Professor, Biological Chemistry
School of Medicine

Telomeres & telomerase and their roles in cancer and stem cell diseases; Structural, biochemical and molecular genetic analyses of nucleoprotein assemblies

Qiao Lab

American Cancer Society Research Scholar, 2016
Inaugural Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, School of Medicine, UC-Irvine, 2015
Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award, 2012
Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2006-2009
Distinguished Ph.D. Dissertation Award, UCLA, 2005
John M. Jordan Award for Excellence in Research, UCLA, 2004

Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Thomas R. Cech
Howard Hughs Medical Institute/U. of Colorado-Boulder

Telomeres are closely involved in stem cell differentiation and cancer cell proliferation. Our long-term goal is to reveal new mechanisms for telomere length regulation and chromosome end protection. Therefore, valuable targets for mechanism-driven design of cancer and anti-aging therapeutics may be identified through our research. Specifically, we are interested in:

• Regulation of telomere homeostasis from atomic level to system level using the integration of biochemistry, structural biology (especially, x-ray crystallography), and genetics approaches.

• Re-engineering/re-wiring telomere regulatory pathways using synthetic biology modules and concepts.

• Chemical biology approach to identify small molecules that can inhibit telomere ON/OFF transition thereby inhibiting cancer cell progression.

Koronowski KB, Greco CM, Huang H, Kim JK, Fribourgh JL, Crosby P, Mathur L, Ren X, Partch CL, Jang C, Qiao F, Zhao Y, Sassone-Corsi P, “Ketogenesis impact on liver metabolism revealed by proteomics of lysine ß-hydroxybutyrylation”, Cell Reports 36(5):109487 (2021)

Liu, J, Hu, X, Bao, K, Kim, JK, Zhang, C, Jia, S, Qiao, F*, “The cooperative assembly of shelterin bridge provides a kinetic gateway that controls telomere length homeostasis”, Nucleic Acids Research, 49(14):8110 (2021)

Shan, CM, Kim, JK, Wang, J, Bao, K, Sun, Y, Chen, H, Yue, JX, Stirpe, A, Zhang, Z, Lu, C, Schalch, T, Liti, G, Nagy, PL, Tong, L, Qiao, F, Jia, S*, “The histone H3K9M mutation synergizes with H3K14 ubiquitylation to selectively sequester histone H3K9 methyltransferase Clr4 at heterochromatin”, Cell Reports, 35(7):109137 (2021)

. Hu, X, Kim, JK, Yu, C, Jun, HI, Liu, J, Sankaran, B, Huang, L, Qiao, F*, “Quality-Control Mechanism for Telomerase RNA Folding in the Cell”, Cell Reports, 33(13):108568 (2020)

Zhu Y, Wang X, Forouzmand E, Jeong J, Qiao F, Sowd GA, Engelman AN, Xie X, Hertel KJ, Shi Y. Molecular Mechanisms for CFIm-Mediated Regulation of mRNA Alternative Polyadenylation. Molecular Cell. 2018 Jan 4;69(1):62-74

Kim, JK, Liu, J, Hu, X, Yu, C, Roskamp, K, Sankaran, B, Huang, L, Komives, EA, Qiao, F, “Structural basis for shelterin bridge assembly”, Molecular Cell, 68:698-714 (2017)

Scott H, Kim JK, Yu C, Huang L, Qiao F*, Taylor DJ*. Spatial Organization and Molecular Interactions of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Ccq1-Tpz1-Poz1 Shelterin Complex. J Mol Biol. (2017) 429(19):2863-2872. *co-corresponding authors

Wang, J, Cohen, A.L., Letian, A., Tadeo, X., Moresco, J.J., Liu, J., Yates III, J.R., Qiao. F., and Jia, S. (2016). “The proper connection between shelterin components is required for telomeric heterochromatin assembly.” Genes & Development 30(7):827-39

Hu, X., Liu, J., Jun, H., Kim, J., and Qiao. F. (2016) “Multi-step coordination of telomerase recruitment in fission yeast through two coupled telomere-telomerase interfaces.” eLIFE 5:e15470

Liu, J., Yu, C., Hu, X., Kim, J., Bierma, J. C., Jun, H., Rychnovsky, S. D., Huang, L., and Qiao. F. (2015). “Dissecting Fission Yeast Shelterin Interactions via MICro-MS Links Disruption of Shelterin Bridge to Tumorigenesis.” Cell Reports 12 (12) 2169-80

Tadeo, X., Wang, J., Kallgren, S.P., Liu, J. Reddy, B., Qiao, F. and Jia, S. (2013). “Elimination of shelterin subunits bypasses RNAi for pericentric heterochromatin assembly.” Genes & Development 27(22) 2489-99.

Jun, H.I., Liu, J., Jeong, H., Kim, J.K., & Qiao, F. “Tpz1 controls a telomerase-nonextendible telomeric state and coordinates switching to an extendible state via Ccq1” Genes & Development 27:1917-1931 (2013)

Qiao, F., Goodrich, K. J. and Cech, T. R., “Engineering cis-telomerase RNAs that add telomeric repeats to themselves”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. [Direct submission] 107:4914-18 (2010)

Qiao, F. and Cech, T. R., “Triple-helix structure in telomerase RNA contributes to catalysis”, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 15:634-40 (2008)

Harada, B. T., Knight, M. J., Imai, S., Qiao, F., Ramachander, R., Sawaya, M. R., Gingery M., Sakane, F., and Bowie, J. U., “Regulation of Enzyme Localization by Polymerization: Polymer Formation by the SAM Domain of Diacylglycerol Kinase ?1”, Structure, 16:380-7 (2008)

Qiao, F., Harada, B., Song, H., Whitelegge, J., Courey A. J., and Bowie J. U., “Mae inhibits Pointed-P2 transcriptional activity by blocking its MAPK docking site”, EMBO J, 25:70-9 (2006)

Qiao, F. and Bowie, J. U., “The many faces of SAM”. Science Signaling, re7 (2005) [Cover of the issue]

Song, H., Nie, M., Qiao, F., Bowie, J. U., and Courey, A. J., “Antagonistic regulation of Yan nuclear export by Crm1 and Mae increases the stringency of the Ras response”, Genes & Development, 19: 1767-72 (2005)

Qiao, F., Song, H., Kim, C. A., Sawaya, M. R., Hunter, J. B., Gingery, M., Rebay, I., Courey, A. J., and Bowie, J. U., “Derepression by Depolymerization: Structural insights into the regulation of Yan by Mae”, Cell, 118:163-73 (2004)

NIH R01 grant

March of Dimes Foundation

American Heart Association

American Cancer Society

RNA Society

Cellular and Molecular Biosciences

Link to this profile
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=5938

Last updated
09/12/2022