University of Toronto Biochemistry

	Christopher M. Yip Professor Ph.D, University of Minnesota, 1996 B.A.Sc. (honours), University of Toronto, 1988
	Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (CCBR) Room 404 416-978-7853 christopher.yip@utoronto.ca

Biomolecular Engineering at Interfaces
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Member of the following Training Programs of interest to students and PDF's:
CIHR Training Program in Protein Folding: Principles and Diseases
CIHR Training Program: Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins Linked to Disease

Research Synopsis

Molecular self-assembly focusing on protein-ligand and biomolecular complexes and elucidation of the mechanisms associated with the development of solution and solid-state structure and molecular conformation. Study of biomolecular association and ligand-receptor interactions using oriented molecular arrays at interfaces. Application of scanning probe microscopy to the characterization of biomolecular processes and structures.

Research Program
Direct elucidation of the mechanisms governing molecular self-assembly has clear implications for understanding and possibly controlling processes ranging from the crystallization of biomolecules and pharmaceutics to the formation of protein complexes and the interaction of protein and drug molecules with cellular membranes and biomimetic substrates. The ability to acquire in situ real-space information would thus represent a significant advance towards understanding the kinetics and mechanics of molecular self-assembly. Our research program focuses on the application of in situ scanning probe microscopy in combination with other biophysical characterization techniques including circular dichroism, light scattering, X-ray scattering, NMR spectroscopy, and infrared and Raman spectroscopy to the study of self-assembled systems ranging from molecular and protein crystallization to the formation of ligand complexes and direct measurement of intermolecular forces. Collaborations with structural biology and crystallography research groups at the University of Toronto in additional to external programs with pharmaceutical companies offer the opportunity to study a wide variety of biomolecular phenomena and processes of therapeutic interest.

Selected Publications

Quantitative and dynamic assessment of the contribution of the endoplasmic reticulum to phagosome formation Nicolas Touret, Paul Paroutis, Mauricio Terebiznik, Rene Harrison, Sergio Trombetta, Marc Pypaert, Ami Chow, Aimin Jiang, James Shaw, Christopher Yip, Hsiao-Ping Moore, Ira Mellman and Sergio Grinstein Cell In press ( 2005 )

Correlated Fluorescence-AFM Microscopy of Membrane Domains: Nature of
Fluorescence Probes Determines Localization of Lipids Shaw, J.E.. Epand, R.F., Epand, R.M.; Li. Z.; Bittman, R.; Yip, C.M. Biophysical J 2005 (submitted)

Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Peptide Action: Studies of Indolicidin Assembly at Model Membrane Interfaces by In Situ Atomic ForceMicroscopy Shaw, J.E.; Alattia, J.-R., Verity, J.E.; Prive, G.G., Yip, C.M. J. Struct. Biol . 2005 (under revision)

In Situ Scanning Probe Microscopy Studies of Tetanus Toxin-Membrane Interactions Slade, A.L; Schoeniger, J.S.; Sasaki, D.Y.; Yip, C.M Biophysical J 2005 (submitted)

Correlated Single Molecule Fluorescence and Scanning Probe Microscopies: Applications to the Study of Soft Materials Slade, A.L.; Shaw, J.E.; Yang, G.; Chhabra, N. Yip, C.M. MRS Proceedings 2005 (in press)

Reversible Assembly of Helical Filaments by De Novo Designed Minimalist Peptides Frost, D.W.H.; Yip, C.M.; Charkrabartty, A. Biopolymers , 2005 , 80 (1), 26-33.

Ordered 2-Dimensional Arrays of Ferromagnetic Fe/Co Nanoparticle Rings from a Metallopolymer Precursor Clendenning, S.B.; Fournier-Bidoz, S.; Pietrangelo, A.; Yang, G.; Han, S.; Brodersen, P.M.; Yip, C.M.; Lu, Z.-H.; Ozin, G.; Manners, I. J. Mat. Chem . 2004 , 14 (11), 1686 – 1690

Cholesterol-Dependent Partitioning of PI(4,5)P2 into Membrane Domains by the Amino Terminal Fragment of NAP-22 Epand, R.M.; Vuong, P.; Yip, C.M.; Epand, R.F. Biochem. J 2004 , 379 (3), 527-532.

UV-Photopatterning of a Highly Metallized, Cluster-Containing Polyferrocenylsilane Cheng, A.Y. Clendenning, S.B.,; Yang, G.; Lu, Z.-H. ; Yip, C.M.; Manners, I. Chem Comm , 2004 , 779 - 780

Magnetic Ceramic Films from a Metallopolymer Resist using Reactive Ion Etching in a Secondary Magnetic Field Clendenning, S.B.; Han, S.; Coombs, N.; Paquet, C.,; Rayat, M.S.; Grozea, P.M.; Brodersen, P.M.; Sodhi, R.N.S.; Yip, C.M.; Lu, Z.-H.; Manners, I. Adv. Mat. 2004 , 16 (4), 291-296

Direct Writing of Patterned Ceramics Using Electron-Beam Lithography and Metallopolymer Resists Clendenning, S.B.; Aouba, S.; Rayat, M.S.; Grozea, D.; Sorge, J.B.; Brodersen, P.M.; Sodhi, R.N.S.; Lu, Z-H.; Yip, C.M.; Freeman, M.R.; Ruda, H.E.; Manners, I. Adv. Mat . 2004 , 16 (4), 291-296

Simultaneous In Situ Total Internal Reflectance Fluorescence/Atomic Force Microscopy Studies of DPPC/dPOPC Microdomains in Supported Planar Lipid Bilayers Shaw, J.E.; Slade, A.; Yip, C.M. JACS 2003 , 125 (39) 111838-11839

Quaternary Structure Of The Neuronal Protein NAP-22 In Aqueous Solution Epand, R.M.; Braswell, E.H.; Yip, C.M., Epand, R.F.; Maekawa, S. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 2003 , 1650 50– 58

Co-incorporation of Ab40 and Ab42 to Form Mixed Pre-Fibrillar Aggregates Frost, D.; Gorman, P., Yip, C.M., Chakrabartty, A Eur. J. Biochem. 2003 Feb; 270 (4):654-663.

Properties of a Novel Magnetized Alginate for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Shen, F.; Poncel-Legrand, C.; Somers, S.; Slade, A.; Yip, C.M.; Duft, A.M.; Winnik, F.M.; Chang, P.L. Biotech. Bioeng. 2003 , 83 :282-292.

Alternate Aggregation Pathways of the Alzheimer's b-Amyloid Peptide: Ab Association Kinetics at Endosomal pH Gorman, P.M. ; Yip, C.M.; Fraser, P.E.; Chakrabartty, A.; J. Mol. Biol. 2003 Jan 24; 325 (4):743-57.

Department of Biochemistry
University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada

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