Yuzhu Zhang Assistant Professor of Biology
	B.S.:	Zhengzhou University
	Ph.D.:	University of Pennsylvania
	Office:	342 Life Sciences Building
	Phone:	312.567.3484
	e-mail:	zhangy@iit.edu
	Zhang's Web page

Professional Interests

OUR INTERESTS:

My group is interested in studying the structure, interaction, and function of proteins whose mutation or abnormal expression results in misregulation of cellular processes or abnormal expression of other proteins and proteins whose gain or loss of function as a result of mutation or abnormal expression causes diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

We are also interested in determining the physical, chemical, and structural properties that make some food proteins allergens.

OUR CURENT PROJECTS:

Structural basis of chosen transcript factors, splicing factors, and cytokines.

Structural basis of the allergenicity and allergic cross-reactivity of peanut and tree nut allergens.

OUR APPROACHES:

X-ray crystallography, NMR, and other spectrometric methods are our main research tools. Molecular biology and cell biology technologies are also routinely used in our laboratory.

Representative Publications

• A 1.55 A resolution X-ray crystal structure of HEF2/ERH and insights into its transcriptional and cell-cycle interaction networks. T. Jin, F. Guo, I.G. Serebriiskii, A. Howard, and Y.Z. Zhang, Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics (2007). 68, 427-437. PDF PDB
  
  
• X-ray crystal structure of TNF ligand family member TL1A at 2.1A. T. Jin, F. Guo, S. Kim, A. Howard, and Y.Z. Zhang, Biochem Biophys Res Commun (2007). 364, 1-6. PDF PDB
  
  
• Structure, stability, and function of hDim1 investigated by NMR, circular dichroism, and mutational analysis. Y.Z. Zhang, H. Cheng, K.L. Gould, E.A. Golemis, and H. Roder, Biochemistry (2003). 42, 9609-9618. PDF PDB
  
  
• Evidence that dim1 associates with proteins involved in pre-mRNA splicing, and delineation of residues essential for dim1 interactions with hnRNP F and Npw38/PQBP-1. Y.-Z. Zhang, T. Lindblom, A. Chang, M. Sudol, A.E. Sluder, and E.A. Golemis, Gene (2000). 257, 33-43. PDF PDB
  
  
• Rapid amide proton exchange rates in peptides and proteins measured by solvent quenching and two-dimensional NMR. Y.Z. Zhang, Y. Paterson, and H. Roder, Protein Sci (1995). 4, 804-814. PDF

  Publication list
  
  

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