Chemical modifications of nucleic acid have broad and profound impact to a lot of central processes of life. For example, in DNA, 5-methylcytosine and its oxidized products are famous epigenetic markers; in RNA, adenosine-to-inosine editing influences alternative splicing and the products of translation, adding another layer of complexity to gene regulation. However, aberrant chemical modifications (i.e. DNA and RNA damage) can result in senescence, cell death and cancer as well. Therefore, investigations of the biogenesis/formation and regulatory/cleaning-up mechanism of such modifications are highly urged not only for the interests of fundamental science but also for the purpose of health and life.
We combine chemical biology methods with structural biology, cell biology, high-throughput sequencing and chemical synthesis in order to study modifications of interest. Specifically, we focus on three topics: (1) the impact of novel RNA modifications to the biological functions of microRNA and large intergenic non-coding RNA (lincRNA); (2) base-excision repair and nucleotide excision repair: their mechanisms and roles in preventing tumor growth and cancer metathesis; (3) nucleic acid modification-mediated epigenetic processes.
代表性论文
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6. Yi C, Yang CG, He C , A non-heme iron-mediated chemical demethylation in DNA and RNA , Accounts of Chemical Research , 2009 , 42(4):519-29 , [Full Text]
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