Prof. Vivien Ya-Fan WANG

Contact Information

Title

Assistant Professor

Office

(Office) E12-3028 / (Lab) N22-3038

Phone

(Office) +853 8822 4933 / (Lab) +853 8822 2950

Fax

+853 8822 2314

Email

VivienWang@um.edu.mo

Consultation Hours

Wed, Thu 11:00 – 12:00

Teaching

Course Outlines

HSCI1002 Introduction to Biological Sciences
GEST1002 Quantitative Reasoning for Social Science

Research Team

Name	Position	Office	Phone	Email
Wenfei PAN	PhD Student (Lab Representative)	N22-3038	+853 8822 2950
Vladimir Meshcheryakov	Post-doctoral Fellow	N22-3038	+853 8822 2950	vladimirm@um.edu.mo
Limei DENG	PhD Student	N22-3038	+853 8822 2950

Education
PhD	Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, USA (2011)
MSc	Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, USA (2008)
BSc	Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, USA (2005)

Positions
2016.8-present	Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau
2015.9-2016.8	Visiting Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau
2015.3-2015.8	Visiting Scientist, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, USA
2012.9-2015.3	Postdoc Research Fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, USA
2011.7-2012.9	Postdoc Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, USA

Research Interests
In this laboratory we use our knowledge and experience in the area of biochemistry, structural biology, cellular and molecular biology to study the functions and mechanisms of important molecules focusing on their biological functions. The major focus of the current research involves understanding the signal transduction mediated by the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kB) and IkB proteins. The mammalian Rel/NF-kB family of transcription factors plays a critical role in diverse physiological processes including the immune response, inflammation, cell proliferation and survival. A wide variety of signals activate NF-kB driven gene expression through different NF-kB signaling pathways in a stimulus- and cell type-dependent manner. Due to the diverse regulatory mechanisms acting on NF-kB, the signal dependent activation of NF-kB remains a challenging area of research. Using both biochemical and structural approaches, we will determine how post-translational modifications, e.g. phosphorylation, affect NF-kB:IkB:DNA complex formation, binding specificity, and target gene expression.

Research Interests

In this laboratory we use our knowledge and experience in the area of biochemistry, structural biology, cellular and molecular biology to study the functions and mechanisms of important molecules focusing on their biological functions. The major focus of the current research involves understanding the signal transduction mediated by the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kB) and IkB proteins. The mammalian Rel/NF-kB family of transcription factors plays a critical role in diverse physiological processes including the immune response, inflammation, cell proliferation and survival. A wide variety of signals activate NF-kB driven gene expression through different NF-kB signaling pathways in a stimulus- and cell type-dependent manner. Due to the diverse regulatory mechanisms acting on NF-kB, the signal dependent activation of NF-kB remains a challenging area of research. Using both biochemical and structural approaches, we will determine how post-translational modifications, e.g. phosphorylation, affect NF-kB:IkB:DNA complex formation, binding specificity, and target gene expression.

Representative Publications
Mulero, M.C., Wang, V.Y., Huxford, T, Ghosh, G. Genome reading by the NF-κB transcription factors. Nucleic Acids Res. 2019, 47(19), 9967-9989. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkz739 (Co-first author) Kwasnik, A., Wang, V.Y.,** Krzyszton, M., Gozdek, A., Zakrzewska-Placzek, M., Stepniak, K., Poznanski, J., Tong, L., and Kufel, J., Arabidopsis DXO1 links RNA turnover and chloroplast function independently of its enzymatic activity. Nucleic Acids Res. 2019, 47(9), 4751-4764. http://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkz100 (Co-first author) Meng, Y., Ren, Z., Xu, F., Zhou, X., Song, C., Wang, V.Y., Liu, W., Lu, L., Thomson, J.A., Chen, G. Nicotinamide Promotes Cell Survival and Differentiation as Kinase Inhibitor in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem Cell Reports. 2018, 11(6):1347-1356. Mulero, M.C., Shahabi, S., Ko, M.S., Schiffer, J.M., Huang, D-B., Wang, V.Y., Amaro, R.E., Huxford, T., Ghosh, G. Protein Cofactors Are Essential for High-Affinity DNA Binding by the Nuclear Factor κB RelA Subunit. Biochemistry. 2018, 57(20):2943-2957. DOI:10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00158. Mulero, M.C., Huang, D-B., Nguyen, H.T., Wang, V.Y., Li, Y., Biswas, T., Ghosh, G. DNA-binding affinity and transcriptional activity of the RelA homodimer of nuclear factor κB are not correlated. J Mol Biol. 2017, 292(46):18821-18830. DOI:10.1074/jbc.M117.813980. Wang, V.Y., Li Y., Kim, D., Zhong, X.Y., Ghassemian, M., and Ghosh, G. Bcl3 Phosphorylation by Akt, Erk2 and IKK1 is Required for Its Activation. Mol Cell. 2017, 67(1), 1-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2017.06.011. Fusco, A.J., Mazumder, A., Wang, V.Y., Tao, Z., Ware, C., and Ghosh, G. The NF-κB subunit RelB controls p100 processing by competing with the kinases NIK and IKK1 for binding to p100. Sci Signal. 2016, 9(447):ra96. DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aad9413. Sansó, M., Levin, RS., Lipp JJ, Wang, V.Y., Greifenberg, AK., Quezada, EM., Ali, A., Ghosh, A., Larochelle, S., Rana, TM., Geyer, M., Tong, L., Shokat, KM., Fisher, RP. P-TEFb regulation of transcription termination factor Xrn2 revealed by a chemical genetic screen for Cdk9 substrates. Genes Dev. 2016, 30(1), 117-131. Wang, V.Y., Jiao, X., Kiledjian, M., and Tong, L. Structural and biochemical studies of the distinct activity profiles of Rai1 enzymes. Nucleic Acids Res. 2015, 43(13), 6596-6606. Wang, V.Y., Huang, W., Asagiri, M., Spann, N., Hoffmann, A., Glass, C., and Ghosh, G. The transcriptional specificity of NF-kB Dimers is coded within the kB DNA Response elements. Cell Rep. 2012, 2(4), 824-839. Ghosh, G., Wang, V.Y., Huang, D-B., and Fusco, A.J. NF-kB Regulation: Lessons from Structures. Immunological Rev. 2012, 246, 36-58. Fusco, A.J., Huang, D-B., Miller, D., Wang, V.Y., Vu, D., and Ghosh, G. NF-kappaB p52:RelB heterodimer recognizes two classes of kappaB sites with two distinct modes. EMBO Rep. 2009, 10, 152-159. Moorthy, A.K., Huang, D-B., Wang, V.Y., Vu, D., and Ghosh, G. X-ray structure of a NFkappaB p50/RelB/DNA complex reveals assembly of multiple dimers on tandem kappaB sites. J Mol Biol. 2007, 373, 723-734. Moorthy, A.K., Savinova, O.V., Ho, J.Q., Wang, V.Y., Vu, D., and Ghosh, G. The 20S proteasome processes NF-kappaB1 p105 into p50 in a translation-independent manner. EMBO J. 2006, 25, 1945-1956.

Representative Publications

Mulero, M.C.*, Wang, V.Y.*, Huxford, T, Ghosh, G. Genome reading by the NF-κB transcription factors. Nucleic Acids Res. 2019, 47(19), 9967-9989. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkz739 (Co-first author)
Kwasnik, A.*, Wang, V.Y.*, Krzyszton, M., Gozdek, A., Zakrzewska-Placzek, M., Stepniak, K., Poznanski, J., Tong, L., and Kufel, J., Arabidopsis DXO1 links RNA turnover and chloroplast function independently of its enzymatic activity. Nucleic Acids Res. 2019, 47(9), 4751-4764. http://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkz100 (Co-first author)
Meng, Y., Ren, Z., Xu, F., Zhou, X., Song, C., Wang, V.Y., Liu, W., Lu, L., Thomson, J.A., Chen, G. Nicotinamide Promotes Cell Survival and Differentiation as Kinase Inhibitor in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem Cell Reports. 2018, 11(6):1347-1356.
Mulero, M.C., Shahabi, S., Ko, M.S., Schiffer, J.M., Huang, D-B., Wang, V.Y., Amaro, R.E., Huxford, T., Ghosh, G. Protein Cofactors Are Essential for High-Affinity DNA Binding by the Nuclear Factor κB RelA Subunit. Biochemistry. 2018, 57(20):2943-2957. DOI:10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00158.
Mulero, M.C., Huang, D-B., Nguyen, H.T., Wang, V.Y., Li, Y., Biswas, T., Ghosh, G. DNA-binding affinity and transcriptional activity of the RelA homodimer of nuclear factor κB are not correlated. J Mol Biol. 2017, 292(46):18821-18830. DOI:10.1074/jbc.M117.813980.
Wang, V.Y., Li Y., Kim, D., Zhong, X.Y., Ghassemian, M., and Ghosh, G. Bcl3 Phosphorylation by Akt, Erk2 and IKK1 is Required for Its Activation. Mol Cell. 2017, 67(1), 1-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2017.06.011.
Fusco, A.J., Mazumder, A., Wang, V.Y., Tao, Z., Ware, C., and Ghosh, G. The NF-κB subunit RelB controls p100 processing by competing with the kinases NIK and IKK1 for binding to p100. Sci Signal. 2016, 9(447):ra96. DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aad9413.
Sansó, M., Levin, RS., Lipp JJ, Wang, V.Y., Greifenberg, AK., Quezada, EM., Ali, A., Ghosh, A., Larochelle, S., Rana, TM., Geyer, M., Tong, L., Shokat, KM., Fisher, RP. P-TEFb regulation of transcription termination factor Xrn2 revealed by a chemical genetic screen for Cdk9 substrates. Genes Dev. 2016, 30(1), 117-131.
Wang, V.Y., Jiao, X., Kiledjian, M., and Tong, L. Structural and biochemical studies of the distinct activity profiles of Rai1 enzymes. Nucleic Acids Res. 2015, 43(13), 6596-6606.
Wang, V.Y., Huang, W., Asagiri, M., Spann, N., Hoffmann, A., Glass, C., and Ghosh, G. The transcriptional specificity of NF-kB Dimers is coded within the kB DNA Response elements. Cell Rep. 2012, 2(4), 824-839.
Ghosh, G., Wang, V.Y., Huang, D-B., and Fusco, A.J. NF-kB Regulation: Lessons from Structures. Immunological Rev. 2012, 246, 36-58.
Fusco, A.J., Huang, D-B., Miller, D., Wang, V.Y., Vu, D., and Ghosh, G. NF-kappaB p52:RelB heterodimer recognizes two classes of kappaB sites with two distinct modes. EMBO Rep. 2009, 10, 152-159.
Moorthy, A.K., Huang, D-B., Wang, V.Y., Vu, D., and Ghosh, G. X-ray structure of a NFkappaB p50/RelB/DNA complex reveals assembly of multiple dimers on tandem kappaB sites. J Mol Biol. 2007, 373, 723-734.
Moorthy, A.K., Savinova, O.V., Ho, J.Q., Wang, V.Y., Vu, D., and Ghosh, G. The 20S proteasome processes NF-kappaB1 p105 into p50 in a translation-independent manner. EMBO J. 2006, 25, 1945-1956.

Research Grants
Macau Giant Panda Fund: “Giant Panda Dental Clinical Application and Research Project” (PI) FDCT # 0104/2019/A2 (PI) FDCT # 0025/2019/PS (PI) MYRG2018-00093-FHS (PI) MYRG2018-00091-ICMS (Co-PI) FDCT # 025/2017/P (PI) FDCT # 023/2016/A1 (PI) SRG2016-00084-FHS (PI)