Dong
Biochemistry & Biophysics | Structural & Computational Biology
Structural studies of ciliogenesis
Gang Dong
Group Leader
gang.dong [AT] meduniwien.ac [DOT] at
Phone: +43-1-4277-61625
Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna | Room: 3.506
Download CVResearch
Eukaryotic cilia and flagella are specialized organelles that are highly conserved from protists to mammals. These organelles consist of the membrane-sheathed axoneme, which is an extension of the mother centriole, and at least 360 associated proteins. Cilia have attracted much attention in recent years because of their role in the transduction of extracellular signals and their association with an expanding number of human disorders. Such disorders include respiratory distress
...moreEukaryotic cilia and flagella are specialized organelles that are highly conserved from protists to mammals. These organelles consist of the membrane-sheathed axoneme, which is an extension of the mother centriole, and at least 360 associated proteins. Cilia have attracted much attention in recent years because of their role in the transduction of extracellular signals and their association with an expanding number of human disorders. Such disorders include respiratory distress syndrome, male sterility, polycystic kidney disease, retinal degeneration, and Bardet-Biedl syndrome.
Cilium assembly is initiated by the docking and fusion of the mother centriole to the apical membrane of the cell. Cilia are assembled and maintained through intraflagellar transport (IFT). This process is carried out by two distinct protein complexes, IFT complex A and B, which contain at least six and sixteen subunits, respectively. These complexes transport ciliary cargos within cilia and flagella by interactions with the microtubule-associated motor proteins kinesin-II and dynein.
Research summary - we are focusing on a number of aspects in ciliogenesis, including centriole/basal body duplication, vesicle targeting to the ciliary base, flagellar pocket biogenesis and intraflagellar transport.
Technically, we mainly use X-ray crystallography to determine the structures of these proteins and their complexes. Other biophysical techniques such as static/dynamic light scattering (SLS/DLS), differential scanning calorimetry, and analytical ultracentrifugation will as well be employed to study the architecture and assembly of the proteins and their complexes. Small proteins and domains are also studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, whereas large assemblies are examined by electron microscopy (EM). Our structural studies will be complemented by site-directed mutagenesis, in vitro biochemical experiments, and in vivo assays (mostly with our collaborators) to test our mechanistic hypotheses. The available new structures will enhance our understanding of how these complexes function and provide hints as to how their malfunction leads to human diseases.
News
Aug 24, 2018 - Congrats to Yulia & Johannes on their new publication on J. Mol. Biol.
July 01, 2018 - Welcome Sylwia Janiszewska, an Erasmus Plus student from Poland.
July 01, 2018 - Welcome Marta Warzycha, an Erasmus Plus student from Poland.
June 25, 2018 - Congrats to Yulia for being selected as a speaker at the MPM meeting (Woods Hole, Sept 2018).
June 18, 2018 - Congratulations to Emma on her "Best Poster" prize at the VDS “Molecules of Life” retreat 2018.
April 17, 2018 - Our co-publication with Li's group in Houston appears on J. Biol. Chem.
April 12, 2018 - Our co-publication with Cui's group at Penn State appears on J. Infect. Dis.
March 15, 2018 - Congratulations, Mag. Majneri on your "Sehr Gut" Diploma defense!
March 1, 2018 - Welcome Rui Qiang Chen back to do his Master's thesis in our lab.
Feb 27, 2018 - Our co-publication with Cui's group at Penn State appears on J. Cell Sci.
Jan 31, 2018 - Welcome Katarzyna Karwan, an Erasmus Plus student from Poland.
Jan 15, 2018 - Welcome Cagin Tüzün to the lab for doing his Wahlbeispiel!
Dec 15, 2017 - Congrats to Paul on his co-publication on J. Cell Sci.
Nov 1, 2017 - Congrats to Keni & Johannes on their co-authored publication on PloS Pathogen.
Oct 30, 2017 - Welcome Omer Rashid Abdi, an apprentice who will work in our lab for a few weeks.
Oct 26, 2017 - Congrats to Paul on his co-authored publication on J. Cell Sci.
Oct 1, 2017 - Welcome Daria Filipczak, an Erasmus Plus student from Poland.
July 1, 2017 - Welcome Rui Qiang Chen, a Master student doing practical training in our lab.
May 1, 2017 - Welcome Paul Majneri who will carry out work for his Diploma thesis in our lab.
Feb 15, 2017 - Yubo's work on Sec3/Sso2 is reported in the MFPL news.
Feb 1, 2017 - Welcome Eva Zorec, a Master student doing practical training in our lab.
Jan 23, 2017 - Congrats to Yubo & Johannes on their publication on Nat. Commun.
Oct 24, 2016 - Welcome Paul Majneri, a Master student doing practical training in our lab.
July 1, 2016 - Welcome Dr. Yan Zhang, an Eurasia-Pacific Uninet visiting scholar from China.
July 1, 2016 - Welcome Kamil Sekulski, an Erasmus Plus student from Poland.
April 2016 - Secured a post for long-term future plans.
March 29, 2016 - Welcome Dr. Amjad Farzinpour as a sabbatical visitor.
March 8, 2016 - Welcome Yulia Pivovarova to our group as a new PhD student.
March 1, 2016 - Welcome Emma Stepinac to our group as a new PhD student.
Nov 2, 2015 - Congrats to Johannes on his new publication in Methods Mol. Biol.
Aug 12, 2015 - Our Review paper on Centriole Assembly is published in Open Biol.
Sept 26, 2015 - SBGrid member tale - a career summary by E. Dougherty.
Aug 1, 2015 - Welcome Eva Kišová, an Erasmus Plus student from Slovakia.
Aug 1, 2015 - Welcome Klára Šalagová, an Erasmus Plus student from Slovakia.
July 20, 2015 - Open PhD positions in the DK 'Integrative Structural Biology'
July 1, 2015 - Welcome Toni Sandvik, an Erasmus Plus student from Finland.
June 23, 2015 - Welcome Patrycja Wójcik, an Erasmus Plus student from Poland.
June 23, 2015 - Welcome Daria Skwarzyńska, an Erasmus Plus student from Poland.
May 4, 2015 - Our co-application for the Doctor Program is approved by the FWF!
May 4, 2015 - We are awarded a new FWF stand-alone grant (P28231)!
Mar 30, 2015 - Congrats to Keni on his new publication in Plos Pathogens.
Jan 28, 2015 - Congrats to Keni & Johannes on their new publication in Commun. Integr. Biol.
Nov 1, 2014 - Welcome Alicia Villacampa Calvo, an Erasmus+ student from Spain.
Oct 1, 2014 - Congrats to Katya on her new publication in Acta Crystallogr.
Oct 1, 2014 - Welcome Oliver Koldyka, an undergraduate from FH Campus Wien.
Sept 23, 2014 - Katya's work on ZYG-1/Plk4 is reported in the MFPL news.
Aug 27, 2014 - Congrats, Dr. Shimanovskaya on your "Sehr Gut" PhD defense!
Aug 25, 2014 - Keni's work on T. brucei BILBO1 is reported in the MFPL news.
Aug 22, 2014 - Congrats to Keni on his new publication in J. Biol. Chem.
Aug13, 2014 - Congrats to Johannes on winning one of the Perutz Crystal Awards!
Aug 5, 2014 - Katya's paper is highlighted in the August issue of STRUCTURE.
July 1, 2014 - Welcome Rene Rauschmeier, an undergraduate from Univ. of Vienna.
June 26, 2014 - Congrats to Katya on her new publication in STRUCTURE.
May 21, 2014 - Congrats to Katya on "Best Poster" prize at the EMBO/EMBL meeting.
May 1, 2014 - Congrats to Keni on his new publication in Acta Crystallogr.
Jan 23, 2014 - Congratulations, Dr. Vidilaseris on your "Sehr Gut" PhD defense!
Dec 20, 2013 - Congrats to Keni on his new publication in J. Biol. Chem.
Dec 18, 2013 - Congratulations to Keni on his "Best Poster" prize at the SAB meeting.
May 31, 2013 - Congrats to Ekaterina & Renping on their publication in WORM.
Oct 9, 2013 - Congrats to Keni on his "Best Oral Presentation" prize at the CFC2013 meeting.
Jan, 2013 - Welcome, Yubo! Dr. Yubo Zhang joined our group as a Postdoc.
Nov, 2012 - Congratulations, Dr. Pleban on your "Sehr Gut" PhD defense!
Nov 2012 - Congratulations to Renping on her new publication in EMBO J.
Sept 12, 2012 - Congratulations, Dr. Qiao on your "Sehr Gut" PhD defense!
Mar 5, 2012 - We are awarded a new FWF stand-alone grant (P 24383)!
March 7, 2011 - We are awarded our first FWF stand-alone grant (P 23440)!
Team
Rui Qiang Chen
Diploma/Master Student
Email: rui-qiang.chen@univie.ac.at
Telephone: +43-1-4277-61626
Room: 3.507/ 3.508
Yulia Pivovarova
PhD Student
Email: yulia.pivovarova@univie.ac.at
Telephone: +43-1-4277-61626
Room: 3.502
Publications
Yue, Peng; Zhang, Yubo; Mei, Kunrong; Wang, Shaoxiao; Lesigang, Johannes; Zhu, Yueyao; Dong, Gang; Guo, Wei (2017). Sec3 promotes the initial binary t-SNARE complex assembly and membrane fusion. NAT COMMUN;8:14236. PMID: 28112172
Shimanovskaya, Ekaterina; Viscardi, Valeria; Lesigang, Johannes; Lettman, Molly M; Qiao, Renping; Svergun, Dmitri I; Round, Adam; Oegema, Karen; Dong, Gang (2014). Structure of the C. elegans ZYG-1 Cryptic Polo Box Suggests a Conserved Mechanism for Centriolar Docking of Plk4 Kinases. STRUCTURE;22(8):1090-104. PMID: 24980795
Qiao, Renping; Cabral, Gabriela; Lettman, Molly M; Dammermann, Alexander; Dong, Gang (2012). SAS-6 coiled-coil structure and interaction with SAS-5 suggest a regulatory mechanism in C. elegans centriole assembly. EMBO J;31(22):4334-47. PMID: 23064147
Collaborations & Funding
Doctoral Program "Integrative Structural Biology"
2016-2019: The Group Dong participates in the special Doctoral Program "Integrative Structural Biology" reviewed and funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF.
Research Grants
FWF - Stand alone project (P28231)
Structural Characterization of ZYG-1 in Centriole Assembly
FWF - Stand alone project (P24383-B21)
Structural studies of the Trypanosoma brucei protein TbBILBO1
FWF - Stand alone project (P23440-B20)
Structural Studies of the Intraflagellar Transport Complexes
OeAD Graduate Scholarship
Funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Supporting Keni Vidilaseris during 2010-2013.
Collaborations
WWTF - Molecular Mechanisms and Methods
Towards sustainable food and bioenergy security for society: Establishing an academic compound screening platform in Vienna to characterize and modulate Strigolactone synthesis in plants. Role: Research Partner (PI: Dr. T. Sieberer).