Lipoprotein researcher to talk about structure studies
For , the thrill of research comes from standing on the precipice of the unknown.
“There is nothing quite like the feeling of striking gold and getting a new piece of critical data,” he said. “At that very moment, you’re likely the only person in the entire world that knows that biology.”
John Melchior refined a technique to separate high-density lipoprotein particles based on the presence of certain proteins.
Melchior researches the structural complexity of high density lipoproteins, or HDL, as a postdoctoral fellow in lab at the . Based on his work, he was selected by the to speak in a special session highlighting up-and-coming researchers at the 麻豆传媒色情片 and 麻豆传媒色情片 Biology annual meeting.
Melchior said he “fell in love with lipoproteins” during his graduate studies at Wake Forest University, where he was trained in lipid biochemistry. He has continued to study lipoproteins, this time from the protein side. He refined a technique to separate HDL particles based on whether they contain a protein called apoA-II and determined that apoA-II is critical for the positive effects of HDL.
“I found this extremely exciting,” he said. “The logical next steps were to understand the role of apoA-II’s structure in modulating this function.”
His initial attempts to understand the structure of apoA-II were halted when that a previously published crystal structure of the protein was falsified. But Melchior sees what he called an “unfortunate setback” as an opportunity for his structural studies to help fill the gaps of what remains unknown about apoA-II.
Melchior hopes his work will benefit the HDL research community as a whole; for him, this community is almost as important as the research itself.
“I’ve been fortunate to establish relationships with some amazing people who also happen to be excellent scientists,” he said. “I’m really grateful for the community and the friendships that have enriched my life.”
Dissecting the structure of HDL
High density lipoproteins, or HDL, are known as the “good” cholesterol and are thought to decrease risk of heart disease as well as chronic inflammatory diseases. Though commonly thought of as a single number on a patient’s medical chart, HDL is incredibly complex.
The focus of John Melchior’s research is this complexity. He is developing new ways of physically separating subspecies of HDL. Despite their physical similarity, Melchior has been able to isolate very specific subspecies and has found that particles that contain a protein called apoA-II are better at removing cholesterol from cells compared to particles that lack apoA-II. This ability to remove “bad” cholesterol, called the cholesterol efflux property, has been linked to protection against heart disease in several clinical studies.
Melchior’s work could have a direct impact on medical care in addition to contributing to the field of lipid research. The information he gains from understanding the structures of different HDL particles could be used to develop clinical assays that may better identify patients that are at higher risk for heart disease.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition weekly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we鈥檒l send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles

ASBMB names 2025 fellows
麻豆传媒色情片 and 麻豆传媒色情片 Biology honors 24 members for their service to the society and accomplishments in research, education, mentorship, diversity and inclusion and advocacy.

When Batman meets Poison Ivy
Jessica Desamero had learned to love science communication by the time she was challenged to explain the role of DNA secondary structure in halting cancer cell growth to an 8th-grade level audience.

The monopoly defined: Who holds the power of science communication?
鈥淎t the official competition, out of 12 presenters, only two were from R2 institutions, and the other 10 were from R1 institutions. And just two had distinguishable non-American accents.鈥

In memoriam: Donald A. Bryant
He was a professor emeritus at Penn State University who discovered how cyanobacteria adapt to far-red light and was a member of the 麻豆传媒色情片 and 麻豆传媒色情片 Biology for over 35 years.

鈥痀es, I have an accent 鈥 just like you
When the author, a native Polish speaker, presented her science as a grad student, she had to wrap her tongue around the English term 鈥渇luorescence cross-correlation microscopy.鈥

Professorships for Booker; scholarship for Entzminger
Squire Booker has been appointed to two honorary professorships at Penn State University. Inayah Entzminger received a a BestColleges scholarship to support their sixth year in the biochemistry Ph.D. program at CUNY.