Hongwei WANG
Research Area:
In the very crowded inner environment of a cell, most macromolecules function in the form of complexes, many being described as "molecular machines." To understand the machines' structures and structural changes that occur during the working cycle, we employ cryo-electron microscopy to visualize molecules as "single particle" or ordered functional assemblies. The micrographs are analyzed by computational image processing to reveal the structure and conformational variations of molecules. We then combine the structural information with data from accompanying biophysical and biochemical techniques to elucidate the mechanisms of these large macromolecular machines.
Selected Publications:
1.Li, B, Li, N, Wang, F, Guo, L, Huang, Y, Liu, X, Wei, T, Zhu, D, Liu, C, Pan, H, Xu, S,Wang, HW, and Gu, L. (2012) Structural insight of a concentration-dependent mechanism by which YdiV inhibits Escherichia coli flagellum biogenesis and motility.Nucleic Acids Res., 40:11073-11085.
2.Nam, KH, Haitjema, C, Liu, X, Ding, F, Wang, HW, DeLisa, MP, and Ke, A. (2012)Cas5d protein processes pre-crRNA and assemblies into a Cascade-like interference complex in subtype I-C/Dvulg CRISPR-Cas system. Structure, 20:1574-1584.
3.Shen, QT, Hsiue, PP, Sindelar, CV, Welch, MD, Campellone, KG*, and Wang, HW*. (2012) Structural insight into WHAMM-mediated cytoskeletal coordination during membrane remodeling. J. Cell Biol., 199:111-124 (*co-corresponding authors) (cover).
4.Bower-Phipps, KR, Taylor, DW, Wang, HW, and Baserga, SJ. (2012)The box C/D sRNP dimeric architecture is conserved across domain Archaea. One to fuse and three to keep the nascent fusion pore open. RNA, 18:1527-1540.
5.Shi, L, Shen, QT, Kiel, A, Wang, J, Wang, HW, Melia, TJ, Rothman, JE, and Pincet, F. (2012) One to fuse and three to keep the nascent fusion pore open. Science, 335:1355-1359.
6.Chang, LF, Chen, S, Liu, CC, Pan, XJ, Jian, JS, Bai, XC, Xie, X, Wang, HW, and Sui, SF. (2012) Structural characterization of full-length NSF and 20 S particles. Nature Struct. Mol. Biol., 19:268-275
7.Zhou, K, Kanai, R, Lee, P, Wang, HW*, and Modis, Y*. (2012) Toll-like receptor 5 forms asymmetric dimers in the absence of flagellin. J. Struct. Biol., 177:402-409 (*co-corresponding authors).
8.Liu XQ and Wang HW (2011) Single particle electron microscopy reconstruction of the exosome complex using the random conical tilt method. J. Vis. Exp., doi: 10.3791/2574.
9.Wu X, Shen QT, Oristian DS, Lu CP, Zheng Q, Wang HW, Fuchs E. (2011) Skin stem cells orchestrate directional migration by regulating microtubule-ACF7 connections through GSK3β. Cell, 144, 341-352.
10.Nogales E, Ramey VH, Wang HW. (2010) Cryo-EM studies of microtubule structural intermediates and kinetochore-microtubule interactions. Methods Cell Biol., 95, 123-156.
11.Wang HW*, Noland C, Siridechadilok B, Taylor DW, Ma E, Felderer K, Doudna JA*, Nogales E*. (2009) Structural insights into RNA processing by the human RISC-loading complex. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol., 16, 1148-1153. (* co-corresponding authors)
12.Wang HW, Long S, Ciferri C, Westermann S, Drubin DG, Barnes G, Nogales E. (2008) Architecture and flexibility of the yeast Ndc80 kinetochore complex. J. Mol. Biol., 383, 894-903.
13.Wang HW*, Wang J, Ding F, Callahan K, Bratkowski MA, Bulter JS, Nogales E, Ke A*. (2007) Architecture of the yeast Rrp44-exosome complex suggests routes of RNA recruitment for 3’-end processing. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 104, 16844-16849. (* co-corresponding authors)
14.Wang HW, Ramey VH, Westermann S, Leschziner A, Welburn JPI, Nakajima Y, Drubin DG, Barnes G, Nogales E. (2007) Architecture of the Dam1 kinetochore ring complex and implications for microtubule-driven assembly and force-coupling mechanisms. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol., 14, 721-726.
15.Nogales E and Wang HW. (2006) Structural intermediates in microtubule assembly and disassembly: how and why? Curr. Opin. Cell Biol., 18, 179-284.
16.Westermann W, Wang HW, Avila-Sakar A, Drubin DG, Nogales E, Barnes G. (2006) The Dam1 kinetochore ring complex moves processively on depolymerizing microtubule ends. Nature, 440, 565-563.
17.Wang HW and Nogales E. (2005) The nucleotide-dependent bending flexibility of tubulin regulates microtubule assembly. Nature, 435, 911-915.
18.Wang HW and Nogales E. (2005) An iterative Fourier-Bessel algorithm for reconstruction of helical structures with severe Bessel overlap. J. Struct. Biol., 149, 65-78.
19.Wang HW, Chen Y, Yang H, Chen X, Duan MX, Tai PC, Sui SF (2003) Ring-like pore structures of SecA: implication for bacteria protein-conducting channels. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 100, 4221-4226.