Olga Gursky, PhD

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Our research focus is on protein folding, structure and stability. It includes the analysis of the energetic-structure-function relationship and folding pathways in proteins and peptides by circular dichroism spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, fluorescence, x-ray crystallography, and site-directed mutagenesis.

Our on-going NIH-funded work is aimed at understanding the energetic and structural basis for the conformational plasticity of apolipoproteins. These are protein constituents of lipoproteins that mediate lipid transport and metabolism and are central in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, stroke, and certain forms of amyloidosis. Apolipoproteins are distinct in their structural adaptability to various lipoprotein particles and to plasma. We try to understand in molecular detail the energetic and structural basis for this adaptability.

A major focus of our research is on the molecular mechanisms of lipoprotein stabilization and fusion. In 2002 we revealed that lipoprotein stability is determined by kinetic barriers. Similar barriers may modulate in-vivo lipoprotein transformations. Our goal is to obtain key molecular determinants for these energy barriers.

Publications

  • Published 6/24/2026

    Prokaeva T, Jayaraman S, Klimtchuk ES, Libbey C, Mendelson L, Spencer B, Chen H, Van Le NH, Sanchez A, Kelleher NL, Dasari S, McPhail ED, Pereira L, Avissar U, Cerda S, Wong S, Lavatelli F, Sanchorawala V, Gursky O. Structural Basis for the Pro-amyloidogenic Action and Ligand Binding of a Novel W72R Variant of Human Apolipoprotein A-I. J Mol Biol. 2026 Jun 24; 438(19):169916. PMID: 42341910.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/8/2026

    Peterle D, Yan NL, Klimtchuk ES, Wales TE, Gursky O, Kelly JW, Engen JR, Morgan GJ. Small molecule stabilization of diverse amyloidogenic immunoglobulin light chains revealed by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. bioRxiv. 2026 Jan 08. PMID: 41542593.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/17/2025

    Jayaraman S, Choi K, Pérez A, Miñambres I, Sánchez-Quesada JL, Gursky O. Binding of human low-density lipoproteins to type-I collagen is synergistic with the pro-atherogenic lipoprotein remodeling. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2026 Mar; 1872(3):168142. PMID: 41419069.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/11/2025

    Hicks CW, Prokaeva T, Spencer B, Jayaraman S, Huda N, Wong S, Chen H, Sanchorawala V, Lavatelli F, Gursky O. Cryo-EM of Cardiac AL-224L Amyloid Reveals Shared Structural Motifs and Mutation-induced Differences in ?6 Light Chain Fibrils. J Mol Biol. 2026 Feb 01; 438(3):169591. PMID: 41389958.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/1/2025

    Hicks CW, Prokaeva T, Spencer B, Jayaraman S, Huda N, Wong S, Chen H, Sanchorawala V, Lavatelli F, Gursky O. Cryo-EM of cardiac AL-224L amyloid reveals shared features in ?6 light chain fibril folds. bioRxiv. 2025 Jul 01. PMID: 40631131.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 108 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Member, Amyloidosis Center
    Boston University
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • Brandeis University, PhD
  • Moscow State University, MS

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