DU, Yang

Assistant Dean (Research & Innovation), Programme Coordinator of Undergraduate Programme in Biological Sciences
Presidential Fellow

Associate Professor

Education Background

Ph.D. (School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China)

B.Sc. (Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University)

Research Field
G protein-coupled receptor、Receptor biology, Signal transduction, Structural pharmacology、Structure-based drug design
Email
yangdu@cuhk.edu.cn
Biography

Prof. Yang Du obtained PhD degree from the University of Science and Technology of China, and then went to Stanford University for postdoctoral training. During this period, he was awarded a full post-doctoral fellowship sponsored by the American Heart Association. He was also offered with the position of tenure-track Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His main research centers on the structure, function and drug discovery of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). Professor Du has published nearly 80 high-quality SCI papers, including Cell, Science, Nature, Nature Comm, Science Adv, Cell Research and JACS as corresponding author. He is currently an associate professor and assistant dean in the School of MEDICINE at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and a principal investigator in the Kobilka Institute for Innovative Drug Discovery.

Academic Publications

Selected Publications:

27. Wu Z, Chen G, Qiu, C, Yan X, Xu L, Jiang S, Xu J, Han R, Shi T, Liu Y, Gao W, Wang Q, Li J, Ye F, Pan X, Zhang Z, Ning P, Zhang B, Chen J, Du Y#. Structural basis for the ligand recognition and G-protein subtype selectivity of kisspeptin receptor. Science Adv, 2024, accepted
26. Ham D, Inoue A, Xu J, Du Y#, Chung KY#. Molecular mechanism of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3 interaction with Gq. Commun Biol. 2024 Mar 23;7(1):362. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06056-1
25. Chen G*, Staffen N*, Wu Z, Xu X, Pan J, Inoue A, Shi T, Gmerner P, Du Y#, Xu J#. Structural and functional characterization of the endogenous agonist for orphan receptor GPR3. Cell Res, 2024 Jan 30
24. Zhou D, Huang J, Zheng H, Liu Y, Zhu S, Du Y#. Insight into Fructose-to-Sucrose Ratio as the Potential Target of Urinalysis in Bladder Cancer. Metabolites, 2024 (14), 345. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14060345
23. Pan X*, Ye F*, Ning P, Zhang Z, Li X, Zhang B, Wang Q, Chen G, Gao W, Qiu C, Wu Z, Li J, Zhu L, Xia J#, Gong K#, Du Y#. Structural insights into ligand recognition and selectivity of the human hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor HCAR2. Cell Dis, 2023 Nov 28;9(1):118
22. Wong TS*, Li G*, Li S*, Gao W, Chen G, Gan S, Zhang M, Li H#, Wu S#, Du Y#. G protein-coupled Receptors in Nervous System and Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 2023 8(1):177. doi: 10.1038/s41392-023-01427-2
21. Wang J*, Chen G*, Liao Q*, Lyu W, Liu A, Zhu L, Du Y#, Ye RD#. Cryo-EM structure of the human chemerin receptor 1 – Gi protein complex bound to the C- terminal nonapeptide of chemerin. PNAS, 2023, Mar 14;120(11):e2214324120
20. Xu J, Cao S, Hubner H, Weikert D, Chen G, Lu Q, Yuan D, Gmerner P#, Liu Z#, Du Y#. Structural insights into ligand recognition, activation and signaling bias of the α2A adrenergic receptor. Science Advances, 2022, Mar 4;8(9):eabj5347
19. Chen G, Xu J, Inoue A, Schmidt MF, Bai C, Lu Q, Gmerner P#, Liu Z#, Du Y#. Structure of the orphan GPR88-Gi complex reveals unique ligand binding and signaling mechanism. Nature Commun., 2022, May 2;13(1):2375.
18. Du Y*, Duc NM*, Rasmussen SGF*, Hilger D, Kubiak X, Wang L, Kim HR, Wegrecki M, Asuru A, Jeong KM, Lee J, Chance M, Lodowski DT, Kobilka BK, Chung KY. Assembly of a GPCR-G protein complex. Cell, 2019, 177(5):1232-1242
17. Wang Q*, Lu Q*, Guo Q, Teng M, Gong Q, Li X, Du Y#, Liu Zheng#, Tao Y#. Structural basis of the ligand binding and signaling mechanism of melatonin receptors. Nature Commun., 2022 Jan 24;13(1):454.
16. Wong TS*, Gao W*, Chen G*, Qiu C*, He G, Ye F, Wu Z, Zeng Z, Du Y#. Cryo-EM structure of orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR21. MedComm, 2023 Jan 25;4(1):e205
15. Ye F*, Wong TS*, Chen G*, Zhang Z, Zhang B, Gan S, Gao W, Li J, Wu Z, Pan X, Du Y#. Cryo-EM structure of G-protein-coupled receptor GPR17 in complex with inhibitory G protein. MedComm, 2022 Sep 10;3(4):e159
14. Flink EA*, Xu J*, Hubner H*, Braz J*, Seemann P*, Avet C, Craik V, Weikert D, Schmidt MF, Webb CM,    Tolmachova NA, Moroz Y, Kalyanaraman C, Gahbauer S, Chen G, Jacobson MP, Irwin J, Du Y#, Schoichet BK, Huang XP, Kalyanaraman C, Gahbauer S, Chen G, Liu Z, Jacobson MP, Irwin JJ, Mouvier M, Du Y, Schoichet BK, Basbaum AI, Gmerner P. Structure-based discovery of nonopioid analgesics acting through the α2A-adrenergic receptor. Science, 2022 Sep 30;377(6614):eabn7065
13. Chen G, Wang X, Liao Q, Ge Y, Jiao H, Chen Q, Liu Y, Du Y#, Hu H#, Ye RD#. Structural Basis for Recognition of N-Formyl Peptides as Pathogen- and Damage- associated Molecular Patterns. Nature Commun., 2022 Sep 5;13(1):5232
12. Chen G*, Gao W, Du Y#. Identification of a Sialosides binding pocket in early- lineage Sars-Cov-2 virus via an optimized STD NMR method: a novel explanation for coronavirus virulence and zoonosis. Molecular Biomedicine, 2022, accepted
11. Xiao P*, Yan W*, Gou L*, Zhong YN*, Kong L*, Wu C, Wen X, Yuan Y, Qu C, Yang X, Zhang C, Xia A, Yang CC, Hou GH, Fu P, Yang S, Rosenbaum DM, Sun JP, Du Y#, Zhang L#, Yu X#, Shao Z#. Ligand recognition and allosteric regulation of dopamine D1 receptor-Gs signaling complexes. Cell, 2021, 184(4):943-956
10. Wang L*, Xu J*, Cao S, Sun D, Liu H, Liu Z, Du Y#, Zhang C#. Cryo-EM structure of the AVP-vasopressin receptor 2-Gs signaling complex. Cell Research, 2021, doi: 10.1038/s41422-021-00483-z
9. Kim HR*, Xu J*, Maeda S, Duc NM, Ahn D, Du Y#, Chung KY. Structural mechanism underlying primary and secondary coupling between GPCRs and the Gi/o family. Nat Commun. 2020 Jun 22;11(1):3160
8. Bai C#, Wang J, Chen G, Zhang H, Xu P, Du Y#, Ye RD#, Saha A, Zhang A, Warshel A#. Predicting Mutational Effects on Receptor Binding of the SARS-CoV-2 Variants. J Am Chem Soc., 2021, 143, 42, 17646–17654
7. Komolov KE*, Du Y*, Duc NM, Betz R, Rodrigues J, Leib RD, Patra D, Skiniotis G, Adams CM, Dror R, Chung KY, Kobilka BK, Benovic JL. Structural and functional analysis of a β2-Adrenergic Receptor Complex with GRK5. Cell (2017) 169: 407-421
6. Das M*, Du Y*, Ribeiro O, Hariharan P, Mortensen JS, Patra D, Skiniotis G, Loland CJ, Guan L, Kobilka BK, Byrne B, Chae, PS. Conformationally preorganized diastereomeric norbornane-based maltosides (NBMs) for membrane protein study: Implications of detergent kink for micellar properties. J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2017) 139: 3072-81
5. Ehsan M*, Du Y*, Scull NJ, Tikhonova E, Tarrasch J, Mortensen JS, Loland CJ, Skiniotis G, Guan L, Byrne B, Kobilka BK, Chae PS. Highly Branched Penta- Saccharide-Bearing Amphiphiles for Membrane Protein Studies. J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2016) 138: 3789-96
4. Sadaf A*, Du Y*, Hariharan P, Mortensen JS, Perez IM, Seven AB, Santillan C, Skiniotis G, Loland CJ, Kobilka BK, Guan L, Byrne B, Chae PS. Dendronic trimaltoside amphiphiles (DTMs) for membrane protein structure study. Chemical Science (2017) 8: 1169-1177
3. Duc NM*, Du Y*, Thorsen TS, Lee SY, Zhang C, Kato H, Kobilka BK, Chung KY. Effective Application of Bicelles for Conformational Analysis of G Protein-Coupled Receptors by Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry. J. Am. Soc.
Mass. Spectrom. (2015) 26: 808-817
2. Du Y*, Shi WW*, He YX, Yang YH, Zhou CZ, Chen Y. Structures of the substrate- binding protein provide insights into the multiple compatible solutes binding specificities of Bacillus subtilis ABC transporter OpuC. Biochemical J. (2011) 436: 283-289
1. Du Y*, He YX*, Zhang ZY, Yang YH, Shi WW, Frolet C, Di Guilmi AM, Vernet T, Zhou CZ, and Chen Y. Crystal structure of the mucin-binding protein of Spr1345 from Streptococcus pneumoniae. J. of Struct. Biol. 2011, 174: 252-257