Yi Wang
Contact Information
Theoretical and Computational Biophysics GroupBeckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
405 N. Mathews Ave.,
Urbana, IL 61801
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email: yiwang@ks.uiuc.edu
Home Department: Center of Biophysics and Computational Biology
Education
B.S.(2003); Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China;-
Major: Biotechnology
Minor: Computer Science
Research Interests
Aquaporins
Aquaporins are a family of membrane integral proteins specialized in water transportation across membranes. These highly efficient water channels can explain how we secrete tears and sweat.
One of our recent studies on aquaporins is the gating mechanism of the spinach aquaporin SoPIP2;1. Although many AQPs operate as permanently open water channels, gating of water pores has been reported for a large number of them, particularly for plant AQPs. Plants respond to drought or flood conditions by shutting down almost all of their AQPs. Common gating signals include changes in environmental pH and phosphorylation. In collaboration with the group of R. Neutze, our recent molecular dynamics simulations revealed how SoPIP2;1 switches from the closed to the open state after phosphorylation. Take a look at our Aquaporin Research page.
Poster Presentations
- Aquaporin-mediated Gas Conduction across Biological Membranes,
Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, 2007, Baltimore - Molecular Basis of Gating in Aquaporin Water Channels,
Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, 2006, Salt Lake City - Channel Mediated Gas Transport Across Lipid Membranes,
Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, 2006, Salt Lake City - Molecular dynamics study of substrate permeation and selectivity in E.coli aquaporins GlpF and AqpZ,
Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, 2005, Long Beach
Publications
Molecular mechanisms of conduction and selectivity in aquaporin water channels. Yi Wang and Emad Tajkhorshid. Journal of Nutrition, 137:1509S-1515S, 2007.
Exploring gas permeability of cellular membranes and membrane channels with molecular dynamics. Yi Wang, Jordi Cohen, Walter F. Boron, Klaus Schulten, and Emad Tajkhorshid. Journal of Structural Biology, 157:534-544, 2007.
Structural mechanism of plant aquaporin gating. S. Törnroth-Horsefield, Y. Wang, K. Hedfalk, U. Johanson, M. Karlsson, E. Tajkhorshid, R. Neutze, and P. Kjellbom. Nature, 439:688-694, 2006.
Molecular dynamics simulations of proteins in lipid bilayers. James Gumbart, Yi Wang, Alekseij Aksimentiev, Emad Tajkhorshid, and Klaus Schulten. Current Opinion in Structural Biology, 15:423-431, 2005.
What makes an aquaporin a glycerol channel: A comparative study of AqpZ and GlpF. Yi Wang, Klaus Schulten, and Emad Tajkhorshid. Structure, 13:1107-1118, 2005.