Hongtao Yu, Ph.D.

Dr. Hongtao Yu was born in China in 1969. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University (Beijing, China). He came to the U.S. in 1990 and received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University (Cambridge, MA) in 1995. His thesis research focused on the structure determination of protein modules involved in signal transduction. He then completed his postdoctoral training in Biology at Harvard Medical School (1995-1999). During his postdoctoral training, Dr. Yu studied the regulation of the cell division cycle in vertebrates. In 1999, Dr. Yu began his independent research career as an Assistant Professor and the Michael L. Rosenberg Scholar in Biomedical Research at the Department of Pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2004 and to Professor in 2008. He was selected as an HHMI Investigator in 2008. His lab studies cellular mechanisms that govern chromosome inheritance and integrity using a combination of cell biological, biochemical, and biophysical methods.

Undergraduate	Peking University - China (1990), Chemistry
Graduate School	Harvard University (1995), Chemistry

• Cell cycle checkpoints
• Chromosome segregation
• DNA repair
• Histone modifications
• Protein structure and folding

Featured Publications

PP2A is required for centromeric localization of Sgo1 and proper chromosome segregation

Tang, Z., Shu, H., Qi, W., Mahmood, N., Mumby, M. C., and Yu, H. Dev. Cell 2006 10 575-585

Phosphorylation of Cdc20 by Bub1 provides a catalytic mechanism for APC/C inhibition by the spindle checkpoint.

Tang, Z., Sun, Y., Harley, S. E., Zou, H., and Yu, H. Mol. Cell 2004 16 387-397

The Mad2 spindle checkpoint protein undergoes similar major conformational changes upon binding to either Mad1 or Cdc20.

Luo, X., Tang, Z., Rizo, J., and Yu, H. Mol. Cell 2002 9 59-71

Identification of a cullin homology region in a subunit of the Anaphase-Promoting Complex.

Yu, H., Peters, J.P., King, R. W., Page, A., Hieter, P., and Kirschner, M. W. Science 1998 279 1219-1222

Structural basis for the binding of proline-rich peptides to SH3 domains.

Yu, H., Chen, J. K., Feng, S., Dalgarno, D. C., Brauer, A. W. and Schreiber, S. L. Cell 1994 76 933-945

PICH and BLM limit histone association with anaphase centromeric DNA threads and promote their resolution.

Ke Y, Huh JW, Warrington R, Li B, Wu N, Leng M, Zhang J, Ball HL, Li B, Yu H The EMBO journal 2011 Jul 3309-21

The SMC5/6 complex maintains telomere length in ALT cancer cells through sumoylation of telomere-binding proteins

Potts, P. R. and Yu, H. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 2007 14 581-590

PP2A is required for centromeric localization of Sgo1 and proper chromosome segregation.

Tang, Z., Shu, H., Qi, W., Mahmood, N., Mumby, M. C., and Yu, H. Dev. Cell 2006 10 575-585

Structural basis for CoREST-dependent demethylation of nucleosomes by the human LSD1 histone demethylase

Yang, M., Gocke, C. B., Luo, X., Borek, D., Tomchick, D. R., Machius, M., Otwinowski, Z., and Yu, H. Mol. Cell 2006 23 377-387

Phosphorylation of Cdc20 by Bub1 provides a catalytic mechanism for APC/C inhibition by the spindle checkpoint.

Tang, Z., Shu, H., Oncel, D., Chen, S., and Yu, H. Mol. Cell 2004 16 387-397

• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
  Scholar Award (2003)
• W.M. Keck
  Scholar Award (2003)
• Burroughs Wellcome
  New Investigator Award in Pharmacological Science (2000)
• Packard Fellowship
  Science and Engineering (2000)
• Damon Runyon
  Scholar Award (1999)

• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• American Society for Cell Biology
• Sigma Xi