EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Ph.D., University of Illinois Microbiology, Immunology

Fellowship, University of Chicago, Department of Medicine, Biochemistry

Fellowship, University of Southern California, Department of Microbiology, Immunochemistry

OFFICE ADDRESS

Northwest Lipid Metabolism and Diabetes Research Laboratories
401 Queen Anne Avenue North
UW Mailbox 357333
Seattle, WA 98109


CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS

Elucidation of the role of proteins of lipid transport in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism.  The role of lipid transport proteins in pathophysiology of the central nervous system disorders.  Pathophysiology of lipid transport in subjects with genetic hyperlipidemia and premature vascular disease.


REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

Brown BG, Zhao XQ, Chait A, Fisher LD, Cheung MC, Morse JS, Dowdy AA, Marino EK, Bolson EL, Alaupovic P, Frohlich J, Albers JJ:  Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease.  N Engl J Med 345(22):1583-92, 2001.  Summary for patients in: Curr Cardiol Rep 4(6):486, 2002.

Murdoch SJ, Wolfbauer G, Kennedy H, Marcovina SM, Carr MC, Albers JJ:  Differences in reactivity of antibodies to active versus inactive PLTP significantly impacts PLTP measurement.  J Lipid Res 43(2):281-9, 2002.

Cheung MC, Knopp RH, Retzlaff B, Kennedy H, Wolfbauer G, Albers JJ:  Association of plasma phospholipid transfer protein activity with IDL and buoyant LDL: impact of gender and adiposity.  Biochim Biophys Acta 1587(1):53-9, 2002.

Murdoch SJ, Carr MC, Kennedy H, Brunzell JD, Albers JJ:  Selective and independent associations of phospholipid transfer protein and hepatic lipase with the LDL subfraction distribution.  J Lipid Res 43(8):1256-63, 2002.

Vuletic S, Jin LW, Marcovina SM, Peskind ER, Moller T, Albers JJ:  Widespread distribution of PLTP in human CNS: evidence for PLTP synthesis by glia and neurons, and increased levels in Alzheimer's disease.  J Lipid Res 44(6):1113-23, 2003.

O'Brien KD, Vuletic S, McDonald TO, Wolfbauer G, Lewis K, Tu AY, Marcovina S, Wight TN, Chait A, Albers JJ:  Cell-associated and extracellular phospholipid transfer protein in human coronary atherosclerosis.  Circulation 108(3):270-4, 2003.

Oram JF, Wolfbauer G, Vaughan AM, Tang C, Albers JJ:  Phospholipid transfer protein interacts with and stabilizes ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 and enhances cholesterol efflux from cells.  J Biol Chem 278(52):52379-85, 2003.

Albers JJ, Cheung MC:  Emerging roles for phospholipid transfer protein in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism.  Curr Opin Lipidol 15(3):255-60, 2004.  Review

Tu AY, Cheung MC, Zhu X, Knopp RH, Albers JJ:  Low-density lipoprotein inhibits secretion of phospholipid transfer protein in human trophoblastic BeWo cells.  Exp Biol Med 229(10):1046-52, 2004.

Vuletic S, Peskind ER, Marcovina SM, Quinn JF, Cheung MC, Kennedy H, Kaye JA, Jin LW, Albers JJ:  Reduced CSF PLTP activity in Alzheimer's disease and other neurologic diseases; PLTP induces ApoE secretion in primary human astrocytes in vitro.  J Neurosci Res 80(3):406-13, 2005.

Cheung MC, Brown BG, Marino Larsen EK, Frutkin AD, O'Brien KD, Albers JJ:  Phospholipid transfer protein activity is associated with inflammatory markers in patients with cardiovascular disease.  Biochim Biophys Acta 1762(1):131-7, 2006.

Cheung MC, Albers JJ:  Active plasma phospholipid transfer protein is associated with apoA-I- but not apoE-containing lipoproteins.  J Lipid Res 47(6):1315-21, 2006.

Vuletic S, Riekse RG, Marcovina SM, Peskind ER, Hazzard WR, Albers JJ:  Statins of different brain penetrability differentially affect CSF PLTP activity.  Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 22(5-6):392-8, 2006.

Albers JJ, Koschinsky ML, Marcovina SM:  Evidence mounts for a role of the kidney in lipoprotein(a) catabolism.  Kidney Int 71:961-962, 2007.