Chenxiang Lin, PhD
Associate Professor of Cell Biology and of Biomedical Engineering; Associate Director, Nanobiology Institute
Research & Publications
Biography
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Research Summary
Nature has evolved sophisticated and highly efficient molecular machineries for all forms of lives. Our lab focuses on engineering DNA-nanostructure-based molecular tools for investigating and engineering the naturally occurring molecular events. Those DNA-based tools have made it possible for us to manipulate macromolecules and higher order assemblies with nanometer precision. We expect such research to help elucidate biological questions at the single-molecule level, and in the long run lead to functional synthetic nano-machines that rival natural systems in complexity.
Research themes in our lab include:
- Structural DNA Nanotechnology: rational design of self-assembled DNA nanostructure with ever-increasing complexity and size.
- Single-Molecule Biophysics: study of biomolecule interactions through DNA-directed self-assembly and other single-molecule techniques.
- Biosensing and Imaging: developing nucleic-acid-based barcodes as multiplexed biosensors and/or in situ imaging probes.
- Synthetic Biology: rebuild naturally existing machineries (e.g., SNARE complex, nuclear pore, etc.) with artificial components and/or spatial arrangement.
Coauthors
Research Interests
Biophysics; Cell Membrane; Cell Biology; DNA; Lipid Bilayers; Membrane Fusion; Membranes, Artificial; Reference Standards; Nucleic Acid Probes; Biosensing Techniques; Nuclear Pore; Nanotechnology; Nanostructures
Selected Publications
- Modeling HIV-1 nuclear entry with nucleoporin-gated DNA-origami channelsShen Q, Feng Q, Wu C, Xiong Q, Tian T, Yuan S, Shi J, Bedwell G, Yang R, Aiken C, Engelman A, Lusk C, Lin C, Xiong Y. Modeling HIV-1 nuclear entry with nucleoporin-gated DNA-origami channels. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 2023, 30: 425-435. PMID: 36807645, PMCID: PMC10121901, DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-00925-9.
- Functionalized DNA-Origami-Protein Nanopores Generate Large Transmembrane Channels with Programmable Size-SelectivityShen Q, Xiong Q, Zhou K, Feng Q, Liu L, Tian T, Wu C, Xiong Y, Melia T, Lusk C, Lin C. Functionalized DNA-Origami-Protein Nanopores Generate Large Transmembrane Channels with Programmable Size-Selectivity. Journal Of The American Chemical Society 2022, 145: 1292-1300. PMID: 36577119, PMCID: PMC9852090, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c11226.
- Actuating tension-loaded DNA clamps drives membrane tubulationLiu L, Xiong Q, Xie C, Pincet F, Lin C. Actuating tension-loaded DNA clamps drives membrane tubulation. Science Advances 2022, 8: eadd1830. PMID: 36223466, PMCID: PMC9555772, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add1830.
- DNA-Origami NanoTrap for Studying the Selective Barriers Formed by Phenylalanine-Glycine-Rich NucleoporinsShen Q, Tian T, Xiong Q, Fisher P, Xiong Y, Melia TJ, Lusk CP, Lin C. DNA-Origami NanoTrap for Studying the Selective Barriers Formed by Phenylalanine-Glycine-Rich Nucleoporins. Journal Of The American Chemical Society 2021, 143: 12294-12303. PMID: 34324340, PMCID: PMC8363578, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c05550.
- Sorting sub-150-nm liposomes of distinct sizes by DNA-brick-assisted centrifugationYang Y, Wu Z, Wang L, Zhou K, Xia K, Xiong Q, Liu L, Zhang Z, Chapman ER, Xiong Y, Melia TJ, Karatekin E, Gu H, Lin C. Sorting sub-150-nm liposomes of distinct sizes by DNA-brick-assisted centrifugation. Nature Chemistry 2021, 13: 335-342. PMID: 33785892, PMCID: PMC8049973, DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00667-5.
- A programmable DNA-origami platform for studying lipid transfer between bilayersBian X, Zhang Z, Xiong Q, De Camilli P, Lin C. A programmable DNA-origami platform for studying lipid transfer between bilayers. Nature Chemical Biology 2019, 15: 830-837. PMID: 31320758, PMCID: PMC6650167, DOI: 10.1038/s41589-019-0325-3.
- Vesicle Tubulation with Self‐Assembling DNA NanospringsGrome MW, Zhang Z, Pincet F, Lin C. Vesicle Tubulation with Self‐Assembling DNA Nanosprings. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2018, 57: 5330-5334. PMID: 29575478, PMCID: PMC5924453, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201800141.
- A Programmable DNA Origami Platform for Organizing Intrinsically Disordered Nucleoporins within Nanopore ConfinementFisher PDE, Shen Q, Akpinar B, Davis LK, Chung KKH, Baddeley D, Šarić A, Melia TJ, Hoogenboom BW, Lin C, Lusk CP. A Programmable DNA Origami Platform for Organizing Intrinsically Disordered Nucleoporins within Nanopore Confinement. ACS Nano 2018, 12: 1508-1518. PMID: 29350911, PMCID: PMC5834394, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b08044.
- Placing and shaping liposomes with reconfigurable DNA nanocagesZhang Z, Yang Y, Pincet F, Llaguno M, Lin C. Placing and shaping liposomes with reconfigurable DNA nanocages. Nature Chemistry 2017, 9: 653-659. PMID: 28644472, PMCID: PMC5542812, DOI: 10.1038/nchem.2802.
- Self-assembly of size-controlled liposomes on DNA nanotemplatesYang Y, Wang J, Shigematsu H, Xu W, Shih WM, Rothman JE, Lin C. Self-assembly of size-controlled liposomes on DNA nanotemplates. Nature Chemistry 2016, 8: 476-483. PMID: 27102682, PMCID: PMC5021307, DOI: 10.1038/nchem.2472.