The Zhou Lab
Chemical modifications occur widely in nucleic acids and exert important regulatory functions in biology. Chemical modifications can change electrostatics, hydrophobicity, steric hindrance, and hydrogen bonding propensity of the modified moieties (i.e. nucleobase and sugar-phosphodiester backbone), and thus alter nucleic acids structure, stability, and interactions with surrounding molecules. Dysregulations of the chemical modification landscapes and their effector proteins have been found closely relevant in abnormal cellular functions, development disorders, and diseases.听
The Zhou research听group focuses on developing and applying new technologies to visualize spatial and temporal distributions of chemical modifications in the mammalian transcriptome at base-resolution, studying molecular mechanisms of how chemical modifications and their regulatory network control gene expression, and developing tools to modulate transcript-specific RNA modification level in order to revert dysregulated epitranscriptome in diseases. Projects in the Zhou lab take interdisciplinary approaches including directed evolution, protein engineering, RNA and enzyme biochemistry, mass spectrometry, next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics, and structural biology. Ultimately, research in the Zhou lab aims to achieve an in-depth understanding of regulatory mechanisms of epitranscriptome that can lead to discoveries of novel drug targets and diversify the toolbox of gene therapy.
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Scenes from the Zhou Lab
Join Us!
We are recruiting highly motivated postdocs who are interested in chemical biology, protein engineering, directed evolution, synthetic biology, and epitranscriptomics! Postdoc candidates are expected to have a Ph.D. degree in chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology, bioinformatics, or related discipline. To apply for the position, please email Jane a combined pdf that includes 1) a detailed CV, 2) contact information for at least two references, and 3) a cover letter describing the candidate鈥檚 past research summary, research interests, and academic goal.
Prospective students should apply to the Graduate Student Admission Program in Chemistry at Boston College. For admitted graduate students, please contact Jane directly if you are interested in joining the group!
For current Boston College undergraduate students, please contact Jane directly if you are interested in joining the group with your resume, transcript, and current courses taken if during semesters.