Christopher W. Akey, PhD
Title Professor
Institution Boston University School of Medicine
Department Physiology & Biophysics
Address 700 Albany St
Boston, MA 02118
Telephone (617) 638-4051
Email
Other Positions
Title Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
Institution Boston University School of Medicine
Department Graduate Medical Sciences, Division of
Research Expertise & Professional Interests
We are studying the structure and function of macromolecular machines and chaperones. In our work, we use biochemistry and molecular biology coupled with structural electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography and molecular modeling. This hybrid approach allows us to create snapshots of these large assemblies and thus, to infer function from form.
NIH RePORTER Grants
Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs
2013 Apoptosomes Structure and Procaspase Activation 5R01GM063834-10 4
2012 Apoptosomes Structure and Procaspase Activation 2R01GM063834-09A1 4
2012 The Structural Basis of Protein Biogenesis 5R01GM045377-19 5
2011 RIBOSOME SECY PROTEIN 5P41RR002250-26-5270 173
2011 The Structural Basis of Protein Biogenesis 5R01GM045377-18 5
2010 STRUCTURE OF RM-Q COMPLEX 5P41RR012408-14-6507 79
2010 Structural Biology of Apoptosomes and Related Signaling Complexes 5R01GM063834-08 4
2010 The Structural Basis of Protein Biogenesis 5R01GM045377-17 5
2009 Structural Biology of Apoptosomes and Related Signaling Complexes 3R01GM063834-07S1 4
2009 RIBOSOME SECY PROTEIN 5P41RR002250-24-7941 173
Showing the 10 most recent of 59 results. Show All Results

Publications
1. Yuan S, Akey CW. Apoptosome structure, assembly, and procaspase activation. Structure. 2013 Apr 2; 21(4):501-15.
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2. Yuan S, Topf M, Reubold TF, Eschenburg S, Akey CW. Changes in apaf-1 conformation that drive apoptosome assembly. Biochemistry. 2013 Apr 2; 52(13):2319-27.
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3. Platonova O, Akey IV, Head JF, Akey CW. Crystal structure and function of human nucleoplasmin (npm2): a histone chaperone in oocytes and embryos. Biochemistry. 2011 Sep 20; 50(37):8078-89.
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4. Yuan S, Yu X, Asara JM, Heuser JE, Ludtke SJ, Akey CW. The holo-apoptosome: activation of procaspase-9 and interactions with caspase-3. Structure. 2011 Aug 10; 19(8):1084-96.
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5. Yuan S, Yu X, Topf M, Dorstyn L, Kumar S, Ludtke SJ, Akey CW. Structure of the Drosophila apoptosome at 6.9 å resolution. Structure. 2011 Jan 12; 19(1):128-40.
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6. Akey CW. The NPC-transporter, a ghost in the machine. Structure. 2010 Oct 13; 18(10):1230-2.
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7. Yuan S, Yu X, Topf M, Ludtke SJ, Wang X, Akey CW. Structure of an apoptosome-procaspase-9 CARD complex. Structure. 2010 May 12; 18(5):571-83.
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8. Raychaudhury S, Farelli JD, Montminy TP, Matthews M, Ménétret JF, Duménil G, Roy CR, Head JF, Isberg RR, Akey CW. Structure and function of interacting IcmR-IcmQ domains from a type IVb secretion system in Legionella pneumophila. Structure. 2009 Apr 15; 17(4):590-601.
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9. Ménétret JF, Hegde RS, Aguiar M, Gygi SP, Park E, Rapoport TA, Akey CW. Single copies of Sec61 and TRAP associate with a nontranslating mammalian ribosome. Structure. 2008 Jul; 16(7):1126-37.
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10. Chandramouli P, Topf M, Ménétret JF, Eswar N, Cannone JJ, Gutell RR, Sali A, Akey CW. Structure of the mammalian 80S ribosome at 8.7 A resolution. Structure. 2008 Apr; 16(4):535-48.
  View in: PubMed
 
11. Ménétret JF, Schaletzky J, Clemons WM, Osborne AR, Skånland SS, Denison C, Gygi SP, Kirkpatrick DS, Park E, Ludtke SJ, Rapoport TA, Akey CW. Ribosome binding of a single copy of the SecY complex: implications for protein translocation. Mol Cell. 2007 Dec 28; 28(6):1083-92.
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12. Yu X, Wang L, Acehan D, Wang X, Akey CW. Three-dimensional structure of a double apoptosome formed by the Drosophila Apaf-1 related killer. J Mol Biol. 2006 Jan 20; 355(3):577-89.
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13. Yu X, Acehan D, Ménétret JF, Booth CR, Ludtke SJ, Riedl SJ, Shi Y, Wang X, Akey CW. A structure of the human apoptosome at 12.8 A resolution provides insights into this cell death platform. Structure. 2005 Nov; 13(11):1725-35.
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14. Ménétret JF, Hegde RS, Heinrich SU, Chandramouli P, Ludtke SJ, Rapoport TA, Akey CW. Architecture of the ribosome-channel complex derived from native membranes. J Mol Biol. 2005 Apr 29; 348(2):445-57.
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15. Namboodiri VM, Akey IV, Schmidt-Zachmann MS, Head JF, Akey CW. The structure and function of Xenopus NO38-core, a histone chaperone in the nucleolus. Structure. 2004 Dec; 12(12):2149-60.
  View in: PubMed
 
16. Namboodiri VM, Schmidt-Zachmann MS, Head JF, Akey CW. Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the N-terminal domain of NO38, a nucleolar protein from Xenopus laevis. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2004 Dec; 60(Pt 12 Pt 2):2325-7.
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17. Clemons WM, Ménétret JF, Akey CW, Rapoport TA. Structural insight into the protein translocation channel. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2004 Aug; 14(4):390-6.
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18. Namboodiri VM, Dutta S, Akey IV, Head JF, Akey CW. The crystal structure of Drosophila NLP-core provides insight into pentamer formation and histone binding. Structure. 2003 Feb; 11(2):175-86.
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19. Akey CW, Luger K. Histone chaperones and nucleosome assembly. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2003 Feb; 13(1):6-14.
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20. Morgan DG, Ménétret JF, Neuhof A, Rapoport TA, Akey CW. Structure of the mammalian ribosome-channel complex at 17A resolution. J Mol Biol. 2002 Dec 6; 324(4):871-86.
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21. Acehan D, Jiang X, Morgan DG, Heuser JE, Wang X, Akey CW. Three-dimensional structure of the apoptosome: implications for assembly, procaspase-9 binding, and activation. Mol Cell. 2002 Feb; 9(2):423-32.
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22. Dutta S, Akey IV, Dingwall C, Hartman KL, Laue T, Nolte RT, Head JF, Akey CW. The crystal structure of nucleoplasmin-core: implications for histone binding and nucleosome assembly. Mol Cell. 2001 Oct; 8(4):841-53.
  View in: PubMed
 
23. Menetret JF, Neuhof A, Morgan DG, Plath K, Radermacher M, Rapoport TA, Akey CW. The structure of ribosome-channel complexes engaged in protein translocation. Mol Cell. 2000 Nov; 6(5):1219-32.
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24. Morgan DG, Ménétret JF, Radermacher M, Neuhof A, Akey IV, Rapoport TA, Akey CW. A comparison of the yeast and rabbit 80 S ribosome reveals the topology of the nascent chain exit tunnel, inter-subunit bridges and mammalian rRNA expansion segments. J Mol Biol. 2000 Aug 11; 301(2):301-21.
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25. Meyer TH, Ménétret JF, Breitling R, Miller KR, Akey CW, Rapoport TA. The bacterial SecY/E translocation complex forms channel-like structures similar to those of the eukaryotic Sec61p complex. J Mol Biol. 1999 Jan 29; 285(4):1789-800.
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26. Kiseleva E, Goldberg MW, Allen TD, Akey CW. Active nuclear pore complexes in Chironomus: visualization of transporter configurations related to mRNP export. J Cell Sci. 1998 Jan; 111 ( Pt 2):223-36.
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27. Yang Q, Rout MP, Akey CW. Three-dimensional architecture of the isolated yeast nuclear pore complex: functional and evolutionary implications. Mol Cell. 1998 Jan; 1(2):223-34.
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28. Bullitt E, Rout MP, Kilmartin JV, Akey CW. The yeast spindle pole body is assembled around a central crystal of Spc42p. Cell. 1997 Jun 27; 89(7):1077-86.
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29. Hanein D, Matlack KE, Jungnickel B, Plath K, Kalies KU, Miller KR, Rapoport TA, Akey CW. Oligomeric rings of the Sec61p complex induced by ligands required for protein translocation. Cell. 1996 Nov 15; 87(4):721-32.
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30. Akey CW. Structural plasticity of the nuclear pore complex. J Mol Biol. 1995 Apr 28; 248(2):273-93.
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31. Akey CW, Radermacher M. Architecture of the Xenopus nuclear pore complex revealed by three-dimensional cryo-electron microscopy. J Cell Biol. 1993 Jul; 122(1):1-19.
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32. Akey CW. Probing the structure and function of the nuclear pore complex. Semin Cell Biol. 1991 Jun; 2(3):167-77.
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33. Akey CW. Visualization of transport-related configurations of the nuclear pore transporter. Biophys J. 1990 Aug; 58(2):341-55.
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34. Akey CW, Goldfarb DS. Protein import through the nuclear pore complex is a multistep process. J Cell Biol. 1989 Sep; 109(3):971-82.
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35. Akey CW. Interactions and structure of the nuclear pore complex revealed by cryo-electron microscopy. J Cell Biol. 1989 Sep; 109(3):955-70.
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36. Akey CW, Edelstein SJ. The innermost chorionic layer of Drosophila. I. The role of chorin octamers in the formation of a family of interdigitating crystalline plates. J Mol Biol. 1987 Feb 20; 193(4):673-83.
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37. Akey CW, Crepeau RH, Edelstein SJ. The innermost chorionic layer of Drosophila. II. Three-dimensional structure determination of the 90 degrees crystal form by electron microscopy. J Mol Biol. 1987 Feb 20; 193(4):685-92.
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38. Akey CW, Dunn SD, Spitsberg V, Edelstein SJ. Electron microscopy of single molecules and crystals of F1-ATPases. Methods Enzymol. 1986; 126:434-46.
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39. Akey CW, Szalay M, Edelstein SJ. Trigonal catalase crystals: a new molecular packing assignment obtained from sections preserved with tannic acid. Ultramicroscopy. 1984; 13(1-2):103-11.
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40. Akey CW, Spitsberg V, Edelstein SJ. Electron microscopy of beef heart F1-ATPase crystals. J Biol Chem. 1983 Mar 10; 258(5):3222-9.
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41. Akey CW, Edelstein SJ. Equivalence of the projected structure of thin catalase crystals preserved for electron microscopy by negative stain, glucose or embedding in the presence of tannic acid. J Mol Biol. 1983 Feb 5; 163(4):575-612.
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42. Akey CW, Crepeau RH, Dunn SD, McCarty RE, Edelstein SJ. Electron microscopy and single molecule averaging of subunit-deficient F1-ATPases from Escherichia coli and spinach chloroplasts. EMBO J. 1983; 2(8):1409-15.
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43. Akey CW, Moffat K, Wharton DC, Edelstein SJ. Characterization of crystals of a cytochrome oxidase (nitrite reductase) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa by x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. J Mol Biol. 1980 Jan 5; 136(1):19-43.
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44. Lykins LF, Akey CW, Christian EG, Duval GE, Topham RW. Dissociation and reconstitution of human ferroxidase II. Biochemistry. 1977 Feb 22; 16(4):693-8.
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Keyword
Last Name
Institution
Division
    
 
 
 
Keywords   
Ribosomes
Models, Molecular
Membrane Proteins
Nuclear Envelope
Histones
See all (184) keywords
Co-Authors  
Bullitt, Esther
Head, James
Yang, Qiong
Yuan, Shujun
See all (4) people