Prof. H.Z. Sun¡@¡@¡@®]¬õ­õ±Ð±Â

B.Sc. Huaibei;
M.Sc. CAS (Wuhan);
Ph.D. Lond.

 
 

Office:

Dr. H.Z. Sun

Room 503
Chong Yuet Ming Chemistry Building
The University of Hong Kong
Pokfulam Road
Hong Kong
 

Tel. No.:
E-Mail:

 (852) 2859 8974
hsun@hku.hk
           
 
Prof. Sun's Research Labpage
  
           
Research Interests          
             
     

Research interests:Biological Inorganic Chemistry; Medicinal Chemistry and Inorganic Structural Biology Metalloproteomics and Metallomics.

Recognition of Metallodrugs by Biomolecules

Medicinal Inorganic chemistry has been stimulating largely by the success of the anticancer drug, cis-platin. Various metal complexes are currently used as therapeutic, diagnostic and imaging contrasting agents in clinical. Understanding the mechanism of action of these metallodrugs is crucial in order to design more effective drugs. Currently, we focus on the design and synthesis of new metal complexes, their interactions with peptides, proteins and enzymes (e.g. urease) under a variety of conditions. The recognition of metallodrugs by biomolecules will be investigated directly in biofluids (e.g. urine, plasma and various cells) by NMR and other biophysical techniques.

Structure and Function of Metal Transport and Storage Proteins

Around 1/4 to 1/3 proteins are ¡§metalloproteins¡¨. The metal ions in metalloproteins are critical to the protein's function, structure, or stability. Our current interest lies in a cysteine-rich metalloprotein, neuronal growth inhibitory factor (GIF or metallothionein III) and histidine-rich proteins (e.g. Hpn, and Hpn-like). We have solved the three dimensional structure of the a-domain of MT-3 and TM4 of DMT1 by NMR and other biophysical techniques. A new program on the structure and function of metal-binding proteins in microorganisms has been initiated using a wide variety of state-of-the-art techniques such as proteomics, metallomics and structural biology.

 

Metallomics and Metalloproteomics

Metallomics and metalloproteomics are an emerging field complementary to genomics and proteomics, a frontier of biological inorganic chemistry. We are studying the role, uptake, transport and storage of selected metals essential for protein functions. Targets and binding proteins of metallodrugs will be identified by using a wide variety of state-of-the-art techniques such as proteomics, metallomics and structural biology.

 

  
   
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Teaching Subjects
      
             
     

Inorganic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry and Organic Chemistry of Life

  
     
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Achievements
      
             
     
  • Croucher Senior Research Fellow (2010-2011)
  • HKU Outstanding Researcher Award (2009-2010)
  • Member of Editorial Board, Metallomics (2008-)
  • Member of Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry (2007-2010)
  • Outstanding Young Scholar Award, NSFC (2005)
  • HKU Outstanding Young Researcher Award (2004-2005)
  
     
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      Selected Publications
  1. Tsang CN, Ho KS, Sun H, Chan WT (2011) "Tracking bismuth drug uptake in single Helicobacter pylori cells" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133, 7355-7357.
  2. Wang XH, Du XB, Li HY, Chan DSB, Sun H (2011) ¡§The effect of the extracellular domain of human copper transporter (hCTR1) on cisplatin activation¡¨ Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 50, 2706-2711
  3. Cun SJ, Sun H (2010) ¡§A zinc-binding site by negative selection induces metallodrug susceptibility of an essential chaperonin¡¨, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 107, 4943-4948.
  4. Xia W, Li HY, Sze KH, Sun H (2009) ¡§Structure of a nickel chaperone, HypA from Helicobacter pylori reveals two distinct metal binding sites¡¨ J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131, 10031-10040.
  5. Cun SJ, Li HY, Ge RG, Lin MCM, Sun H (2008) ¡§A histidine- and cysteine-rich metal binding domain at the C-terminus of heat-shock protein A from Helicobacter pylori: implication for nickel homeostasis and bismuth susceptibility¡¨ J. Biol. Chem. 283, 15142-15151.
  6. Yang N, Tanner JA, Zheng BJ, Watt RM, He ML, Lu LY, Jiang J-Q, Shum K-T, Lin Y-P, Wong KL, Lin MCM, Kung HF, Sun H, Huang JD (2007) ¡§Bismuth complexes inhibit the SARS coronavirus¡¨ Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 46, 6464-6468.
  7. Ge RG, Sun XS, Gu Q, Watt RM, Wong BCY, Xia HHX, Huang JD, He QY, Sun H (2007) ¡§A proteomic approach for the identification of bismuth-binding proteins in Helicobacter pylori¡¨ J. Biolog. Inorg. Chem. 12, 831-842.
  8. Ge RG, Zhang Y, Sun XS, Watt RM, He Q-Y, Huang JD, Wilcox DE, Sun H (2006) ¡§Thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of metal binding to the histidine-rich protein, Hpn¡¨ J. Am. Chem. Soc. 128, 11330-11331
  9. Li F, Li HY, Kwan MF, Hu LH, Chen GH, He QY, Sun HZ (2005) ¡§Structure, assembly and topology of G185R mutant of the transmembrane domain4 of divalent metal transporter¡¨J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127, 1414-1423.
 
      Reviews and Book Chapters:
  1. Sun HZ (editor) "¡§Biological chemistry of arsenic, antimony and bismuth¡¨ Chiester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2011 (400 pages)."
  2. Li HY, Sun HZ (2011) ¡§NMR studies of metalloproteins¡¨ Top. Curr. Chem. (NMR of proteins and small biomolecules),DOI: 10.1007/128-2011-214
  3. Sun HZ, Chai ZF (2010) ¡§Metallomics: an integrated science for metals in biology and medicine¡¨ Annu. Rep. Sect. A- Inorg. Chem. 106, 20-38.
  4. Sun XS, Tsang CN and Sun HZ (2009) ¡§Identification of binding proteins of metallodrugs by (metallo)proteomics¡¨ Metallomics 1, 25-31.
  5. Ge RG, Sun HZ (2007) ¡§Bioinorganic chemistry of bismuth and antimony: target sites for metallodrugs¡¨ Acc. Chem. Res. 40, 267-274.
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