Yufeng Zhou
Assistant Professor of Cellular & Molecular Physiology
yufeng.zhou@yale.edu
Yale University
School of Medicine
333 Cedar Street,
Room B-147
P.O. Box 208026
New Haven, CT
06520-8026
(203) 785-2989 Tel.
(203) 785-4951 Fax
Ph.D. 2000 University of California, Los Angeles
B.S. 1992 Peking (Beijing) University, China
Revealing the atomic basis of ion transport
Ion channels are integral membrane proteins that catalyze the diffusion of ions across the cell membrane. The function of ion channels underlies many essential biological processes such as muscle contraction and generation of electrical signals in the nervous system. There are two central questions in the study of ion channels: how ions permeate the pore, and how the pore opens and closes (gates) in response to a specific stimulus. In my laboratory, we study these questions using a combined approach of X-ray crystallography and electrophysiology. Currently, we are focusing on the sturdy of the cation channels from the transient receptor potential (TRP) super-family. In addition, we also study how some small molecules - ion channel blockers - can affect ion permeation of potassium channels. Understanding the interactions between channels and their blockers would provide valuable information for drug design.
Recent publications:
Zhou Y., MacKinnon R. Ion binding affinity in the cavity of the KcsA potassium channel. Biochemistry 2004 May 4;43(17):4978-82.
Zhou Y., MacKinnon R. The occupancy of ions in the K+ selectivity filter: charge balance and coupling of ion binding to a protein conformational change underlie high conduction rates. J Mol Biol. 2003 Nov 7; 333(5):965-75.
Valiyaveetil F.I., Zhou Y., MacKinnon R. Lipids in the structure, folding, and function of the KcsA K+ channel. Biochemistry 2002 Sep 3; 41(35): 10771-7.
Zhou, Y., Morais-Cabral, JH., Kaufman, A., MacKinnon, R., Chemistry of ion coordination and hydration revealed by a K+ channel-Fab complex at 2.0 A resolution. Nature. 2001 Nov 1; 414(6859):43-8.
Morais-Cabral, JH., Zhou, Y., MacKinnon, R. Energetic optimization of ion conduction rate by the K+ selectivity filter. Nature 2001 Nov 1; 414: 37-42.
Copyright © 2001 Dept. of Cellular & Molecular Physiology.
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Last modified: March 17, 2009 (cla)
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