R. Kennedy Keller, Ph.D.

Professor, Molecular Medicine

President, Isoprenoids.Com

Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine

Associate Professor, Biochemistry, College of Medicine

Assistant Professor, Biochemistry, College of Medicine

Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Cell Biology

Graduate Student, Dept. of Biochemistry

Contact Info 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd
MDC 7
Tampa FL 33612

Academic Email: rkeller@usf.edu

Academic Phone:(813) 785-6446

View My Website

Education

Interdisciplinary and Emerging Signature Programs

• Cardiovascular

Research Interests

• Isoprenoid Metabolism

Memberships

• Member (Neuroscience Program-USF College of Medicine, 2006 - Present)
• Full Member (American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), 1969 - Present)

Recent Publications

• Keller RK, Small M, Fliesler SJ. Enzyme blockade: a nonradioactive method to determine the absolute rate of cholesterol synthesis in the brain. Journal of lipid research. 45(10) : 1952-7, 2004.
• Keller RK, Arnold TP, Fliesler SJ. Formation of 7-dehydrocholesterol-containing membrane rafts in vitro and in vivo, with relevance to the Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome. Journal of lipid research. 45(2) : 347-55, 2004.
• Morgan D, Keller RK. What evidence would prove the amyloid hypothesis? Towards rational drug treatments for Alzheimer''s disease. Journal of Alzheimer''s disease : JAD. 4(3) : 257-60, 2002.
• Keller RK, Fliesler SJ. Mechanism of aminobisphosphonate action: characterization of alendronate inhibition of the isoprenoid pathway. Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 266(2) : 560-3, 1999.
• Lopez D, Chambers CM, Keller RK, Ness GC. Compensatory responses to inhibition of hepatic squalene synthase. Archives of biochemistry and biophysics. 351(2) : 159-66, 1998.
• Hinson DD, Chambliss KL, Hoffmann GF, Krisans S, Keller RK, Gibson KM. Identification of an active site alanine in mevalonate kinase through characterization of a novel mutation in mevalonate kinase deficiency. The Journal of biological chemistry. 272(42) : 26756-60, 1997.
• Fliesler SJ, Keller RK. Isoprenoid metabolism in the vertebrate retina. The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology. 29(6) : 877-94, 1997.
• Sobreira C, Hirano M, Shanske S, Keller RK, Haller RG, Davidson E, Santorelli FM, Miranda AF, Bonilla E, Mojon DS, Barreira AA, King MP, DiMauro S. Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with coenzyme Q10 deficiency. Neurology. 48(5) : 1238-43, 1997.
• Hoffmann GF, Wiesmann UN, Brendel S, Keller RK, Gibson KM. Regulatory adaptation of isoprenoid biosynthesis and the LDL receptor pathway in fibroblasts from patients with mevalonate kinase deficiency. Pediatric research. 41(4 Pt 1) : 541-6, 1997.
• Fliesler SJ, Boesze-Battaglia K, Paw Z, Keller RK, Albert AD. Squalene is localized to the plasma membrane in bovine retinal rod outer segments. Experimental eye research. 64(2) : 279-82, 1997.
• Keller RK. Squalene synthase inhibition alters metabolism of nonsterols in rat liver. Biochimica et biophysica acta. 1303(3) : 169-79, 1996.
• Keller RK, Zhao Z, Chambers C, Ness GC. Farnesol is not the nonsterol regulator mediating degradation of HMG-CoA reductase in rat liver. Archives of biochemistry and biophysics. 328(2) : 324-30, 1996.
• Fliesler SJ, Keller RK. Metabolism of [3H]farnesol to cholesterol and cholesterogenic intermediates in the living rat eye. Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 210(3) : 695-702, 1995.
• Fliesler SJ, Florman R, Keller RK. Isoprenoid lipid metabolism in the retina: dynamics of squalene and cholesterol incorporation and turnover in frog rod outer segment membranes. Experimental eye research. 60(1) : 57-69, 1995.
• Ness GC, Zhao Z, Keller RK. Effect of squalene synthase inhibition on the expression of hepatic cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes, LDL receptor, and cholesterol 7 alpha hydroxylase. Archives of biochemistry and biophysics. 311(2) : 277-85, 1994.
• Fliesler SJ, Florman R, Rapp LM, Pittler SJ, Keller RK. In vivo biosynthesis of cholesterol in the rat retina. FEBS letters. 335(2) : 234-8, 1993.
• Keller RK, Vilsaint F. Regulation of isoprenoid metabolism in rat liver: near constant chain lengths of dolichyl phosphate and ubiquinone are maintained during greatly altered rates of cholesterogenesis. Biochimica et biophysica acta. 1170(2) : 204-10, 1993.
• Keller RK, Cannons A, Vilsaint F, Zhao Z, Ness GC. Identification and regulation of rat squalene synthetase mRNA. Archives of biochemistry and biophysics. 302(1) : 304-6, 1993.
• Keller RK, Standert M. GTPases. The Journal of the Florida Medical Association. 79(11) : 775-7, 1992.
• Ness GC, Keller RK, Pendleton LC. Feedback regulation of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase activity by dietary cholesterol is not due to altered mRNA levels. The Journal of biological chemistry. 266(23) : 14854-7, 1991.
• Keller RK, Fliesler SJ. Incorporation of squalene into rod outer segments. The Journal of biological chemistry. 265(23) : 13709-12, 1990.
• Margo CE, Pusateri TJ, Ulshafer RJ, Keller RK. Lipid crystals in malignant melanoma of the choroid. Retina (Philadelphia, Pa.). 10(1) : 68-71, 1990.
• Keller RK, Nellis SW, Cuadrado-Simonet L. A rapid procedure for the separation and analysis of metabolites of the sterol and dolichol pathways. Chemistry and physics of lipids. 51(3-4) : 261-7, 1989.
• Keller RK, Simonet WS. Near normal levels of isoprenoid lipids in severe mevalonic aciduria. Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 152(2) : 857-61, 1988.
• Keller RK, Fliesler SJ, Nellis SW. Isoprenoid biosynthesis in the retina. Quantitation of the sterol and dolichol biosynthetic pathways. The Journal of biological chemistry. 263(5) : 2250-4, 1988.
• Keller RK. The mechanism and regulation of dolichyl phosphate biosynthesis in rat liver. The Journal of biological chemistry. 261(26) : 12053-9, 1986.
• Keller RK, Adair WL, Cafmeyer N, Simion FA, Fleischer B, Fleischer S. Characterization of polyisoprenyl phosphate phosphatase activity in rat liver. Archives of biochemistry and biophysics. 249(1) : 207-14, 1986.
• Keller RK, Adair WL, Cafmeyer N. A procedure for the preparation of [32P]phosphatidic acid. Analytical biochemistry. 155(1) : 119-22, 1986.
• Keller RK, Nellis SW. Quantitation of dolichyl phosphate and dolichol in major organs of the rat as a function of age. Lipids. 21(5) : 353-5, 1986.
• Keller RK, Brennan S, Cafmeyer N, Adair WL. Quantitation of tissue levels of dolichyl pyrophosphate by high-performance liquid chromatography on silica. Journal of chromatography. 343(2) : 413-8, 1985.
• Keller RK, Fuller MS, Rottler GD, Connelly LW. Extraction of dolichyl phosphate and its quantitation by straight-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Analytical biochemistry. 147(1) : 166-73, 1985.
• Adair WL, Keller RK. Isolation and assay of dolichol and dolichyl phosphate. Methods in enzymology. 111: 201-15, 1985.
• Connelly LW, Keller RK. Quantitation of excretion of dolichol and dolichyl phosphate from the rat. Bioscience reports. 4(9) : 771-6, 1984.
• Keller RK, Armstrong D, Crum FC, Koppang N. Dolichol and dolichyl phosphate levels in brain tissue from English setters with ceroid lipofuscinosis. Journal of neurochemistry. 42(4) : 1040-7, 1984.
• Adair WL, Cafmeyer N, Keller RK. Solubilization and characterization of the long chain prenyltransferase involved in dolichyl phosphate biosynthesis. The Journal of biological chemistry. 259(7) : 4441-6, 1984.
• Keller RK, Rottler GD, Cafmeyer N, Adair WL. Subcellular localization and substrate specificity of dolichol kinase from rat liver. Biochimica et biophysica acta. 719(1) : 118-25, 1982.
• Adair WL, Keller RK. Dolichol metabolism in rat liver. Determination of the subcellular distribution of dolichyl phosphate and its site and rate of de novo biosynthesis. The Journal of biological chemistry. 257(15) : 8990-6, 1982.
• Keller RK, Jehle E, Adair WL. The origin of dolichol in the liver of the rat. Determination of the dietary contribution. The Journal of biological chemistry. 257(15) : 8985-9, 1982.
• Keller RK, Tamkun JW, Adair WL. Development of quantitative assay for tissue levels of dolichyl phosphate. Biochemistry. 20(20) : 5831-6, 1981.
• Keller RK, Swank GD. Studies on the relative rates of intracellular transport of egg white proteins. Biochimica et biophysica acta. 673(1) : 93-100, 1981.
• Keller RK, Adair WL, Ness GC. Studies on the regulation of glycoprotein biosynthesis. An investigation of the rate-limiting steps of dolichyl phosphate biosynthesis. The Journal of biological chemistry. 254(20) : 9966-9, 1979.
• Keller RK, Boon DY, Crum FC. N-Acetylglucosamine- 1 -phosphate transferase from hen oviduct: solubilization, characterization, and inhibition by tunicamycin. Biochemistry. 18(18) : 3946-52, 1979.
• Keller RK, Swank GD. Tunicamycin does not block ovalbumin secretion in the oviduct. Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 85(2) : 762-8, 1978.
• Keller RK, Adair WL. Microdetermination of dolichol in tissues. Biochimica et biophysica acta. 489(2) : 330-6, 1977.
• Keller RK, Chandra T, Schrader WT, O''Malley BW. Protein kinases of the chick oviduct: a study of the cytoplasmic and nuclear enzymes. Biochemistry. 15(9) : 1958-67, 1976.
• Keller RK, Socher SH, Krall JF, Chandra T, O''Malley BW. Fractionation of chick oviduct chromatin: IV. Association of protein kinase with transcriptionally active chromatin. Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 66(2) : 453-9, 1975.
• Tulsiani DR, Keller RK, Touster O. The preparation and chemical composition of the multiple forms of beta-glucuronidase from the female rat preputial gland. The Journal of biological chemistry. 250(12) : 4770-6, 1975.
• Keller RK, Touster O. Physical and chemical properties of beta-glucuronidase from the preputial gland of the female rat. The Journal of biological chemistry. 250(12) : 4765-9, 1975.
• Keller RK, Touster O. Spectral studies of conformational changes induced in beta-glucuronidase by saccharo-1,4-lactone. The Journal of biological chemistry. 250(7) : 2739-44, 1975.

Positions Held

• Professor (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida 1988 - 2006)
• Associate Professor (Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of South Florida 1981 - 1987)
• Assistant Professor (Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of South Florida 1975 - 1980)
• Postdoctoral Fellow (Dept. of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine 1973 - 1975)
• Graduate Student (Dept. of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University 1968 - 1972)

Awards/Honors

• Professional Excellence Award (University of South Florida - 1999)
• National Institutes of Health Research Career Development Award (University of South Florida - 1980)
• National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow (Baylor College of Medicine - 1974)
• National Institutes of Health Predoctoral Trainee (Vanderbilt University - 1968)