Danny’s research focuses on the atomic and molecular insights into the structure-function relationships of biomolecules. Danny coined the term, pyrophosphate cage, to describe how the potent antimicrobial peptide, Nisin, recognizes bacterial cell wall precursor, Lipid II, to achieve the novel targeted pore-forming bactericidal activity. He reported the first demonstration of direct structural investigation of the dynamic co-translational folding events of a nascent polypeptide chain as it emerges from the ribosome by using NMR, which has paved the way towards fundamental understanding of protein folding and misfolding. He also unravelled unique structural and dynamic features of several oncogenic DNA/RNA G-quadruplex forming motifs to help drug designs. After starting his independent career in Taiwan, Danny continues to deepen our basic understanding of protein folding while collaborating with several research teams to study novel lectins and glyco/membrane proteins, and designs of better lectin inhibitors. His recent research focuses on how mutations impact on host recognition and immunity escape of coronaviruses, and how cancer-associated mutations allosterically impair the deubiquitinase activity and increase aggregation propensity of an important oncogene suppressor BAP1. Danny also establishes industrial collaborations to characterize the physicochemical and structural attributes protein drug targets.
Structural Insight into the ZFAND1-p97 Interaction Involved in Stress Granule Clearance.
Lai CH, Ko KT, Fan PJ, Yu TA, Chang CF, Draczkowski P, Hsu STD*
Journal of Biological Chemistry (2024)
Rapid simulation of glycoprotein structures by grafting and steric exclusion of glycan conformer libraries.
Tsai YX, Chang NE, Reuter K, Chang HT, Yang TJ, von Bülow S, Sehrawat V, Zerrouki M, Tuffery M, Gecht M, Grothaus IL, Ciacchi LC, Wang YS, Hsu MF, Khoo KH, Hummer G, Hsu STD*, Hanus C*, Sikora M*
Cell (2024)
Structure, dynamics and stability of the smallest and most complex 71 protein knot.
Hsu MF, Sriramoju MK, Lai CH, Chen YR, Huang JS, Ko TP, Huang KF, Hsu STD*
Journal of Biological Chemistry (2024)
Folding and functions of knotted proteins.
Hsu STD*
Current Opinion in Structural Biologys (2023)
In situ structure and dynamics of an alphacoronavirus spike protein by cryo-ET and cryo-EM.
Huang CY, Draczkowski P, Wang YS, Chang CY, Chien YC, Cheng YH, Wu YM, Wang CH, Chang YC, Chang YC, Yang TJ, Tsai YX, Khoo KH, Chang HW, Hsu STD*
Nature Communications (2022)
Tumor suppressor BAP1 nuclear import is governed by transportin-1.
Yang TJ, Li TN, Huang RS, Pan MY, Lin SY, Lin S, Wu KP, Wang LH, Hsu STD*
Journal of Cell Biology (2022)
Impacts of cancer-associated mutations on the structure-activity relationship of BAP1.
Puri S, Chen SN, Chiu YH, Draczkowski P, Ko KT, Yang TJ, Wang YS, Uchiyama S, Hsu STD*
Journal of Molecular Biology (2022)
D614G mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein enhances viral fitness by desensitizing it to temperature-dependent denaturation.
Yang TJ, Yu PY, Chang YC, Hsu STD*
Journal of Biological Chemistry (2021)
Effect of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 mutations on spike protein structure and function.
Yang TJ, Yu PY, Chang YC, Liang KH, Tso HC, Ho MR, Chen WY, Lin HT, Wu HC, Hsu STD*
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2021)
Cryo-EM analysis of a feline coronavirus spike protein reveals a unique structure and camouflaging glycans.
Yang TJ, Chang YC, Ko TP, Draczkowski P, Chien YC, Chang YC, Wu KP, Khoo KH, Chang HW*, Hsu STD*
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2020)