Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Yuri Lyubchenko, Ph.D., Dr.Sc.    
Professor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
College of Pharmacy
University of Nebraska Medical Center
986025 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-6025
402-559-1971 (Office)
402-559-1973 (Lab)
402-559-9543 (Fax)
E-mail: ylyubchenko@unmc.edu

Teaching Activities: 
In the graduate program, Dr. Lyubchenko teaches in the Biophysical Chemistry and Quantitative Pharmaceutical Analysis courses.  He is also developing a new course on Nanoimaging Approaches in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicine. 

Research Activities/Interests: 
Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics – Seeing the dynamics at nanoscale
Dr. Lyubchenko’s research plans fall generally in three large areas:
Genomics - DNA Structure, Dynamics and Function;
Proteomics - Protein Misfolding and Protein Nanotubes;
Nanomedicine – Nanotechnology for Development of Novel Therapeutics.

The main objective of research projects in the Genomics area is to unravel the role of the DNA dynamics at different levels as key mechanisms for various DNA functions including gene regulation, DNA recombination and the mismatch repair. The study of molecular mechanism of the protein misfolding phenomenon is the major goal of the Proteomics program. A fundamental understanding of the different factors leading to misfolding and self-aggregation of the various proteins involved in neurological diseases will provide critical information to identify better therapeutic means to treat various pathologies. Development of novel nanotechnology approaches to repair defective machines or to replace them with artificial nanosystems is an ultimate goal of the research under the Nanomedicine program.

HJ parallel-dissoc

S1B - dynamics of the cruciform in t3 supercoiled DNA sample

S2B - dynamics of the cruciform in t7 supercoiled DNA sample

Director of Nanoimaging Core facility.

For more information, please visit the Nanoimaging Core Facility website.

Selected Publications:

1. Lyubchenko, Y. L. & Shlyakhtenko, L. S. Visualization of supercoiled DNA with atomic force microscopy in situ. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 94, 496-501. (1997)
2. Shlyakhtenko, L. S., Potaman, V. N., Sinden, R. R. & Lyubchenko, Y. L. Structure and dynamics of supercoil-stabilized DNA cruciforms. J Mol Biol 280, 61-72. (1998)
3. Engel, A., Lyubchenko, Y. & Muller, D. Atomic force microscopy: a powerful tool to observe biomolecules at work. Trends Cell Biol 9, 77-80. (1999)
4. Shlyakhtenko, L. S., Hsieh, P., Grigoriev, M., Potaman, V. N., Sinden, R. R. & Lyubchenko, Y. L. A cruciform structural transition provides a molecular switch for chromosome structure and dynamics. J Mol Biol 296, 1169-73. (2000)
5. Lushnikov, A. Y., Bogdanov, A. & Lyubchenko, Y. L. DNA recombination: holliday junctions dynamics and branch migration. J Biol Chem 278, 43130-4. (2003)
6. Lyubchenko, Y. L. DNA structure and dynamics: an atomic force microscopy study. Cell Biochem Biophys 41, 75-98. (2004)
7. Dahlgren, P. R., Karymov, M. A., Bankston, J., Holden, T., Thumfort, P., Ingram, V. M. & Lyubchenko, Y. L. Atomic force microscopy analysis of the Huntington protein nanofibril formation. Dis Mon 51, 374-85. (2005)
8. Kransnoslobodtsev, A. V., Shlyakhtenko, L. S., Ukraintsev, E., Zaikova, T. O., Keana, J. F. & Lyubchenko, Y. L. Nanomedicine and Protein Misfolding Diseases. Nanomedicine 1, 300-305. (2005)
9. McAllister, C., Karymov, M. A., Kawano, Y., Lushnikov, A. Y., Mikheikin, A., Uversky, V. N. & Lyubchenko, Y. L. Protein Interactions and Misfolding Analyzed by AFM Force Spectroscopy. J Mol Biol 354, 1028-42. (2005)
10. Lushnikov, A. Y., Potaman, V. N., Oussatcheva, E. A., Sinden, R. R. & Lyubchenko, Y. L. DNA Strand Arrangement within the SfiI-DNA Complex: Atomic Force Microscopy Analysis. Biochemistry 45, 152-158. (2006)

For a complete list of Dr. Lyubchenko's references, please click here.

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