George M. Helmkamp, Jr., Professor

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

University of Kansas Medical Center
913.588.6958
ghelmkam@kumc.edu

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Education & Experience

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York (B.S., 1965)

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (Ph.D., 1970)

U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, San Antonio, Texas (Postdoctoral Research, 1970-1973)

Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands (Postdoctoral Fellow, 1973-1975)

University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas (1975- present)

University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Visiting Faculty, 1991-1992)

 

Major Research Interests

• Structural characterization and molecular biology of phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins
• Denaturation and refolding of native and mutant forms of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein
• Regulated expression of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein in cultured mammalian cells
• Isolation and characterization of bioactive lipids from renal cyst fluids

 

Representative Publications

Vordtreide, P.B., Doan, C.N., Tremblay, J.M., Helmkamp, G.M., Jr., and Yoder, M.D. (2005). Structure of PITPβ in complex with phosphatidylcholine: comparison of structure and lipid transfer to other PITP isoforms. Biochemistry 43, 14760-14771

Belibi, F.A., Reif, G., Wallace, D.P., Yamaguchi, T., Olsen, L., Li, H., Helmkamp, G.M., Jr., and Grantham, J.J. (2004). Cyclic AMP promotes growth and secretion in human polycystic kidney epithelial cells. Kidney Int. 66, 964-973

Miller, E.C., and Helmkamp, G.M., Jr. (2003). Exposure of phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins to sphingomyelin-cholesterol membranes suggests transient but productive interactions with raft-like, liquid-ordered domains. Biochemistry 42, 13250-13259

Schroeder, F., Zhou, M., Swaggerty, C.L., Atshaves, B.P., Petrescu, A.D., Storey, S.M., Martin, G.G., Huang, H., Helmkamp, G.M., and Ball, J.M. (2003). Sterol carrier protein-2 functions in phosphatidylinositol transfer and signaling. Biochemistry 42, 3189-3202

Li, H., Tremblay, J.M., Yarbrough, L.R., and Helmkamp, G.M., Jr. (2002). Both isoforms of mammalian phosphatidyl­inositol transfer protein are capable of binding and transporting sphingomyelin. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1580, 67-76

Tremblay, J.M., Li, H., Yarbrough, L.R., and Helmkamp, G.M., Jr. (2001). Modifications of cysteine residues in the solution and membrane-associated conformations of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein have differential effects on lipid transfer activity. Biochemistry 40, 9151-9158

Yoder, M.D., Thomas, L.M., Tremblay, J.M., Oliver, R.L., Yarbrough, L.R., and Helmkamp, G.M., Jr. (2001). Structure of a multifunctional protein: mammalian phosphatidylinositol transfer protein complexed with phosphatidylcholine. J. Biol. Chem. 276, 9246-9252

Tremblay, J.M., Voziyan, P.A., Helmkamp, G.M., Jr., and Yarbrough, L.R. (1998). The C-terminus of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein modulates membrane interactions and transfer activity but not phospholipid binding. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1389, 91-100

Voziyan, P.A., Tremblay, J.M., Yarbrough, L.R., and Helmkamp, G.M., Jr. (1997). The importance of phospholipid in the folding and conformation of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein: Comparison of apo- and holo-species. Biochemistry 36, 10082-10088

Voziyan, P.A., Tremblay, J.M., Yarbrough, L.R., and Helmkamp, G.M., Jr. (1996). Truncations of the C-terminus have different effects on the conformation and activity of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein. Biochemistry 35, 12526-12531

Tremblay, J.M., Helmkamp, G.M., Jr., and Yarbrough, L.R. (1996). Limited proteolysis of rat phosphatidylinositol transfer protein by trypsin cleaves the C-terminus, enhances binding to lipid vesicles, and reduces phospholipid transfer activity. J. Biol. Chem. 271, 21075-21080

Dickeson, S.K., Helmkamp, G.M., Jr., and Yarbrough, L.R. (1994). Sequence of a cDNA encoding human phosphatidylinositol transfer protein and occurrence of a related DNA sequence in widely divergent eukaryotes. Gene 142, 301-305

Borror, C.A., and Helmkamp, G.M., Jr. (1991). Transport of phosphatidylinositol to rat hepatocyte plasma membrane catalyzed by phosphatidylinositol transfer protein. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1068, 52-60

Khan, Z.U., and Helmkamp, G.M., Jr. (1990). Stimulation of cholinephosphotransferase activity by phosphatidylcholine transfer protein: regulation of membrane phospholipid synthesis by a cytosolic protein. J. Biol. Chem. 265, 700-705

Dickeson, S.K., Lim, C.N., Schuyler, G.T., Dalton, T.P., Helmkamp, G.M., Jr., and Yarbrough L.R. (1989). Isolation and sequence of cDNA clones encoding rat phosphatidylinositol transfer protein. J. Biol. Chem. 264, 16557-16564

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