Raven H. Huang
Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics
Affiliate, Department of Chemistry
Professor Huang received his B.S. and M.S. from Nankai University, P. R. China, in 1986 and his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1995. After postdoctoral studies with Dr. Gregory L. Verdine and Stephen C. Harrison at Harvard University, He joined the faculty at Illinois in 2000. His research interests are in the areas of chemical biology, biochemistry and structural biology.
Research
The major research in our laboratory focuses on studies of RNA-protein interaction. We are particularly interested in protein enzymes acting on RNA. Using integrated approaches of chemical biology, biochemistry, and structural biology, we strive to provide insight into RNA substrate recognition and reaction mechanisms of the protein enzymes. The research can further be divided into three specific areas that are related to one another.
RNA modification and Editing. Various RNAs, tRNA in particular, experience post-transcriptional modifications. To date, more than 100 modified nucleotides have been found in RNA. These modifications are important for the biological functions of RNAs. We are particularly interested in a class of enzymes involved in RNA and DNA editing, which play essential roles in both innate and adaptive immune systems in humans. Utilizing the common catalytic mechanism of RNA and DNA editing enzymes, we have designed a chemical strategy to trap the enzyme-RNA and enzyme-DNA covalent complexes to facilitate their structural studies.
RNA Cleavage. Protein synthesis is fundamental to living cells. Therefore, it is a main target of various toxins for cell killing. One strategy employed by some bacteria and viruses for cell killing is to cleave essential RNAs (rRNAs, tRNAs, and mRNAs) involved in protein translation, carried out by a class of toxins called ribotoxins. Our research focuses on discovery, biochemical and structural characterization of ribotoxins that target tRNAs.
RNA Repair. To prevent cells from killing, organisms employ enzymes to repair the damaged RNA cleaved by ribotoxins. Recently, we discovered a bacterial RNA repair system composed of two bacterial proteins Pnkp and Hen1. The novelty of the bacterial repair system is that, in addition to restoring the ribotoxin-cleaved RNA to its original form, bacterial Hen1 adds a methyl group at the repair junction to protect the repaired RNA against further ribotoxin attack. Thus, the repaired RNA is "better than new".
Publications
Chan, C.M., Zhou, C., Huang, R.H. (2009). "Reconstituting bacterial RNA repair and modification in vitro," Science, 326, 247.
Chan, C.M., Zhou, C., Brunzelle, J.S., Huang, R.H. (2009). "Structural and biochemical insights into 2'-O-methylation at the 3'-terminal nucleotide of RNA by Hen1," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 106, 17699-17704.
Chan, C.M., Huang, R.H. (2009). "Enzymatic characterization and mutational studies of TruD--the fifth family of pseudouridine synthases." Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 489, 15-19.
