Jinwei Zhang, Ph.D.

Senior Investigator

Structural Biology of Noncoding RNAs and Ribonucleoproteins Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology

NIDDK

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Building NIHBC 50, Room 4503
50 South Dr
Bethesda, MD 20892

+1 301 402 4703

jinwei.zhang@nih.gov

Research Topics

The goal of our research is to gain a detailed structural and mechanistic understanding of cellular and viral noncoding RNAs and their associated ribonucleoprotein complexes involved in gene regulation and human diseases. We are working to uncover general motifs and principles that govern RNA tertiary structure formation, RNA recognition by another RNA or protein, and how dynamic RNA structures contribute to the regulation of gene expression and human pathophysiology.

Current Research

  1. Structures and mechanisms of diverse bacterial T-box riboswitches
  2. Specific tRNA recognition by host and viral proteins and RNAs
  3. Differential regulation of antiviral protein PKR by host and viral RNAs

Applying our Research

Structural and mechanistic elucidation of functionally important host noncoding RNAs and viral RNAs will inform and guide design of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against bacterial and viral infections, metabolic and autoimmune disorders, and several cancers.

Need for Further Study

Our research aims to help illuminate the molecular structure, function, and mechanisms of the “dark matter” of the transcriptome, the non-coding RNAs that execute various cellular functions, as well as viral RNA structures that enable viral replication and infectivity. Detailed understanding of these non-coding structured RNAs and their interactions will lead to novel therapeutics that improve human health.

Biography

  • Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator, NIDDK, NIH, 2015-2022
  • Research Fellow, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, 2011-2015
  • Research Associate, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 2009-2011
  • Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009
  • B.S., Peking University, 2002

Selected Publications

  1. Skeparnias I, Bou-Nader C, Anastasakis DG, Fan L, Wang YX, Hafner M, Zhang J. Structural basis of MALAT1 RNA maturation and mascRNA biogenesis. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2024.
  2. Skeparnias I, Zhang J. Structural basis of NEAT1 lncRNA maturation and menRNA instability. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2024.
  3. Umuhire Juru A, Ghirlando R, Zhang J. Structural basis of tRNA recognition by the widespread OB fold. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):6385.
  4. Bou-Nader C, Gaikwad S, Bahmanjah S, Zhang F, Hinnebusch AG, Zhang J. Gcn2 structurally mimics and functionally repurposes the HisRS enzyme for the integrated stress response. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024;121(35):e2409628121.
  5. Suddala KC, Yoo J, Fan L, Zuo X, Wang YX, Chung HS, Zhang J. Direct observation of tRNA-chaperoned folding of a dynamic mRNA ensemble. Nat Commun. 2023;14(1):5438.

Related Scientific Focus Areas

This page was last updated on Thursday, November 7, 2024