Christopher James McKnight, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physiology and Biophysics
Direct Contact: cjmck@bu.edu
Publications Positions and Honors
My research focuses on the structural aspects of protein folding and the assembly of protein lipidcomplexes. A wide range of approaches is used including molecular biology, electron microscopy, X-Ray crystallography, circular dichroism, thermodynamic measurements and others. A key technology used is heteronuclear NMR. Our main focus is the structural characterization of apolipoprotein B and its role in the assembly and secretion of very low density lipoprotein, the precursor of low density lipoprotein (LDL, the “bad cholesterol”). Also of interest are the structure and folding “villin-type” headpiece domains and their interactions with actin and other regulatory proteins. The laboratory also applies its structural biology approach to collaborative projects.
I direct the Boston University School of Medicine Core Facility for Structural NMR.