Maria Cecilia de Beer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

527 CT Wethington Building
900 South Limestone
Lexington, KY 40536-0200
Tel: (859)-323-4933 ext 81407
Fax: (859)-257-3646
e-mail: mdebeer@uky.edu

Academic Appointments:

• Department of Physiology
• Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences

Education:

• B.S., Dietetics, University of Pretoria, South Africa, 1968
• B.S., Hon., Dietetics, University of Pretoria, South Africa, 1969
• B.S., Hon., Medical Biochemistry (cum laude), University of Stellenbosch, South    Africa
• M.S., Medical Biochemistry (cum laude), University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
• Ph.D., Medical Biochemistry(cum laude), University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Professional Organizations:

• American Heart Association: Fellow of the American Heart Association
• American Stroke Association: Fellow of the American Stroke Association

Research:

Area of research focuses on HDL metabolism and how HDL impacts the development of atherosclerosis. Specific interests are how HDL size and apoprotein composition influences its interaction with the HDL receptor SR-BI and other scavenger receptors, as well as how inflammation affects HDL composition and metabolism. Studies are performed in cell culture systems or animal models. Adenoviral vectors are often used to express genes of interest in cultured cells or mouse models.

Representative Publications:

1. Kindy, MS; de Beer, MC; Yu, J;de Beer, FC. Expression of mouse acute-phase (SAA1.1) and constitutive (SAA₄ ) serum amyloid A isotypes: Influence on lipoprotein profiles. Art. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2000;20:1543-1550.

2. Pruzanski, W., Stefanski,E., de Beer, F.C., de Beer, M.C., Ravandi, A., Kuksis, A. Comparative analysis of lipid composition of normal and acute-phase high density lipoproteins. J. Lipid Res. 2000; 41:1035.

3. de Beer, FC, Connell, PM, Yu, J, de Beer, MC, Webb, NR, van der Westhuyzen, D.R. HDL modification by secretory phospholipase A₂ promotes SR-BI interaction and accelerates HDL catabolism. J. Lipid Res. 2000; 41(11):1849-1857.

4. de Beer, M.C. , Durbin, D.M., Cai, L., Jonas, A., de Beer, F.C., van der Westhuyzen, D.R. Apolipoprotein A-I conformation markedly influences HDL interaction with scavenger receptor BI.J.Lipid Res. 2001; 42(2):309-315.

5. de Villiers, W.J.S. Cai, L., Webb, N.R., de Beer, M.C., van der Westhuyzen, D.R., de Beer, F.C. CD 36 does not play a direct role in HDL or LDL metabolism. J. Lipid Res. 2001; 42:1231-1238.

6. de Beer, M.C., Durbin, D.M., Cai, L., Mirocha, N., Jonas, A., Webb, N.R., de Beer, F.C., van der Westhuyzen, D.R. Apolipoprotein A-II modulates the binding and selective lipid uptake of reconstituted HDL by scavenger receptor BI. J. Biol. Chem. 2001;276:15832-15839.

7. Webb, N.R., de Beer, M.C., Yu, Jin, Kindy, M.S., Daugherty, A., van der Westhuyzen, D.R., de Beer, F.C. Overexpression of scavenger receptor B-I by adenoviral vector promotes clearance of apoA-I, but not apoB, in human apoB transgenic mice. J. Lipid Res. 2002. 43: 1421-8

8. de Beer, M.C .. Zhao. Z., Webb. N.R., van der Westhuyzen, D.R., De Villiers, W.J.S. Lack of a role for macrosialin in oxidized LDL metabolism. . Lipid Res. 2003. 44: 674-685.

9. de Beer, M.C ., Castellani, L.W., Cai, L., Stromberg, A.J., de Beer, F.C., van der Westhuyzen, D.R. ApoA-II modulates the association of HDL with class B scavenger receptors SR-BI and CD36. J. Lipid Res. 2004. 45: 706-715.

10. Webb, N.R., de Beer, M.C., de Beer, F.C. and Van der Westhuyzen, D.R. ApoB-containing lipoproteins in apoE-deficient mice are not metabolized by the class B scavenger receptor SR-BI. J. Lipid Res. 2004. 45: 272-280.

11. Webb, N.R., de Beer, M.C., Asztalos B.F., Whitaker, N., van der Westhuyzen, D.R., de Beer, F.C. Remodeling of HDL remnants generated by scavenger receptor class B type I. J. Lipid Res. 2004. 45: 1666-73.

12. Zhao, Z., de Beer M.C., Cai, L., Asmis, R., de Beer, F.C., de Villiers, W.J., van der Westhuyzen, D.R. Low-Density Lipoprotein From Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice Induces Macrophage Lipid Accumulation in a CD36 and Scavenger Receptor Class A-Dependent Manner. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2005.25:168-173.

13. Cai, L., de Beer M.C., de Beer, F.C., van der Westhuyzen, D.R. Serum amyloid A is a ligand for scavenger receptor SR-BI and inhibits HDL binding and selective lipid uptake. J. Biol. Chem. 2005. 280:2954-2961.

14. Wong, A.M., Patel, N.V., Patel, N.K., Wei, M., Morgan, T. E., de Beer, M.C., de Villiers, W.J.S., Finch, C.E. Macrosialin increases during normal brain aging are attenuated by caloric restriction. Neuroscience Letters. 2005 In press.

15. de Beer, M.C ., van der Westhuyzen, D.R., Whitaker, N., Webb, N.R., de Beer, F.C. SR-BI-mediated selective lipid uptake segregates apoA-I and apoA-II catabolism. J. Lipid Res. 2005. 46: 2143-2150.

16. Van der Westhuyzen, D.R., Cai, L., de Beer, M.C., de Beer, F.C. SAA promotes cholesterol efflux mediated by SR-BI. J. Biol. Chem. 2005 In press.