Contact
Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry - Biochemistry Dept
- mlemieux@ualberta.ca
- Phone
- (780) 492-3586
- Address
-
4-53 A Medical Sciences Building
8613 - 114 St NWEdmonton ABT6G 2H7
Overview
Area of Study / Keywords
Membrane protein structure enzymology SAXS NMR protein structure
About
Joanne completed a B.Sc. in Biochemistry with Dr. Catherine Mezei at Dalhousie University (1986-1991) where she worked on membrane proteins in the myelinating peripheral nerve. This was followed by an M.Sc. with Dr Carl Breckenridge in Biochemistry/Neuroscience at Dalhousie (1992-1994) where she studied lipoproteins and lipid biosynthesis in the myelinating nerve. After working as a technician with Dr. Da Neng Wang at New York University School of Medicine, she completed a Ph.D. in the Cell Biology/Structural Biology, Biomedical Sciences program. During this time, she solved one of the first X-ray crystal structures of a gradient driven transporter, GlpT (Science, 2003). Joanne completed a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Michael James at the University of Alberta where she solved the structure of the rhomboid peptidase hiGlpG (PNAS, 2007). In December 2007, Joanne started her own research group. She is presently a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, and as of January 2018 Director of the Membrane Protein Disease Research Group
Research
Dr. Lemieux runs a multidisciplinary research program focused on membrane protease structure and function. She is internationally recognized as a leader in membrane protein crystallography having solved two distinct membrane protein crystal structures (Science 2003; Proceedings National Academy of Science, 2007).
She is an emerging leader in in the rhomboid protease field and has developed in vitro assays to determine catalytic parameters of these specialized enzymes including rhomboid proteases (GlpG) and lipid modifying enzymes (DGAT1). With their roles in human health and disease, these studies will have direct outcomes to human health and in particular related to our understanding of the role of these enzymes in human disease.
Teaching
Biochemistry 420/520: Protein structure and function
Biochemistry 626: Protein structure and enzymology seminar series
Biochemistry 660: Professional Development Career Skills for Graduate studies
Courses
BIOCH 420 - Proteins: Structure, Function, and Regulation
Principles of protein structure, function, and dynamics, with an introduction to force fields used in modern molecular dynamics. Focus topics include an introduction to intrinsically disordered proteins and their role in misfolding diseases, the structural biology, ligand binding, and mechanisms of membrane bound enzymes, and mechanisms underlying the regulation of protein function and enzymes involved in cell signaling. Prerequisites: BIOCH 320, with a minimum grade of B- or consent of Department. This course is intended for students in Honors or Specialization in Biochemistry. Students in other programs may be admitted subject to availability and with the consent of the Department. Graduate students may not register for credit (see BIOCH 520).
BIOCH 520 - Protein Chemistry, Structure, and Function
Principles of protein structure, function, and dynamics, with an introduction to force fields used in modern molecular dynamics. Focus topics include an introduction to intrinsically disordered proteins and their role in misfolding diseases, the structural biology, ligand binding, and mechanisms of membrane bound enzymes, and mechanisms underlying the regulation of protein function and enzymes involved in cell signaling. Prerequisites: BIOCH 320, with a minimum grade of B- or consent of Department. Lectures are the same as for BIOCH 420, but with additional assignments and evaluation appropriate to graduate studies. Students in other programs may be admitted subject to availability and with the consent of the Department This course may not be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained in BIOCH 420.
BIOCH 609 - Macromolecular Structure Analysis
Principles of X-ray crystallography as applied to the study of protein and nucleic acid structure. Practical aspects of diffraction and structure solution are demonstrated by a collaborative study of a suitable small molecule of biological interest. Designed for graduate students. Prerequisite: consent of Instructor. Maximum enrolment of 10 students. Offered in alternate years.
BIOCH 626B - Special Topics in Protein Research
Seminar course for advanced students. Detailed consideration is given to recent advances in research on protein structure and function and mechanism of enzyme action. Prerequisite: BIOCH 420 or consent of Department.
BIOCH 640B - Special Topics in Research on Biomembranes
Seminar course for advanced students covering selected topics from the current literature in the field of membrane structure and function. Prerequisite: BIOCH 441 or consent of Department.
BIOCH 660A - Professional Development for Career Success
The goal of this course is to provide training in the skills required to succeed in the modern work place. The course will take the form of four-hour monthly sessions, consisting of group discussions, lectures, short assignments and student presentations. There will be presentations by highly successful Ph.D. alumni, which will serve as case studies in how the transition from graduate school to the workplace can occur, and what pitfalls need be avoided in the workplace. Course is graded on cr/nc, students must attend the classes and complete required assignments. Open to graduate students in the Department of Biochemistry and other graduate students with permission of the course instructor.
BIOCH 660B - Professional Development for Career Success
The goal of this course is to provide training in the skills required to succeed in the modern work place. The course will take the form of four-hour monthly sessions, consisting of group discussions, lectures, short assignments and student presentations. There will be presentations by highly successful Ph.D. alumni, which will serve as case studies in how the transition from graduate school to the workplace can occur, and what pitfalls need be avoided in the workplace. Course is graded on cr/nc, students must attend the classes and complete required assignments. Open to graduate students in the Department of Biochemistry and other graduate students with permission of the course instructor.
Featured Publications
Chen G., Harwood J.L., Lemieux M.J., Stone S.J., Weselake R.J.
PROGRESS IN LIPID RESEARCH. 2022 July; 88 10.1016/j.plipres.2022.101181
Bak J.J., Aguayo-Ortiz R., Rathod N., Primeau J.O., Khan M.B., Robia S.L., Lemieux M.J., Espinoza-Fonseca L.M., Young H.S.
BIOCHEMISTRY. 2022 June; 61 (14):1419-1430 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00246
Lu J., Chen S.A., Khan M.B., Brassard R., Arutyunova E., Lamer T., Vuong W., Fischer C., Young H.S., Vederas J.C., Lemieux M.J.
Frontiers in Chemistry. 2022 February; 10 10.3389/fchem.2022.852210
Neves A.L.A., Yu J., Suzuki Y., Baez-Magana M., Arutyunova E., O’Hara E., McAllister T., Ominski K.H., Lemieux M.J., Guan L.L.
Microbiome. 2022 January; 9 (1) 10.1186/s40168-021-01147-1
Nasu Y., Murphy-Royal C., Wen Y., Haidey J.N., Molina R.S., Aggarwal A., Zhang S., Kamijo Y., Paquet M.E., Podgorski K., Drobizhev M., Bains J.S., Lemieux M.J., Gordon G.R., Campbell R.E.
Nature Communications. 2021 December; 12 (1) 10.1038/s41467-021-27332-2
Vuong W., Fischer C., Khan M.B., van Belkum M.J., Lamer T., Willoughby K.D., Lu J., Arutyunova E., Joyce M.A., Saffran H.A., Shields J.A., Young H.S., Nieman J.A., Tyrrell D.L., Lemieux M.J., Vederas J.C.
European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2021 October; 222 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113584
Law J.L.M., Logan M., Joyce M.A., Landi A., Hockman D., Crawford K., Johnson J., LaChance G., Saffran H.A., Shields J., Hobart E., Brassard R., Arutyunova E., Pabbaraju K., Croxen M., Tipples G., Lemieux M.J., Tyrrell D.L., Houghton M.
VACCINE. 2021 August; 39 (40):5769-5779 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.08.081
Bai B., Arutyunova E., Khan M.B., Lu J., Joyce M.A., Saffran H.A., Shields J.A., Kandadai A.S., Belovodskiy A., Hena M., Vuong W., Lamer T., Young H.S., Vederas J.C., Tyrrell D.L., Lemieux M.J., Nieman J.A.
RSC Medicinal Chemistry. 2021 August; 12 (10):1722-1730 10.1039/d1md00247c
Rathod N., Bak J.J., Primeau J.O., Fisher M.E., Espinoza-fonseca L.M., Lemieux M.J., Young H.S.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021 August; 22 (16) 10.3390/ijms22168891
Bai B., Belovodskiy A., Hena M., Kandadai A.S., Joyce M.A., Saffran H.A., Shields J.A., Khan M.B., Arutyunova E., Lu J., Bajwa S.K., Hockman D., Fischer C., Lamer T., Vuong W., Van Belkum M.J., Gu Z., Lin F., Du Y., Xu J., Rahim M., Young H.S., Vederas J.C., Tyrrell D.L., Lemieux M.J., Nieman J.A.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY. 2021 July; 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00616
Fisher M.E., Bovo E., Aguayo-Ortiz R., Cho E.E., Pribadi M.P., Dalton M.P., Rathod N., Lemieux M.J., Espinoza-Fonseca L.M., Robia S.L., Zima A.V., Young H.S.
eLife. 2021 June; 10 10.7554/eLife.65545
Arutyunova E., Khan M.B., Fischer C., Lu J., Lamer T., Vuong W., van Belkum M.J., McKay R.T., Tyrrell D.L., Vederas J.C., Young H.S., Lemieux M.J.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY. 2021 June; 433 (13) 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167003
Vuong W., Fischer C., Khan M.B., van Belkum M.J., Lamer T., Willoughby K.D., Lu J., Arutyunova E., Joyce M.A., Saffran H.A., Shields J.A., Young H.S., Nieman J.A., Tyrrell D.L., Lemieux M.J., Vederas J.C.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY. 2021 May; 222 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113584
Lu X., Wen Y., Zhang S., Zhang W., Chen Y., Shen Y., Lemieux M.J., Campbell R.E.
Chemical Science. 2021 May; 12 (28):9658-9672 10.1039/d1sc01059j
Arutyunova E., Lysyk L., Morrison M., Brooks C., Joanne Lemieux M.
Methods in Molecular Biology. 2021 April; 2302 10.1007/978-1-0716-1394-8_1
Lysyk L., Brassard R., Arutyunova E., Siebert V., Jiang Z., Takyi E., Morrison M., Young H.S., Lemberg M.K., ODonoghue A.J., Joanne Lemieux M.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 2021 January; 296 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100383
Vuong W., Khan M.B., Fischer C., Arutyunova E., Lamer T., Shields J., Saffran H.A., McKay R.T., van Belkum M.J., Joyce M.A., Young H.S., Tyrrell D.L., Vederas J.C., Lemieux M.J.
Nature Communications. 2020 December; 11 (1) 10.1038/s41467-020-18096-2