EDUCATION

Albany Medical College, 5/95, Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Ph.D.
Albany Medical College, 7/91, Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, M.S.
Rutgers College, 5/88 Biology, Microbiology B.A.

POST-GRADUATE

Univ. of Medicine & Dentistry-Robert W. Johnson Medical School, November 2000-present
Merck & Co, Inc., April 1995-October 2000, Department of Metabolic Disorders
Teaching Assistant, Microbiology Lab, Albany Medical College, 1989-1993
Teaching Assistant, Microbiology Lab, Union Pharmacy College, 1993

ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL HONORS

Honorable Mention for Excellence in Research, 1993, 1994
Albany Medical College, Albany, New York
Research Fellowship, 1988-1996
Albany Medical College, Albany, New York

PUBLICATIONS

Li, S., P. Liquari, K.K. McKee, D. Harrison, R. Patel, S. Lee, and P.D. Yurchenco. 2005. Laminin-sulfatide binding initiates basement membrane assembly and enables receptor signal-ing in Schwann cells and fibroblasts. J Cell Biol. 169:179-89.

Smirnov, S.P., P. Barzaghi, K.K. McKee, M.A. Ruegg, and P.D. Yurchenco. 2005. Conjugation of LG domains of agrins and perlecan to polymerizing laminin-2 promotes acetylcholine receptor clustering. J Biol Chem. 280:41449-57.

Palucki, BL, Feighner, SD, Pong, S, McKee, KK, Hreniuk, DL, Tan, C, Howard, AD, Van er Ploeg, LH, Patchett, AA, Nargund, RP, 2001, Spiro(indolin-3-4'-piperidine) growth hormone secretagogues as ghrelin mimetics, Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 11(14): 1955-1957

Smith, RG, Leonard, R, Bailey, AR, Palyha, O, Feighner, S, Tan, C, McKee, KK, Pong, SS, Griffin, P, Howard, A, 2001, Growth hormone secretagogue receptor family members and ligands, Endocrine, (1): 9-14

Bednarek, MA, Feighner, SD, Pong, SS, McKee, KK, Hreniuk, DL, Silva, MV, Warren, VA, Howard, AD, Van der Ploeg, LH, Heck, JV, 2000, Structure-function studies on the new growth hormone-releasing peptide, ghrelin: minimal sequence of ghrelin necessary for activation of growth hormone secretagogue 1a., J Medicinal Chemistry 43(23): 4370-4376

Palyha, OC, Feighner, SD, Tan, CP, Kulju McKee, K, Hreniuk, DL, Gao, Y-D, Schleim, KS, Yang, L, Morriello GJ, Nargund, R, Patchett, AA, Howard, AD, and Smith, RG, 2000, Ligand Activation Domain of Human Orphan Growth Hormone (GH) Secretagogue Receptor (GHS-R) Conserved from Pufferfish to Humans, Molecular Endocrinology 14(1): 160-169

Howard, AD, Wang, R, Pong, S.-S., Mellin, TN, Strack, A, Guan, X-M, Zeng, Z, Williams, DL, Feighner, SD, Nunes, CN, Murphy, B, Stair, JN, Yu, H, Jiang, Q, Clements, Tan, CP, Kulju McKee, K, Hreniuk, DL, McDonald, TP, Lynch, KR, Evans, JF, Austin, CP, Caskey, CT, Van der Ploeg, LHT, and Liu, QA, 2000, Identification of receptors for neuromedin U and its role in feeding, Nature 406: 70-74

Smith, RG, Palyha, OC, Feighner, SD, Tan, CP, Kulju McKee, K, Hreniuk, DL, Yang, L, Morriello, G, Nargund, R, Patchett, AA and Howard, AD, 1999, Growth hormone releasing substances: types and their receptors, Hormone Research, 51 (suppl 3): 1-8

Howard, AD, Pong, S.-S., Kulju McKee, K, Palyha, OC, Hreniuk, DL, Tan, CP, Nargund, R, Patchett, AA, Van der Ploeg, LHT, Smith, RG and Feighner, SD, 1999, Molecular Analysis of the Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor, In: Ghigo, E, Boghen, M, Casanueva, FF and Dieguez,C (ed), Growth Hormone Secretagogues, Elsevier Science Press, Ch. 5, 35-51

Tan, CP, Kulju McKee, K, Weinberg, DA, MacNeil, T, Palyha, OC, Feighner, SD, Hreniuk, DL, Van der Ploeg, LHT, MacNeil, DJ and Howard, AD, 1999, Molecular Analysis of a New Splice Variant of the Human Melanocortin-1 Receptor, FEBS Letters 451: 137-141

Feighner, SD, Tan, CP, Kulju McKee, K, Palyha, OC, Hreniuk, DL, Pong, S.-S., Austin, CP, Figueroa, D, MacNeil, D, Cascieri, MA, Nargund, R, Bakshi, R, Abramovitz, M, Stocco, R, Kargman, S, O'Neill, G, Van der Ploeg, LHT, Evans, J, Patchett, AA, Smith, RG, and Howard, AD, 1999, Receptor for motilin identified in the human gastrointestinal system, Science 284: 2184-2188

Kulju McKee, K, Howard, AD, Feighner, SD, Pong, S.-S., Smith, RG, 1998, GH releasing substances-basic aspects. In: Anders, J and Jorgensen, JOL (ed) Growth Hormone in Adults, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, Ch. 20, 441-461

Tan, C, Kulju McKee, K, Liu, J, Palyha, OC, Feighner, SD, Hreniuk, DL, Smith, RG, and Howard, AD, 1998, Cloning and characterization of a human and murine T-cell orphan G protein-coupled receptor similar to the growth hormone secretagogue and neurotensin receptors, Genomics 52: 223-229

Kulju McKee, K, Tan, C, Palyha, O, Liu, J, Feighner, SD, Hreniuk, DL,. Smith, RG, Howard, AD, and Van der Ploeg, LHT, 1997, Cloning and characterization of two G protein-coupled receptor genes (GPR38 and GPR39) related to the growth hormone secretagogue and neurotensin receptors, Genomics, 46: 426-434

Feighner, SD, Howard, AD, Prendergast, K, Palyha, OC, Hreniuk, DL, Nargund, R, Underwood, D, Tata, JR, Dean, DC, Tan, C, Kulju McKee, K, Woods, JW, Patchett, AA, Smith, RG, and Van der Ploeg, LHT, 1998, Structural Requirements for the Activation of the Human Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor by Peptide and Non-Peptide Secretagogues, Molecular Endocrinology, 12(1): 137-145

Howard, AD, Tan, C, Shiao, L-L, Palyha, OC, Kulju McKee, K, Weinberg, DH, Feighner, SD, Cascieri, MA, Smith, RG, Van der Ploeg, LHT, and Sullivan, KA, 1997 Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a New Receptor for Galanin, FEBS Letters, 405: 285-290

Kulju McKee, K, Palyha, OC, Feighner, SD, Hreniuk, DL, Tan, C, Phillips, M, Smith, RG, Van der Ploeg, LHT, and Howard, AD, 1997, Molecular analysis of rat pituitary and hypothalamic growth hormone secretagogue receptors. Molecular Endocrinology, 11(4): 415-423

Guan, X-M, Yu, H, Palyha, OC, Kulju McKee, K, Feighner, SD, Sirinathsinghji, DJS, Smith, RG, Van der Ploeg, LHT, and Howard, AD, 1997, Distribution of mRNA Encoding the Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor in Brain and Peripheral Tissues, Molecular Brain Research, 48: 23-29.

Howard, AD, Feighner, SD, Cully, DF, Arena, JP, Liberator, PA, Rosenblum, CI, Hamelin, M, Hreniuk, DL, Palyha, OC, Anderson, J, Paress, PS, Diaz, C, Chou, M, Liu, KK, Kulju McKee, K, Pong, S.-S., Chaung, L-Y, Elbrecht, A, Dashkevicz, M, Heavens, R, Rigby, M, Sirinathsinghji, DJS, Dean, DC, Melillo, DG, Patchett, AA, Nargund, R, Griffin, PR, DeMartino, JA, Gupta, SK, Schaeffer, JM, Smith, RG, and Van der Ploeg, LHT, 1996, A Receptor in Pituitary and Hypothalamus that Functions in Growth Hormone Release, Science, 273: 974-977

Kulju, KS and Lehman, JM, 1995, Increased p53 Protein Associated with Aging in Human Diploid Fibroblasts, Experimental Cell Research, 217: 336-345.

McKee, K.K., Harrison, D., Capizzi, S. and Yurchenco, P.D. 2007. Contributions of the LN and nidogen-binding domains of laminin-111 to self-assembly and basement membrane formation. J. Biol. Chem.,282: 21437-21447.

McKee, K.K., Capizzi, S., and Yurchenco, P.D. 2009. Scaffold-forming and adhesive contributions of synthetic laminin-binding proteins to basement membrane assembly. J. Biol. Chem.284: 8984 - 8994.

Yang, DH., McKee KK, Chen Z-L., Mernaugh G, Strickland S., Zent R. and Yurchenco P.D., 2011. “Renal Collecting System Growth and Function Depend Upon Embryonic g1-Laminin Expression”. Development. 138: 4535-44.

McKee, KK, Yang, DH, Patel, R., Chen, Z-L., Strickland, S., Takagi, J., Sekiguchi, K., and Yurchenco, P.D. 2012. “Schwann cell myelination requires integration of laminin activities”. J. Cell Sci. In Press.

 

 

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