Maurine Linder, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Department of Molecular Medicine
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
C3-187 Veterinary Medical Center
Ithaca, NY 14853
Office: (607) 253-3893 | (607) 253-3252
Email: mel237@cornell.edu
Profile
Research/Clinical Interests
Our research addresses the mechanism and consequences of protein S-palmitoylation, a reversible posttranslational modification of proteins that regulates their membrane association, trafficking, and stability. We co-discovered the DHHC (Asp-His-His-Cys) family of protein S-acyltransferases that are responsible for palmitoylation of proteins on the cytoplasmic leaflet of cell membranes. We study the structure, function, and regulation of these enzymes with the goal of developing small molecules for therapeutic application in inflammatory disorders.
Education
- PhD, Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Texas at Dallas, 1987
- Medical Technology Internship Program, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, 1977
- BSc, Medical Technology, Michigan State University, 1976
Biography/Professional Experience
- 2025, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
- 2009-2025, Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
- 2009-2024, Chair, Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
- 2006-2009, Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis
- 1999-2006, Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine
- 1993-1999, Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine
- 1991-1993, Instructor, Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- 1989-1991, Assistant Instructor, Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- 1987-1989, Research Fellow, Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center
Awards and Honors
- 2024, SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service
- 2009, Academic Women’s Network Mentor Award
- 2009, Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
- 2001-2004, Established Investigator, American Heart Association
- 2001, Special Recognition – Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards
Professional/Academic Affiliations
- 2009, American Society for American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
- 1993, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- 1993, American Society for Cell Biology
Publications
Selected Publications
- Yu T, Hou D, Zhao J, Lu X, Greentree WK, Zhao Q, Yang M, Conde DG, Linder ME, Lin H.
NLRP3 Cys126 palmitoylation by ZDHHC7 promotes inflammasome activation.
Cell Rep. 2024 Apr 23;43(4):114070. PMID: 38583156 - Nguyen PL, Greentree WK, Kawate T, and Linder ME, GCP16 stabilizes the DHHC9 subfamily of protein acyltransferases through a conserved C-terminal cysteine motif. Front. Physiol. 2023, Mar 23:14:1167094. PMID: 37035671
- Hong JY, Malgapo MIP, Liu Y, Yang M, Zhu C, Zhang X, Tolbert P, Linder ME, and Lin H. High-Throughput Enzyme Assay for Screening Inhibitors of the ZDHHC3/7/20 Acyltransferases. ACS Chem Biol. (2021) 6:1318-1324. PMID: 34374518
- Malgapo MIP, Safadi JM, and Linder ME, Metallo-β-Lactamase Domain-Containing Protein 2 (MBLAC2) is S-palmitoylated and exhibits acyl-CoA hydrolase activity. J. Biol. Chem. (2021) Jan-Jun;296:100106. Epub 2020 Dec 3. PMID: 33219126