Lab Manager

---

Degree: B.S., Tunghai University, Taiwan, ROC
Ph.D., Mt. Sinai Medical School, New York, NY

Postdoc Assoc: NCI Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Entered Group: May, 2002

Research Projects: Chemical Biology of Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation,
Biochemical Studies of the Biosynthesis of Unusual Sugars

---

Group Publications:

Agnihotri, G.; Liu, Y.-n.; Paschal, B.; Liu, H.-w. “Identification of An Unusual [2Fe-2S]-Binding Motif in the Dehydrase Responsible for C-3 Deoxygenation in the Biosynthesis of 3,6-Dideoxyhexoses.”Biochemistry 2004, 43, 14265-14274.

Takahashi, H.; Liu, Y-n.; Chen, H.; Liu, H.-w. “Biosynthesis of TDP-Mycarose: The Specificity of a Single Enzyme Governs the Outcome of the Pathway.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 9340-9341.

Takahashi, H.; Liu, Y.-n.; Liu, H.-w. “A Two-Stage One-Pot Enzymatic Synthesis of TDP-L-mycarose from Thymidine and Glucose-1-phosphate.” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 1432-1433.

Melancon, C. E.; Hong, L.; White, J. A.; Takahashi, H.; Liu, Y.-n.; Liu, H.-w. “Characterization of TDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose-3,4-isomerase (Tyl1a) from the TDP-D-Mycaminose Pathway of Streptomyces fradiae.” Biochemistry, 2007, 46, 577-590.

Wu, Q.; Liu, Y.-n.; Chen, H.; Molitor, E. J.; Liu, H.-w. “A Retro-Evolution Study of CDP-6-deoxy-D-glycero-L-threo-4-hexulose-3-dehydrase (E1): Implications for C-3 Deoxygenation in the Biosynthesis of 3,6-Dideoxyhexoses.” Biochemistry, 2007, 46, 3756-3767.

Kittleman, W.; Thibodeaux, C. J.; Liu, Y.-n.; Zhang, H.; Liu, H.-w. “Characterization and Mechanistic Studies of the Type II Isopentenyl Diphosphate:Dimethylallyl Diphosphate Isomerase from Staphylococcus aureus.” Biochemistry, 2007, 46, 8401-8413.

Kim, H. J.; Ruszczycky, M. W.; Choi, S. H.; Liu, Y.-n.; Liu, H.-w. “An Enzyme-Catalyzed [4+2] Cycloaddition is a Key Step in the Biosynthesis of Spinosyn A.” Nature 2011, 473, 109-112.

Choi, S.-h.; Mansoorabadi, S. O.; Liu, Y.-n.; Chien, T.-C.; Liu, H.-w. “Analysis of UDP-D-Apiose/UDP-D-Xylose Synthase Catalzyed Conversion of UDP-D-Apiose Phosphonate to UDP-D-Xylose Phosphonate: Implications for a Retroaldol-Aldol Mechanism.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 13946-13949.

Kim, H. J.; McCarty, R. M.; Ogasawara, Y.; Mansoorabadi, S. O.; Liu, Y.-n.; Levieux, J.; Liu, H.-w. “The GenK-catalyzed C-6′ Methylation in the Biosynthesis of Gentamicin: Isolation and Characterization of a Cobalamin-dependent Radical SAM Enzyme. ” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 8093-8096.

Shen, L.; Wang, Y.; Lin, C.-I.; Liu, Y.-n.; Liu, H.-w.; Guo, A.; Zhu, X.-Y. “Membrane Environment Can Enhance the Binding of Influenza A Virus Hemagglutinin to Cell Surface Glycan Receptors. ” ACS Chem. Biol. 2014, 9, 1877-1884.

Fage, C.; Isiorho, E. A.; Liu, Y.-n.; Dew, T. W.; Liu, H.-w.; Keatinge-Clay, A. T. “The 1.50 -Resolution Structure of SpnF – A Standalone Enzyme Catalyzing [4+2]-Cycloaddition in Spinosyn Biosynthesis. “Nature Chem. Biol. 2015, 11, 256-260.

Jeon, B.-s.; Ruszczycky, M. W.; Russell, W. K.; Lin, G.-M.; Kim, N.; Choi, S.-h.; Wang, S-A.; Liu, Y.-n.; Patrick, J.; Russell, D. H.; Liu, H.-w. “Mechanistic Studies of the SpnF-Catalyzed [4+2]-Cycloaddition in the Biosynthesis of Spinosyn A.” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2017, 114, 10408-10413.

Kim, H. J.; Liu, Y.-n.; McCarty, R. M.; Liu, H.-w. “Biochemical Characterization and Stereochemical Analysis of Reactions Catalyzed by GenK, a Cobalamin-Dependent Radical SAM Methyltransferase Involved in Gentamicin Biosynthesis.”J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 16084-16087.

Ushimaru, R.; Ruszczycky, M. W.; Chang, W.-C.; Yan, F.; Liu, Y.-n.; Liu, H.-w. “Substrate Conformation Correlates with the Outcome of Hyoscyamine 6β-Hydroxylase Catalyzed Oxidation Reactions.”J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 7433-7436.

Zhong, A.; Lee, Y.-H.; Liu, Y.-n.; Liu, H.-w. “Biosynthesis of Oxetanocin A Includes a B12-dependent Radical SAM Enzyme Able to Catalyze both Oxidative Ring Contraction and the Demethylation of SAM.” Biochemistry. 2021, 60, 537-546. [PMC7904626]

Choi, S.-h.; Jeon, B-s.; Kim, N.; Wu, H.-H.; Ko, T.-P.; Ruszczycky, M. W.; Isiorho, E. A.; Liu, Y.-n.; Keatinge-Clay, A. T.; Tsai, M.-D.; Liu, H.-w. “Evidence for an Enzyme Catalyzed Rauhut-Currier Reaction during the Biosynthesis of Spinosyn A.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 20291-20295. [PMC8665079]