School of Life Science, Peking University

Yi Li, Ph.D.

Professor of School of Life Sciences, Peking University

tel : 86 - 10 - 6275-0866

fax : 86 - 10 - 6275-7127

New Life Science Building, Peking University, Summer Palace Road No. 5, Beijing, P. R. China 100871

Research Interests

Our studies try to elucidate, at molecular level, the mechanisms of initiation of eukaryotic chromosomal DNA replication and checkpoint control.

DNA replication is a fundamental biochemical reaction during cell division cycle. It is highly complicated and sophisticatedly regulated to guarantee each daughter cell gets a complete copy of chromosomal DNA from its mother cell. Our research focuses on the initiation and regulation of chromosomal DNA replication in the fission yeast S. pombe and human cells. Recently, we found and demonstrated that S. pombe Sap1 is an essential replication initiation protein. It is found that Sap1 is required to load the initiation protein Cdc18 to chromatin for the assembly of pre-replication complex. Currently, we are investigating what proteins interact with Sap1 and whether human cells have a Sap1-like protein. We are also interested in the reaction that occurs in replication fork.

Checkpoint control regulates cell growth cycle and it is essential to maintain genomic integrity. A major question in checkpoint control is how the pausing of DNA replication fork or DNA damage activates checkpoint. With approaches of biochemistry and genetics, we study what proteins are involved in checkpoint activation. Currently, we are examining the roles of Fen1, PCNA, and some other proteins in stabilizing replication fork and checkpoint activation.

Publications

Feng Zhou, Yingying Pu, Taiyuan Wei, Huijun Liu, Wulan Deng, Chunhong Wei, Biao Ding, Toshihiro Omura and Yi Li. , The P2 capsid Protein of the nonenveloped Rice Dwarf Phytoreovirus induces membrane fusion in insect host cells , PNAS , 2007 , 104:19547-19552.
Huijun Liu, Chunhong Wei, Yongwang Zhong, Yi Li. , Rice black-streaked dwarf virus outer capsid protein P10 has self-interactions and forms oligomeric complexes in solution , Virus Research , 2007 , 127:34-42
Feng Zhou, Gang Wu, Wulan Deng, Yingying Pu，Chunhong Wei and Yi Li , Interaction of rice dwarf virus outer capsid P8 protein with rice glycolate oxidase mediates relocalization of P8 , FEBS Letter , 2007 , 581:34-40.
Ming-Rui Duan, Jie Nan, Yu-He Liang, Peng Mao, Lu Lu, Lanfen Li, Chunhong Wei, Luhua Lai, Yi Li, and Xiao-Dong Su , DNA Binding Mechanism Revealed by High Resolution Crystal Structure of Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY1 Protein , Nucleic Acid Research , 2007 , 35 (4): 1145-1154
Huijun Liu, Chunhong Wei, Yongwang Zhong, Yi Li , Rice black-streaked dwarf virus minor core protein P8 is a nuclear dimeric protein and represses transcription in tobacco protoplasts , FEBS Letter , 2007 , 581:2534-2540
Shifeng Zhu, Mao Chen, Yi Li. , Interaction of the P2 protein of rice dwarf Phytoreovirus with ent-kaurene oxidase resulting in reducing GA content and this may further cause dwarf in RDV infected rice plants , Plant Physiology , 2005 , 139:1935-1945
Leister T., Dahlbeck D., Day, D., Li, Y., Staskwicz, B. , Molecular genetic evidence for the role of SGT1 in the intramolecular complementation of Bs2 protein activity in Nicotiana benthamiana , The Plant Cell , 2005 , 17:1268－1278
Xuesong Cao, Peng Zhou, Xiaoming Zhang, Shifeng Zhu, Xuehua Zhong, Qi Xiao, Biao Ding, Li Yi. , A RNA silencing suppressor from rice phytoreovirus , Journal of Virology , 2005 , 79:13018-13027 , Highlighted in the issue
Li Y, Bao Y, Wei C, et al, , Rice dwarf phytoreovirus segment S6-encoded nonstructural protein has a cell-to-cell movement function , Journal of Virology , 2004 , 78: 5382-5380.