Faculty

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SUI Senfang
Visiting Distinguished Professor (Long-Term)
Chinese Academy of Sciences Member

Self-introduction:
Dr. Sen-Fang Sui is a professor at the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Precision Instruments and Mechanology in 1970, and master’s degree in Solid State Physics in 1981, from Tsinghua University, and doctoral degree in Biophysics from Technical University Munich, Germany in 1988. He started his research group in Tsinghua University in 1989 as an associate professor and was promoted to full professor in 1991. He served as the dean of the Department of Biological Science and Technology of Tsinghua University from December 1992 to December 1995. He was elected as member of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2009.

 

Research Interests:
Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) as the major technique, in combination with other biochemical, biophysical and cellular methods, our lab currently focuses on:

(1) structures, functions and working mechanisms of large protein complexes, macromolecular machinery and membrane proteins.

(2) molecular mechanisms of membrane trafficking, lipid-protein interactions and membrane-related human diseases.

 

Professional Experience:
1991.01-present Professor, School of Life Sciences (replacing the Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology in September 2009), Tsinghua University.
1989-1991 Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University.

 

Educational Background:
1985-1988 Ph.D., Biophysics Institute, Technical University Munich.
1978-1981 M.S., Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University.
1964-1970 B. S., Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University.

 

Honors & Awards:
2017 Lifetime Achievement Award, Cryo-Electron Microscopy Subsociety of BSC.
2015 Special Contribution Award for School of Life Science, Tsinghua University.
2010 Qian Lin-Zhao Award, Chinese Society of Electron Microscopy.
2009 Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
2005 Second Prize of National Natural Science Award of China.
2001 First Prize of Science and Technology Award of Chinese Universities (Natural Science).

 

Selected publications:
1.Huang X, Sun S, Wang X, Fan F, Zhou Q, Lu S, Cao Y, Wang QW, Dong MQ, Yao J, Sui SF*. (2019) Mechanistic insights into the SNARE complex disassembly. Sci Adv., 5:eaau8164.
2.Qin X, Pi X, Wang W, Han G, Zhu L, Liu M, Cheng L, Shen JR, Kuang T*, Sui SF*. (2019) Structure of a green algal photosystem I in complex with a large number of light-harvesting complex I subunits. Nat Plants, 5:263-272.
3.Pi X, Tian L, Dai HE, Qin X, Cheng L, Kuang T, Sui SF*, Shen JR*. (2018) Unique organization of photosystem I-light-harvesting supercomplex revealed by cryo-EM from a red alga. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 115:4423-4428.
4.Yang X, Yang F, Wang W, Lin G, Hu Z, Han Z, Qi Y, Zhang L, Wang J, Sui SF*, Chai J*. (2018) Structural basis for specific flagellin recognition by the NLR protein NAIP5. Cell Research, 28:35-47.
5.Zhang J, Ma J, Liu D, Qin S, Sun S*, Zhao J, Sui SF*. (2017) Structure of phycobilisome from the red alga Griffithsia pacifica. Nature, 551:57-63.
6.Sun S, Li L, Yang F, Wang X, Fan F, Yang M, Chen C, Li X, Wang HW, Sui SF*. (2017) Cryo-EM structures of the ATP-bound Vps4E233Q hexamer and its complex with Vta1 at near-atomic resolution. Nat Commun., 8:16064.
7.Zhang L, Wang X, Fan F, Wang HW, Wang J*, Li X*, Sui SF*. (2017) Cryo-EM structure of Nma111p, a unique HtrA protease composed of two protease domains and four PDZ domains. Cell Research, 27:582-585.
8.Zhang J, Pan X, Yan K, Sun S, Gao N*, Sui SF*. (2015) Mechanisms of ribosome stalling by SecM at multiple elongation steps. eLife, 4: e09684.
9.Hu Z, Zhou Q, Zhang C, Fan S, Cheng W, Zhao Y, Shao F, Wang HW, Sui SF*, Chai J*. (2015) Structural and biochemical basis for induced self-propagation of NLRC4. Science, 350:399-404.
10.Chang L, Liu X, Li Y, Liu CC, Yang F, Zhao J*, Sui SF*. (2015) Structural organization of an intact phycobilisome and its association with photosystem II. Cell Research, 25:726-737.
11.Zhou Q, Huang X, Sun S, Li X, Wang HW*, Sui SF*. (2015) Cryo-EM structure of SNAP-SNARE assembly in 20S particle. Cell Research, 25:551-560.
12.Chang LF, Chen S, Liu CC, Pan X, Jiang J, Bai XC, Xie X, Wang HW, Sui SF*. (2012) Structural characterization of full-length NSF and 20S particles. Nat Struct Mol Biol., 19:268-275.