Zhen Huang's Laboratory
Chinese-American Chemistry & Chemical Biology Professors Association (CAPA)
Several Research Positions Available for Undergraduate Students (especially minority students), Graduate Students, and Post-doctors (Crystallography/Chemical Biology).
Research Interests and Learning Opportunities:
The research interests of my laboratory are at the interface of organic chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology. Since nucleic Acids play the most important roles in living organisms, to discover how nucleic acids behave in vitro and in vivo is essential to understand their biochemical and biological properties and to design and develop drugs and therapeutics for fighting cancers, viruses, and other diseases. Students who join in my laboratory will receive opportunities to learn synthetic Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Biochemistry, Bio-analytical Chemistry, RNA Microchip/Microarray Technology, and techniques in Physical Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Structure Biology.
Research Project I:
Chemical and Enzymatic Synthesis of Selenium-Derivatized Nucleic Acids (SeNA) for X-ray Crystallography. The Se-derivatization dramatically facilitates both Crystallization & Phasing. Nucleic Acids Res., 2007, 477-485.
Fig. 1. Structure of Se-DNA (5’-GdUSeGTACAC-3’) with high resolution (1.28Å)
Tetragonal space group, P43212; a=b=42.43 Å, c=22.614 Å.
A B
Fig. 2. Superimposed comparison of the native and the derivatized DNA structures (red and green balls represent Se and Br, respectively). (A) the comparison of the Se-DNA (GdUSeGTACAC, 1Z7I in blue) and the native (GTGTACAC, 1DNS in pink). The Se-DNA structure is virtually identical to the native. (B) the comparison of the Br-DNA (GTGdUBrACAC, 2H05 in green) and the native (1DNS in pink). The Br-derivatization caused the local perturbation, including the backbone rotation by 108 degree.
Fig. 3. The global and local structures of the 4-Se-T DNA [(5’-G-dUSe-G-SeT-ACAC-3’)2]. (A) The duplex structure of the modified DNA (2NSK, in cyan) is superimposed over the native (1DNS, in pink). (B) The comparison of the modified (in green) and native (in cyan) local T4 structures. (C) The Se-base pair of T4-A5 with the experimental electron density. Journal of Am. Chem. Soc., 2007, 129, 4862-4863.
Research Project II:
RNA MicroArray and MicroChip Technologies
detection & quantification system.
Contact Information and Mailing Address:
Zhen Huang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry
Georgia State University
Room 540 General Classroom Building
38 Peachtree Center Ave.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3083
Office Location: 547 NSC
Phone: (404) 413-5535 (Office)
(404)
413-5534 (Lab)
Fax: (404) 413-5505
Email:
Huang@gsu.edu
or
chezh@langate.gsu.edu