Publications (Selected)

1. Elsas LJ , Lai K , Saunders CJ , Langley SD. (2001). Functional analysis of the human galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase promoter in Duarte and LA variant galactosemia. Mol Genet Metab, 72(4), 297-305.
2. Lai K , Elsas LJ. (2001). Structure-function analyses of a common mutation in blacks with transferase-deficiency galactosemia. Mol Genet Metab, 74(1-2), 264-72.
3. Lai K , Langley SD , Khwaja FW , Schmitt EW , Elsas LJ. (2003). Galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase deficiency causes UDP-hexose deficit in human galactosemic cells. Glycobiology Journal, 13, 285-294.
4. Lai K , Klapa MI. (2004). Alternative pathways of galactose assimilation: Could inverse metabolic engineering provide an alternative to galactosemic patients? Metab Eng, 6, 239-244.
5. Slepak T , Tang M , Addo F , Lai K. (2005). Intracellular galactose-1-phosphate accumulation leads to environmental stress response in yeast model. Mol Genet Metab, 86(3), 360-71.
6. Barbouth D , Slepak T , Klapper H , Lai K , Elsas LJ. (2006). Prevention of a molecular misdiagnosis in galactosemia. Genet Med, 8(3), 178-82.
7. Slepak TI , Tang M , Slepak VZ , Lai K. (2007). Involvement of endoplasmic reticulum stress in a novel Classic Galactosemia model. Mol Genet Metab, 92(1-2), 78-87.
8. Lai K , Tang M , Yin X , Klapper H , Wierenga K , Elsas L. (2008). ARHI: A new target of galactose toxicity in Classic Galactosemia. Bioscience Hypotheses, 1(5), 263-271.
9. Siddiqi AM , Li H , Faruque F , Williams W , Lai K , Hughson M , Bigler S , Beach J , Johnson W. (2008). Use of hyperspectral imaging to distinguish normal, precancerous, and cancerous cells. Cancer, 114(1), 13-21.
10. Lai K , Wierenga KJ , Buchwald P , Tang M. (2008). High-throughput screening for human galactokinase inhibitors. J Biomol Screen, 13(5), 415-23.
11. Syriopoulos C , Panayotarou A , Lai K , Klapa MI. (2008). Transcriptomic analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae physiology in the context of galactose assimilation perturbations. Mol Biosyst, 4(9), 937-49.
12. Lai K , Elsas LJ , Wierenga K. (2009). Galactose Toxicity in Animals. IUBMB Life, 61(11), 1063-74.
13. Tang M , Wierenga K , Elsas LJ , Lai K. (2010). Molecular and biochemical characterization of human galactokinase and its small molecule inhibitors. Chem Biol Interact, 188(3), 376-85.
14. Boxer MB , Shen M , Tanega C , Tang M , Lai K , Auld DS. (2011). Toward Improved Therapy for Classic Galactosemia. Probe Reports from the NIH Molecular Libraries Program, Bethesda, MD. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
15. Odejinmi S , Rascon R , Tang M , Vankayalapati H , Lai K. (2011). Structure-activity analysis and cell-based optimization of human galactokinase inhibitors. ACS Med Chem Lett, 2(9), 667-672.
16. Tang M , Odejinmi SI , Allette YM , Vankayalapati H , Lai K. (2011). Identification of novel small molecule inhibitors of 4-diphosphocytidyl-2-C-methyl-D-erythritol (CDP-ME) kinase of Gram-negative bacteria. Bioorg Med Chem, 19(19), 5886-95.
17. Tang M , Facchiano A , Rachamadugu R , Calderon F , Mao R , Milanesi L , Marabotti A , Lai K. (2012). Correlation Assessment among Clinical Phenotypes, Expression Analysis and Molecular Modeling of 14 Novel Mutations in the Human Galactose-1 phosphate Uridylyltransferase Gene. Hum Mutat, 33(7), 1107-1115.
18. Lai K , Yin X , Tang M , Baffoe S , Johnson B , Bodamer OA. (2012). Galactose-induced lethality and growth retardation in a new galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT) gene-knockout mouse model. Mol Genet Metab, 105(3), 330.
19. Odejinmi SI , Rascon RG , Chen W , Lai K. (2012). Formal Synthesis of 4-diphosphocytidyl-2-C-methyl D-erythritol From D-(+)-Arabitol. Tetrahedron, 68(43), 8937-8941.
20. Tang M , Odejinmi S , Vankayalapati H , Wierenga K , Lai K. (2012). Innovative Therapy for Classic Galactosemia-Tale of Two HTS. Mol Genet Metab, 105(1), 44-55.
21. Tang M , Wierenga KJ , Lai K. (2013). Use of site-directed mutagenesis (SDM) in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of Galactosemia in Genetic Manipulation of DNA and Protein: Examples from Current Research, David Figurski, Columbia University (Eds.), Intech Publishers. (ISBN 978-953-51-0994-5)
22. Tang M, Siddiqi A, Witt B, Johnson B, Fraser N, Rascon R, Chen W, Yin X, Bodamer OA, and Lai K (2014). Subfertility and growth restriction in a new galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT) gene-trapped mouse model. European Journal of Human Genetics, 2014 Feb 19. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2014.12. [Epub ahead of print]
23. Marabotti A, Lai K, Boxer M, 2014. “GALK inhibitors for Galactosemia.” Future Med Chem. 2014 Jun; 6(9): 1003-1015. doi: 10.4155/fmc.14.43.
24. Liu L, Tang M, Tanega C, Brimacombe KR, Walsh MR, Rohde J, Pragani R, Shen M, Lai K, & Boxer MB, 2014. “Structure Activity Relationships of Human Galactokinase Inhibitors” Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 2014. (accepted).
25. Liu L, Tang M, Tanega C, Brimacombe KR, Walsh MR, Rohde J, Pragani R, Shen M, Lai K, Boxer MB, 2014. “ML393, an ATP competitive Galactokinase Inhibitor, Reduces Galactose-1-phosphate in Primary Patient Cells.” Probe Reports from the NIH Molecular Libraries Program, Bethesda (MD): National Center for Biotechnology Information (US) (submitted).