Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Luis A. Marky, Ph.D.   
Professor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
College of Pharmacy
University of Nebraska Medical Center
986025 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-6025
402-559-4628 (Office)
402-559-7870/5384 (Lab)
402-559-9543 (Fax)
E-mail: lmarky@unmc.edu

Teaching Activities:
At the professional level, Dr. Marky lectures in Medicinal Chemistry I where he is the course coordinator, Medicinal Chemistry II, and one elective course "Therapeutic Applications of Proteins and Nucleic Acids".  At the graduate level, Dr. Markey is the course coordinator for Quantitative Pharmaceutical Analysis and Biophysical Chemistry. In addition, he lectures in Advanced Medicinal Chemistry, and Macromolecular Structure and Function. Dr. Marky is a former Fulbright Scholar (Peru-98).

Research Activities/Interests: 
The research interests of Dr. Marky are in the area of biophysical chemistry and focus on the molecular forces that control the conformational stability and flexibility of nucleic acids, including Okazaki fragments, hairpin loops, intramolecular triplexes, G-quadruplexes, C-quadruplexes, and three- & four-arm DNA junctions and their interaction with drugs. One objective is to improve the delivery of oligonucleotides into cells and drugs, by using natural and synthetic polymers, to block gene expression. His research group is also investigating the role of water on the conformational stability of biomolecules by examining sequence hydration effects in nucleic acids, drug-nucleic acid complexes, DNA covalent adducts, and protein-DNA interactions.

Recent Publications:

1. Marky L.A., Alessi K., Shikiya R., Li J.S., and Gold B. "Folding of Bent Oligodeoxynucleotides Duplexes: Energetics, Ion Binding and Hydration."ACS Book, N. Stellewagon and U. Mohantis Editors. 2004.
2. Li J.S., Shikiya R., Marky L.A., and Gold B. "Triple Helix Forming TRIPside Molecules that Target Mixed Purine/Pyrimidine DNA Sequences." Biochemistry, 43;1440-1448, (2004).
3. Mao X., Marky L.A., and Gmeiner W.H. "NMR Structure of the Thrombin-Binding DNA Aptamer Stabilized by SR²⁺." J. Biom. Struc. & Dyn. 22;1-9, (2004).
4. Moulaei T., Maehigashi T., Lountos G., Komeda S., Wadkins D., Stone M., Marky L., Li J-S., Gold B., and Williams L.D. "Structure of B-DNA with Cations Tethered in the Major Groove." Biochemistry, 44;7458-7468, (2005).
5. Li J-S., Chen F-X., Shikiya R., Marky L.A., and Gold B. "Molecular Recognition Via Triplex Formation of Mixed Purine/Pyrimidine DNA Sequences Using OligoTRIPS." J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127;12657-12665, (2005).
6. Shikiya R., Li J-S., Gold B., and Marky L.A. "Incorporation of Cationic Chains in the Dickerson-Drew Dodecamer: Correlation of Energetics, Structure, Ion and Water Binding." Biochemistry, 44;12582-12588, (2005).
7. Shikiya R., and Marky L.A., "Calorimetric Unfolding of Intramolecular Triplexes: Length Dependence and Incorporation of Single AT→TA Substitutions in the Duplex Domain." J. Phys. Chem. B. 109;18177-18183, (2005).
8. Kupke D.W., and Marky L.A."The Volume Property: Hydration in Biosystems." J. Biomed. Nanotech. 1;421-428, (2005).
9. Soto A.M., Rentzeperis D., Shikiya R., Alonso M., Marky L.A. "Substitutions of Deoxythymidine for Deoxyuridine in DNA Intramolecular Triplexes: Unfolding Energetics and Ligand Binding." Biochemistry, 45;3051-3059, (2006).
10. Olsen, C.M., Gmeiner W.H., Marky L.A. "Unfolding of G-Quadruplexes: Energetic, and Ion and Water Contributions of G-Quartet Stacking." J. Phys. Chem. B. (in press)

Return to Faculty List