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Currently seeking M.S. & Ph.D. students
Weixing Wilson Zhao
Assistant Professor, Biochemistry and Structural Biology
Weixing Zhao earned his B.S and Ph.D. from Peking University, China, and received postdoctoral training at Yale University, where he focused on understanding homology-directed repair of DNA double-strand breaks that is dependent on the tumor suppressors BRCA1 and BRCA2. Currently, as a new faulty at Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology and Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Dr. Zhao’s research interest is to investigate the BRCA1/2 tumor suppressor networks in various related biological processes (i.e. DNA damage response, DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoints, transcriptional regulation and cellular senescence) and the molecular mechanisms underlying their pathogenic mutations that are associated with cancers and other diseases, with the aim of providing the foundation and impetus for developing new therapeutic regimens.
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Professional Background
Education
- 2007 - PhD - Peking University
- 2002 - B.Sc. - Peking University
Training
- 2018 - Associate Research Scientist - DNA Repair and Cancer Biology - Yale University
- 2013 - Postdoctoral Fellow - DNA Repair and Cancer Biology - Yale University
Appointments
- Dec 1st, 2018-present - Assistant Professor (tenure track), Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology - UT Health at San Antonio
- Dec 1st, 2018-present - Member, Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute - UT Health at San Antonio
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Research & Grants
Research Focus: DNA Damage Response; DNA Repair; Ubiquitination; BRCA1, BRCA2
Relevant Diseases: Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Neuroblastoma
Research Techniques: Molecular Biology, Protein Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Biophysics, Structural Biology
Grants
Current Research Support:
Rising STARS Award from University of Texas System
V Foundation Scholar Cancer ResearchGrant
Maxand Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund Young Investigator Award
Pending Research Support:
NIH R01GM141091
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Service
Department
BMM Discipline Representative of the IBMS Recruitment Committee
Member of the BSB Department Student Awards/Lectureships Committee
Co-Director Protein Production Facility of the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery
Institutional
Member of the Radiation Safety Committee
Member of Oversight Committee for Mays Cancer Center Shared Resources
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Publications
Publications (32 articles published with over 1500 citations and an H-index of 21)
At UT Health San Antonio (2019-present)
Original Research Articles:
1. Maranon D.G.*, Sharma N.*, Huang, Y*, Selemenakis P., Wang M., Altina N., Zhao W.#, and Wiese C.# (2020) NUCKS1 controls RAD54 activity in homologous recombination DNA repair. J. Cell Biol. 219 (10): e201911049. (*Co-first authors; #Corresponding author)
2. Liang F., Miller A. S., Tang C., Maranon D., Williamson E. A., Hromas R., Wiese C., Zhao W., Sung P., and Kupfer G. M. Role of the UAF1 DNA Binding Activity in RAD51-Mediated Homologous DNA Pairing and Homology-directed DNA Repair. J. Biol. Chem., June 12, 2020 295(24): 8186-8194
3. Srinivasan G., Williamson. E.A., Kimi Kong K., Jaiswal A.S., Huang G., Kim H., Schärer O., Zhao W., Burma S., Sung P., and Hromas R. (2019). MiR223-3p promotes synthetic lethality in BRCA1 deficient cancers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. August 27, 2019 116 (35): 17438-17443
4. Steinfeld J.B., Beláň O., Kwon Y., Terakawa T., Al-Zain A., Smith M.J., Crickard J.B., Qi Z., Zhao W., Rothstein R., Symington L.S., Sung P., Boulton S.J., Greene E.C. (2019) Defining the influence of Rad51 and Dmc1 lineage-specific amino acids on genetic recombination. Genes Dev. September 1, 2019 33: 1191-1207
Invited Review Articles:
5. Zhao, W.*#, Wiese C.*, Kwon Y., Hromas R., and Sung P. #. (2019) The BRCA Tumor Suppressor Network in Chromosome Damage Repair by Homologous Recombination. Annual Review of Biochemistry 88:23.1-23.25 (*Co-first authors; #Co-corresponding authors)
Prior to UT Health San Antonio (2005-2018)
Major Original Research Articles:
1. Zhao, W. #,Steinfeld J.B., Liang F., Chen X., Maranon D. G., Jian Ma C., Kwon Y., Rao T., Wang W., Sheng C., Song X., Deng Y., Jimenez-Sainz J., Lu L., Jensen R.B., Xiong Y., Kupfer G.M., Wiese C., Greene E.C.# and Sung P. #. (2017). BRCA1-BARD1 promotes RAD51-mediated homologous DNA pairing. Nature 550: 360–365 (#Co-corresponding authors) (Highlighted in Nature News & Views; attracted 68 media attentions; ranked within the top one percent of over 276,000 research articles of a similar age. F1000 Recommended as an exceptional study; Citations: 113)
2. Xu, J.*, Zhao, L*, Xu, Y.*, Zhao, W.*, Sung, P. and Wang, H-W.. (2017) Cryo-EM structures of human recombinase RAD51 filaments in the catalysis of DNA strand exchange. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 24:40-46 (*Co-first authors)(F1000 Recommended as exceptional study)
3. Zhao, W., Vaithiyalingam, S., San Filippo, J., Maranon, D.G., Jimenez-Sainz, J., Fontenay, G.V., Kwon, Y., Leung, S. G., Lu, L., Jensen, R. B.,Chazin, W.J., Wiese, C., Sung, P.(2015). Promotion of BRCA2-dependent Homologous Recombination by DSS1 via RPA Targeting and DNA Mimicry. Molecular Cell 59:176-187. (Cover of the issue July 16th; F1000 Recommended by three experts)
4. Zhao, W.#, Sung P#. (2015). Significance of ligand interactions involving Hop2-Mnd1 and the RAD51 and DMC1 recombinases in homologous DNA repair and XX ovarian dysgenesis. Nucleic Acids Res. 43, 4055-4066. (#Co-corresponding authors)
5.Lee, J.Y., Terakawa, T., Qi, Z., Steinfeld, J. B., Redding, S., Kwon, Y., Gaines, W. A., Zhao, W., Sung, P., and Greene, E. C. (2015). Base triplet recognition during DNA strand exchange by the Rad51/RecA family of recombinases. Science 349, 977-981. (F1000 Recommended as an exceptional study)
6.Zhao, W., Saro, D., Hammel, M., Kwon, Y., Xu, Y., Rambo, R.P., Williams, G.J., Chi, P., Lu, L., Pezza, R.J., et al. (2014). Mechanistic insights into the role of Hop2-Mnd1 in meiotic homologous DNA pairing. Nucleic Acids Res. 42, 906-917.
7 .Niu, H., Chung, W.H., Zhu, Z., Kwon, Y., Zhao, W., Chi, P., Prakash, R., Seong, C., Liu, D., Lu, L., Ira, G., and Sung, P. (2010). Mechanism of the ATP-dependent DNA end-resection machinery from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nature 467, 108-111.