2.
McPherson, A., Kuznetsov, Yu. G., Malkin, A. J. and Plomp, M. (2003) Macromolecular crystal growth as revealed by atomic force microscopy. J. Struc. Biol. 142, 32-46.
Larson, S. B., Day, J., Barba de la Rosa, A. P., Keen, N. T., and McPherson, A. (2003) The First Crystallographic Structure of a Xylanase from Glycoside Hydrolase Family 5: Implications for Catalysis. Biochemistry 42, 8411-8422.
Barba-de la Rosa, A. P., Ng, J., Day, J. and McPherson, A. (2003) Structural characterization of satellite tobacco mosaic virus RNA. Agrocienda 37, 503-510.
Kuznetsov, Yu. G., Victoria, J. G., Robinson, W. E. Jr. and McPherson, A. (2003) Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging of Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) and HIV Infected Lymphocytes. J. of Virology. 77(22) 11896-11909.
McPherson, A., Kuznetsov, Yu. G., Malkin, A. J. and Plomp, M. (2004) Macromolecular crystal growth investigations using atomic force microscopy. J. of Synchrotron Radiation 11, 21-23.
Malkin, A. J. and McPherson, A. Probing of crystal interfaces and the structures, dynamic properties of large macromolecular ensembles with in situ atomic force microscopy, in From Solid-fluid Interface to Nanostructure Engineering (eds. X.Y. Liu and J. J. DeYoreo) Plenum/Kluwer, N. Y. Vol II, pgs 201-238. Assembly in Hybrid and Biological Systems (2004).
McPherson, A., Day, J. and Harris, L. J. (2004) Crystals of the beta subunit of bovine luteinizing hormone and indicators for the involvement of proteolysis in protein crystallization. Acta Cryst. D60, 872-877.
McPherson, A. (2004)Protein crystallization in the structural genomics era. J. Structural and Functional Genomics. 5, (1-2) 3-12.
Kuznetsov, Y. G., Low, A., Fan, H. Y. and McPherson, A. (2004). Atomic force microscopy investigation of wild type Moloney murine leukemia virus particles and virus particles lacking the envelope protein. Virology 323, 189-196.
Malkin, A. J., Plomp, M. and McPherson, A. (2004) Unraveling the Architecture of Viruses by High-Resolution Atomic Force Microscopy in, Virus Structure and Imaging, DNA Viruses, Methods and Protocols, (ed P.M. Lieberman) Humana Press, Totowa, New Jersey, pgs 85-108.
McPherson, A. Preface. Methods: A Companion to Methods in Enzymology 34, 251- 253 (2004).
McPherson, A. Introduction to Protein Crystallography. Methods: A Companion to Methods in Enzymology 34, 254-265 (2004).
Lucas, R. W., Kuznetsov, Yu. G., Larson, S. B. and McPherson, A. Crystallization of Brome Mosaic Virus (BMV) and T=1 Brome Mosaic Virus Particles following a structural transition. Virology 286, 290-303 (2001).
Day, J., Kuznetsov, Yu. G., Larson, S. B., Greenwood, A. and McPherson, A. Biophysical studies on the RNA cores of satellite tobacco mosaic virus. Biophys. J. 80, 2364-2371 (2001).
Kuznetsov, Yu. G., Malkin, A. J., Lucas, R. W., Plomp, M. and McPherson, A. Imaging of viruses by atomic force microscopy. J. General Virology 82, 2025-2034 (2001).
Larson, S. B. and McPherson, A. Satellite tobacco mosaic virus RNA: structure and implications for assembly. Current Opinion in Structural Biology 11, 59-65(2001).
Kuznetsov, Yu. G., Day, J., Newman, R. and McPherson, A. Chimeric human-simian anti-CD4 antibodies from crystalline high symmetry particles. J. Struc. Biol. 131, 108-115 (2000).
Larson, S. B., Day, J., Canady, M. A., Greenwood, A. and McPherson, A. Refined structure of desmodium yellow mottle tymovirus at 2.7 Å resolution. J. Mol. Biol. 301, 625-642 (2000).
McPherson A. Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 586 pgs. (1998).
