Department of Chemistry Seminar - Regulate Biological Processes via Molecular Self-Assembly in Cell Milieu

Speaker: Professor Ye ZHANG

Institution: Assistant Professor, Bioinspired Soft Matter Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan

Hosted By: Professor King Ho Kenward VONG

Zoom Link: https://hkust.zoom.us/j/95401004735?pwd=TWxDTkpYU0hudmlVUTVjek9id21Ydz09

Abstract

Molecular self-assembly (MSA) is a widely applied synthetic strategy for the construction of multimolecular architectures that can simultaneously target numerous components. Upon the control over size, shape, valency, MSA has fit the demands to modulate proteins, even cell fate by approaching different cellular sub-organelles. We have demonstrated a series of molecular design for protein-guided molecular assembly targeting plasma membrane compartments, endoplasmic reticulum, and lysosomes without encountering sophisticated trafficking. Recently, we also developed an environmentally responsive MSA that could self-adjust morphologically to trespass Golgi-endosome trafficking targeting microtubule arrays, which demonstrates the might of synthetic MSA via control of cancer cell cycle.  We also identified that integrin-targeted molecular assembly is applicable as a generalized tool to control cell motility with promising outcome in cancer treatment.

Reference:

1. Xunwu Hu, Sona Rani Roy, Chengzhi jin, Guanying Li, Qizheng Zhang, Asano Natsuko, Shunsuke Asahina, Tomoko Kajiwara, Bolu Feng, Kazuhiro Aoki, Atsushi Takahara, Ye Zhang*. “Control Cell Migration by Engineering Integrin Ligand Assembly” under submission (BIORXIV/2021/460227)
2. Guanying Li,Xunwu Hu,  Xia Wu, Ye Zhang*."Microtubule-Targeted Self-Assembly Triggers Prometaphase-Metaphase Oscillations Suppressing Tumor Growth" Nano Letters, 2021, 3052-3059.
3. Chengzhi Jin, Guanying Li, Xia Wu, Jiangpin Liu, Weijun Wu, Yazhou chen, Toshio Sasaki, Hui Chao,* and Ye Zhang* "Robust Packing of Self-Assembling Iridium Complex via Endocytic Trafficking for Long-Term Lysosome Tracking"  Chem. Int. Ed.2021, 60, 7597-7601.
4. Guanying Li, Xunwu Hu, Pingping Nie, Dingze Mang, Shi Jiao, Shijin Zhang, Sona Rani Roy, Sachie Yukawa, Shunsuke Asahina, Hiroaki Sugasawa, William Cortes, Zhaocai Zhou* and Ye Zhang* “Lipid-raft-targeted Molecular Self-assembly Inactivates YAP to Treat Ovarian Cancer” Nano Letters, 2021, 1, 747-755.
5. Wei Ji, Shijin Zhang, Sachie Yukawa, Shogo Onomura, Toshio Sasaki, Kunichi Miyazawa, and Ye Zhang*"Regulate Higher-order Organization through the Synergy of Two Self-sorted Assemblies"  Chem. Int. Ed.2018, 57, 3636-3640.
6. Guanying Li, Toshio Sasaki, Shunsuke Asahina, Michael C. Roy, Toshiaki Mochizuki, Koji Koizumi, and Ye Zhang*“Patching of Lipid Rafts by Molecular Self-Assembled Nanofibrils Suppresses Cancer Cell Migration” Chem. 2017, 2, 283-298.