Our research is mainly focusing on the biological functions of higher-order chromatin structure, especially the 30nm chromatin fiber in transcriptional regulation of gene. We successfully reconstituted the 30nm chromatin fiberin-vitrousing purified system and established a research system to investigate the structural dynamics andin-vitrotranscriptional activity of the reconstituted 30nm chromatin fibers. My laboratory is mainly engaged in the studies on how histone modifications, histone variants and chromatin remodeling complexes are involved in gene activation and silencing via regulating higher order chromatin dynamics. So far, we have published about 40 research articles in SCI includingScience,Cell,Mol Cell,Developmental Cell, Nature Structural and Molecular Biology,Genes and Development,Biochemistry,Cell Researchetc.

Guohong Li, Ph.D, Prof.

Education:

    1991-1995: Department of Virology and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences,Wuhan University, Hubei, China, Bachelor of Sciences

    1995-1998: Department of Biophysics, College of Basic Medicine, Peking University Health Center, Master of Sciences. Thesis: “Structural and functional studies of alpha-actinin ”. Advisor: Prof. Kechun Lin

    1998-2003: Max-Planck Institute for Cell Biology/Heidelberg University, Ph.D. magna cum laude in January, 2003. Thesis: “Interaction in vitro of type III intermediate filament proteins with non-B-DNA structures”. Advisor: Prof. Dr. Peter Traub

Postdoctoral training:

    2003.6 - 2006.9 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Biochemistry, RWJMS/UMDNJ, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Piscataway, NJ, Mentor: Danny Reinberg, Ph.D.

    2006.9 - 2009.9 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, NYU, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, Mentor: Danny Reinberg, Ph.D.

Academic Appointments:

    2009,9- 2010,2 Research Scientist, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, NYU, New York, NY.

    2010.3- “Hundred Talents Program” Investigator, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101

Honors, Fellowships, and Awards：

    1992-1994 Excellent Student Award, Wuhan University, Hubei, China

    1997-1998 Best Graduate Student Award, Peking University Health Center, Beijing, China

    1998-2002 International graduate student fellowship, Max-Planck Institute for Cell Biology, Ladenburg/Heidelberg, Germany

     2010 “Hundred Talents Program”, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Publications:

• Bowen Yu, Madeline Cassani, Min Wang, Mofang Liu, Jinbiao Ma,Guohong Li, Zhao Zhang and Ying Huang.Structural insights intoRhino-mediated germline piRNA cluster formation.Cell Res.(in press, 2015)
• Zhouliang Yu, Xiang Zhou, Wenjing Wang, Wenqiang Deng, Junnan Fang,Hao Hu, Zichen Wang, Shangze Li, Lei Cui, Jing Shen, Linhui Zhai, Shengyi Peng, Jiemin Wong, Shuo Dong, Zengqiang Yuan, Guangshuo Ou, Xiaodong Zhang, Ping Xu, Jizhong Lou, Na Yang, Ping Chen, Rui-Ming Xu, andGuohongLi. Dynamic phosphorylation of CENP-A at Ser68 orchestrates its cell cycle-dependent deposition at centromeres.Dev. Cell. 32(1), 68-81. (2015)
• Xue Guo , Ling Wang , Jie Li , Jianxiong Xiao , Xiaotong Yin , Shuang He , Pan Shi , Changlin Tian , Liping Dong ,Guohong Li, Zhanyu Ding , Yao Cong , Jiawei Wang, and Yanhui Xu. Structural Insight into Autoinhibition and Histone H3-induced Activation of DNMT3A.Nature,517(7536), 640-644. (2015)
• Ping Chen, Ping Zhu andGuohong Li.New insights into the helical structure of 30-nm chromatin fibers.Protein Cell, 5(7), 489-491. (2014)
• Feng Song*, Ping Chen*, Dapeng Sun, Mingzhu Wang, Dan Liang, Ruiming Xu, Ping Zhu andGuohong Li. Cryo-EM study of the chromatin fiber reveals a double helix twisted by tetra-nucleosomal units.Science,344(6182), 376-380. (Research article, 2014）
• Ping Chen*, Yan Wang* andGuohong Li. Dynamics of histone variants H3.3 and its coregulation with H2A.Z at enhancers and promoters.Nucleus, 5(1), 21-27. (2014)
• Ping Chen*, Jicheng Zhao*, Yan Wang*, Haizhen Long, Dan Liang, Haiyong Zhao, Zengqi Wen, Wei Li, Xia Li, Li Huang, Hongli Feng,Ping Zhu, Ming Li, Qainfei Wang, andGuohong Li.Variant histone H3.3 functionally counteracts with H2A.Z to activate gene transcription.Genes and Development,27(19), 2109-2124. (2013)
• Gang Yuan, Ben Ma, Wen Yuan, Zhuqiang Zhang, Ping Chen, Xiaojun Ding, Li Feng, Xiaohua Shen, She Chen,Guohong Liand Bing Zhu. H2A ubiquitination inhibits the enzymatic activity of H3K36 methyltransferases.J. Biol. Chem., 288, 30832-30842. (2013)  
• Ping Chen, Jicheng Zhao, andGuohong Li.Histone variants in development and diseases.J Genet Genomics.40(7), 355-365. (2013)
• Min-Xian Qian, Dan-Yang Ji, Ye Pang, Cui-Hua Liu, Kousuke Haratake, Bo-Yu Du, Guang-Fei Wang, Qian-Qian Zhu, Wei Song, Yadong Yu, Xiao-Xu Zhang, Hai-Tao Huang, Shiying Miao, Lian-Bin Chen, Zi-Hui Zhang, Ya-Nan Liang, Shan Liu, Hwangho Cha, Dong Yang, Yonggong Zhai, Takuo Komatsu, Fuminori Tsuruta, Haitao Li, Cheng Cao, Wei Li,Guo-Hong Li, Yifan Cheng, Tomoki Chiba, Linfang Wang, Alfred L. Goldberg, Yan Shen, and Xiao-Bo Qiu. Acetylation-Mediated Degradation of Core Histones by PA200/Blm10-Containing Proteasomes.Cell,153(5):1012-1024.(2013)
• Philipp Tropberger, Sebastian Pott, Claudia Keller, Kinga Kamieniarz-Gdula, Matthieu Caron, Florian Richter,Guohong Li, Gerhard Mittler, Edison T. Liu, Marc Bühler, Raphael Margueron, and Robert Schneider. Regulation of Transcription through Acetylation of H3K122 on the Lateral Surface of the Histone Octamer.Cell, 152(4),  859-872. (2013)
• Chao-pei Liu*, Chaoyang Xiong*, Mingzhu Wang, Zhouliang Yu, Na Yang, Ping Chen, Zhiguo Zhang,Guohong Liand Rui-Ming Xu. Structure of the variant histone H3.3-H4 heterodimer in complex with its chaperone DAXX.Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 19(12)，1287-1292. (2012)
• Yu Qiu, Lei Liu, Chen Zhao, Chuanchun Han, Fudong Li, Jiahai Zhang, Yan Wang,Guohong Li, Yide Mei, Mian Wu, Jihui Wu, and Yunyu Shi. Combinatorial readout of unmodified H3R2 and acetylated H3K14 by the tandem PHD finger of MOZ reveals a regulatory mechanism for HOXA9 transcription.Genes and Development,26(12), 1376-1391. (2012)
• Yu Qiu, Wen Zhang, Chen Zhao, Yan Wang, Weiwei Wang, Jiahai Zhang, Zhiyong Zhang,Guohong Li, Yunyu Shi, Xiaoming Tu and Jihui Wu.Solution structure of Pdp1 PWWP domain reveals its unique binding sites for methylated H4K20 and DNA.Biochem J., 442(3), 527-38.（2012）
• Chengkun Wang, Jie Shen, Zhongzheng Yang, Ping Chen, Bin Zhao, Wei Hu, Wenxian Lan, Xiaotian Tong, Houming Wu,Guohong Liand Chunyang Cao Structural basis for site-specific readout of unmodified R2 of histone H3 tail by UHRF1 PHD finger.Cell Res.,21, 1379-1382. (2011)
• Bin-Zhong Li, Zheng Huang, Qing-Yan Cui, Xue-Hui Song, Lin Du, Albert Jeltsch, Ping Chen,Guohong Li, En Li and Guo-Liang Xu.Histone tails regulate DNA methylation by allosterically activating de novo methyltransferase.Cell Res., 21, 1172-1181. (2011)
• Beck DB, Bonasio R, Kaneko S, Li G,Li G, Margueron R, Oda H, Sarma K, Sims RJ 3rd, Son J, Trojer P, Reinberg D.Chromatin in the nuclear landscape.Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol.,75,11-22. (2011)
• Patrick Trojer, Alina R. Cao, Zhonghua Gao, Yan Li, Jin Zhang, Xiaoqin Xu,Guohong Li, Regine Losson, Hediye Erdjument-Bromage, Paul Tempst, Peggy J. Farnham and Danny Reinberg. L3MBTL2 protein acts in concert with PcG protein mediated monoubiquitination of H2A to establish a repressive chromatin structure.Mol. Cell, 42, 438-450. (2011).
• Hao Hu, Yang Liu1, Mingzhu Wang, Junnan Fang, Hongda Huang, Na Yang, Yanbo Li, Jianyu Wang, Xuebiao Yao, Yunyu Shi,Guohong Liand Rui-Ming Xu. Structure of a CENP-A-Histone H4 Heterodimer in Complex with Chaperone HJURP.Genes and Development, 25, 901-906. (2011).
• Guohong Liand Danny Reinberg.Chromatin higher-order structures and gene regulation.Curr Opin Genet Dev., 21, 175-186. (2011)
• Ping Chen andGuohong Li.Dynamics of the higher-order structure of chromatin.Protein Cell., 1, 967-971. (2010).
• Eric I. Campos, Jeffrey Fillingham*,Guohong Li*, Haiyan Zheng*,  Philipp Voigt, Wei-Hung W. Kuo, Harshika Seepany, Zhonghua Gao, Loren A. Day, Jack F. Greenblatt and Danny Reinberg. The Program for Processing Replicative Histones H3.1 and H4: from the Cytoplasm to the Nucleus.Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 17, 1343-1351. (2010) (*Equal contribution)
• Guohong Li; Raphael Margueron; Guobin Hu; David Stokes; Yuh-Hwa Wang; Danny Reinberg. Highly Compacted Chromatin Formed in vitro Reflect the Dynamics of Transcription Activation in vivo.Mol. Cell, 38, 41-53. (2010)
• Schutte B. Henfling M.E.R., Verheyen F.K.C.P.,Li G., Tolstonog G. and Ramaekers F.C.S.  The caspase-9 derived C-terminal fragment of cytokeratin 18 modulates topoisomerase action.Int. J. of Oncology,35, 625-630. (2009)
• Raphael Margueron;Guohong Li; Kavitha Sarma; Alexandre Blais; Jiri Zivadil; Brian Dynlacht; Danny Reinberg. Ezh1 and Ezh2 maintain repressive chromatin through different mechanisms.Mol Cell, 32, 503-518. (2008)
• Patrick Trojer*,Guohong Li*, Robert J. III Sims*, Alejandro Vaquero, Nagesh Kalakonda, Piernicola Boccuni, Donghoon Lee, Hediye Erdjument-Bromage, Paul Tempst, Stephen D. Nimer, Yuh-Hwa Wang, Danny Reinberg. L3MBTL1, a histone-methylation-dependent chromatin lock.Cell, 129, 915-928. (2007) (*Equal contribution)
• Robert J. III Sims*,Patrick Trojer*,Guohong Li, Danny Reinberg. Methods to identify and functionally analyze factors that specifically recognize histone lysine methylation.Methods, 40, 331-338. (2006) (*Equal contribution)
• Rushad Pavri, Bing Zhu,Guohong Li, Patrick Trojer, Subhrangsu Mandal, Ali Shilatifard and Danny Reinberg. Histone H2B Monoubiquitination Functions Cooperatively with FACT to Regulate Elongation by RNA Polymerase II.Cell, 125, 703-717. (2006)
• Genrich V. Tolstonog,Guohong Li, Robert L. Shoeman, and Peter Traub. Interaction in vitro of type III intermediate filament proteins with higher order structures of single-stranded DNA, particularly with G-quadruplex DNA.DNA and Cell Biology, 24, 85-110. (2005)
• Guohong Li, Genrich V. Tolstonog, Michael Sabasch and Peter Traub. Type III intermediate filament proteins interact with four-way junction DNA and facilitate its cleavage by the junction-resolving enzyme T7 endonuclease I.DNA and Cell Biology, 22, 261-291. (2003)
• Guohong Li, Genrich V. Tolstonog and Peter Traub. Interactionin vitroof type III intermediate filament proteins with Z-DNA and B-Z-DNA junctions.DNA and Cell Biology, 22, 141-169. (2003) (Cover story)
• Guohong Li, Genrich V. Tolstonog and Peter Traub. Interactionin vitroof type III intermediate filament proteins with triplex DNA.DNA and Cell Biology, 21, 163-188. (2002)
• Guohong Li, Genrich V. Tolstonog, Michael Sabasch and Peter Traub. Interactionin vitroof type III intermediate filament proteins with supercoiled plasmid DNA and modulation of eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I and II activities.DNA and Cell Biology, 21, 743-769. (2002) (Cover story)
• Guohong Li, Gang Li, Yang Qiu and Kechun Lin. pH and sodium cation induced conformational changes of a-actinin: a fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study.Acta Biophysica Sinica,15, 283-288. (1999)
• Guohong Li, Gang Li, Yang Qiu and Kechun Lin. Conformational change and interaction of a-actinin with palmitic acid and diacrylglycerol.Acta Biophysica Sinica, 15, 463-469. (1999)
• Duncheng Wang, Fengrong Bu,Guohong Li, Gang Li and Kechun Lin. The primary analysis for the effects of MB/photochemical treatment on the FT-IR spectra and activity of human Ig G.Acta Biophysica Sinica,15, 156-171. (1999)
• Xing Han,Guohong Li, Gang Li and Kechun Lin. FTIR study of the thermal denaturation of a-actinin in lipid-free and DOPG-bound states and the central and N-terminal domains of a-actinin in D2O.Biochemistry,37, 10730-10737. (1998)
• Xing Han, Gang Li,Guohong Liand Kechun Lin. Interactions between smooth muscle a-actinin and lipid bilayers.Biochemistry, 36, 10364-10371. (1997)
• Yanhua Du, Guanying Qiu,Guohong Li, Yunzi Liu, Haibiao Du and Yifong Yin. Studies on change of infective rate of PxGV and analysis of dose-effect curves induced by low-energy ion beam and g-rays.Acta Biophysica Sinica,13, 267-272. (1997)
• Xing Han,Guohong Li, Gang Li, Kechun Lin, Xing Zhang and Wei Xu. Interactions of a-actinin amd membranes studied by the methods of fluorescence energy transfer and electron microscopy.Acta Biophysica Sinica, 13, 40-44. (1997)