Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica

Research

The main foci of my lab are to reverse-engineer the ribosomes, and to uncover, discover novel functions of RNA.

We are interested in the RNA research: folding, assembly, and functions, using bioinformatics, biophysical chemistry, synthetic biochemistry, structural biology, molecular biology, and cell biology. We pay extraordinary attentions to the RNA association with metals, beyond group I and group II cations. In addition we use virus-like particle (VLP) to pack various sizes of RNA for cancer immunotherapy.

Degrees and Positions Held

• 2008   Ph.D., Bioinformatics, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.

• 2021 – present   Joint Appointment Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica
• 2019 – present   Associate Professor, Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University
• 2015 – 2021   Joint Appointment Assistant Research Fellow, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica
• 2014 – 2019   Assistant Professor, Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University
• 2008 – 2014   Post Doctoral Associate, Georgia Institute of Technology

Selected Publications

Evolution of the ribosome at atomic resolution. 
A. S. Petrov, C. R. Bernier, C. Hsiao, A. M. Norris, N. A. Kovacs, C. C. Waterbury, V. G. Stepanov, S. C. Harvey, G. E. Fox, R. M. Wartell, N. V. Hud and L. D. Williams 
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (2014)

RiboVision suite for visualization and analysis of ribosomes. 
C. R. Bernier, A. S. Petrov, C. C. Waterbury, J. Jett, F. Li, L. E. Freil, X. Xiong, L. Wang, B. L. Migliozzi, E. Hershkovits, Y. Xue, C. Hsiao, C., Bowman, S. C. Harvey, M. A. Grover, Z. J. Wartell and L. D. Williams 
Faraday Discuss (2014)

Secondary Structures of rRNAs from All Three Domains of Life. 
A. S. Petrov, C. R. Bernier, B. Gulen, C. C. Waterbury, E. Hershkovits, C. Hsiao, S. C. Harvey, N. V. Hud, G. E. Fox, R. M. Wartell and L. D. Williams. 
PLoS One (2014)

Molecular paleontology: a biochemical model of the ancestral ribosome. 
Hsiao, C., Lenz, T.K., Peters, J.K., Fang, P.Y., Schneider, D.M., Anderson, E.J., Preeprem, T., Bowman, J.C., O'Neill, E.B., Lie, L., Athavale, S. S., Gossett, J.J., Trippe, C., Murray, J., Petrov, A.S., Wartell, R.M., Harvey, S.C., Hud, N.V., Williams, L.D. 
Nucleic Acids Res. (2013)

RNA with iron(II) as a cofactor catalyses electron transfer. 
Hsiao, C., Chou, I.C., Okafor, C.D., Bowman, J.C., O'Neill, E.B., Athavale, S.S., Petrov, A.S., Hud, N.V., Wartell, R.M., Harvey, S.C., Williams, L.D. 
Nature Chemistry (2013)

Secondary structure and domain architecture of the 23S and 5S rRNAs. 
Petrov, A.S., Bernier, C.R., Hershkovits, E., Xue, Y., Waterbury, C.C., Hsiao, C., Stepanov, V.G., Gaucher, E.A., Grover, M.A., Harvey, S.C., Hud, N.V., Wartell, R.M., Fox, G.E., Williams, L.D. 
Nucleic Acids Res. (2013)

B-DNA structure is intrinsically polymorphic: even at the level of base pair positions. 
Maehigashi T., Hsiao, C., Woods, K.K., Moulaei, T., and Williams, L.D. 
Nucleic Acids Res. (2012)

Domain III of the T. thermophilus 23S rRNA Folds Independently to a near-Native State. 
Athavale, S.S., Gossett, J.J., Hsiao, C., Bowman, J.C., O'Neill, E., Hershkovitz, E., Preeprem, T., Hud, N.V., Wartell, R.M., Harvey, S.C., and Williams, L.D. 
RNA (2012)

RNA Folding and Catalysis Mediated by Iron (II). 
Athavale, S.S., Petrov, A.S., Hsiao, C., Watkins, D., Prickett, C.D., Gossett, J.J., Lie, L., Bowman, J.C., O'Neill, E., Bernier, C.R., Hud, N.V., Wartell, R., Harvey, S.C., and Williams, L.D. 
PLoS ONE (2012)

RNA-Magnesium-Protein Interactions in Large Ribosomal Subunit. 
Petrov, A.S., Bernier, C., Hsiao, C.; Okafor, C.D., Tannenbaum, E, Stern, J., Gaucher, E., Schneider, D., Hud, N.V, Harvey, S.C.; Williams, L.D. 
J. Phys. Chem. B (2012)

Publication List