Hao, Quan

郝權

Professor

e-mail: qhao@hku.hk

Tel.: 2819-9194

• New Investigator Award, The Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), UK, 1994
• K.C. Wong Award, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1997.
• Honorary Lecture, The Scripps Research Institute and UC Berkeley, USA, 2000.
• Chair, Beamline Review Committee for macromolecular crystallography, National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), USA, 2008.

Structural Biology.

X-ray crystallography is the major technique for elucidating structure-function relationships.  The results can provide insights into how biological systems work and may find wide reaching applications in pharmaceutical design. Our research focuses on the development and utilization of crystallographic methods to drive structural studies of biologically important proteins. One project is on cell signaling pathways involving CD38/CD31 that may offer insights into mechanisms in certain diseases, such as leukemia and diabetes. Another is on the interplay between CD38, HIV glycoprotein gp120 and HIV’s receptor CD4 and implications for the inhibition of HIV and CD4 interaction. We are also interested in studying surface glycoproteins of H5N1 viruses that are critical in viral infection, including hemagglutinin, neuraminidase and nucleoprotein.

Representative Publications

• Q. Liu, IA Kriksunov, R. Graeff, HC Lee, and Q. Hao (2007) J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 282, 5853-5861. Structural basis for formation and hydrolysis of calcium messenger cyclic ADP-ribose by human CD38.

• Q Hao (2006) Acta Cryst. D62, 909-914. Macromolecular envelope determination and envelope-based phasing. (Journal Cover)

• N Yan, J. Chai, ES Lee, L. Gu, Q. Liu, J. He, JW Wu, D. Kokel, H. Li, Q. Hao, D. Xue and Y. Shi (2005) Nature, 437, 831-837. Structure of the CED-4−CED-9 complex provides insights into programmed cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans.

• Q Liu, IA Kriksunov, R. Graeff, C. Munshi, HC. Lee, and Q. Hao (2005) Structure, vol. 13, 1331-1339. Crystal Structure of Human CD38 Extracellular Domain. (Journal cover)

• Q. Hao, (2001), Acta Cryst. D57. 1410-1414. "Phasing from an Envelope". (Journal cover).

• Q Hao, FE Dodd, JG Grossman and SS Hasnain (1999) Acta Cryst., D55, 243-246. Ab initio phasing using molecular envelope from x-ray solution scattering.