Zhe Wu
Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group
The Center for the Physics of Living Cells
Beckman Institute, RM 3161
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
Email Address: zhewu@ks.uiuc.edu
Office Phone: 217-244-4361
Zhe Wu received his Bachelor degree from the University of Science and Technology of China, and obtained his Ph. D from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2012 (co-advised by Arun Yethiraj and Qiang Cui). Interested in understanding various biophysical phenomena with theoretical approaches, he focused on both computational model development and biomolecular simulations. Specifically, he is the developer of the BMW-MARTINI coarse-grained force field, and he contributes in understanding the origin of entropy driven hydrophobic interactions in water, the ion Hofmeister effects in water dynamics, and the microscopic mechanisms in peptide-induced membrane remodeling process. As a continuation of his endeavor, he joins the TCB group in 2012 as a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for the Physics of Living Cells, and his study will mainly focus on extending understandings in the membrane fusion processes.
Education
- Ph.D, Chemistry, 2012.
University of Wisconsin - Madison, Department of Chemistry. co-advised by: Prof. Arun Yethiraj and Prof. Qiang Cui
- B.S., Chemistry, 2007.
University of Science and Technology of China, Department of Chemical Physics
Research Interests
- Membrane remodeling induced by proteins, peptides and nano materials
- Coarse-grained,implicit solvent/membrane and physics-based model development
- Biomaterial self-assembly
- Hydrophobic solvation and interaction
Publications
- The Water Permeability and Pore Entrance Structure of Aquaporin-4 Depend on Lipid Bilayer Thickness J. Tong*, Z. Wu*, M. M. Briggs, K. Schulten, T. J. McIntosh Biophys. J., 2016, 111, 90-99 (*=equal contribution)
- Multilevel Summation Method for Electrostatic Force Evaluation D. Hardy*, Z. Wu*, J. C. Phillips, J. E. Stone, R. D. Skeel, K. Schulten, J. Chem. Theory Comput., 2015, 11, 766-779 (*=equal contribution)
- Trimodal Therapy: Combining Hyperthermia with Repurposed Bexarotene and Ultrasound for Treating Liver Cancer S. K. Misra, G. Ghoshal, M. R. Gartia*, Z. Wu*, A. K. De*, M. Ye*, C. R. Bromfield, E. M. Williams, K. Singh, K. V. Tangella, L. Rund, K. Schulten, L. B. Schook, P. S. Ray, E. C. Burdette, D. Pan, ACS Nano, 2015, 9, 10695-10718 (*=equal contribution)
- Synaptotagmin's Role in Neurotransmitter Release Likely Involves Ca2+-induced Conformational Transition Z. Wu, K. Schulten, Biophys. J., 2014, 107, 1156-1166
- Gas-phase ion isomer analysis reveals the mechanism of peptide sequence scrambling C. Jia, Z. Wu, C. B. Lietz, Z. Liang, Q. Cui, L. Li., Anal. Chem., 2014, 86, 2917-2924 (Cover Article)
- Why do arginine and lysine organize lipids differently? Insights from Coarse-Grained and atomistic simulations Z. Wu, Q. Cui, A. Yethiraj., J. Phys. Chem. B, 2013, 117, 12145-12156
- Generation and sensing of membrane curvature: Where materials science and biophysics meet Q. Cui, L. Zhang, Z. Wu, A. Yethiraj., Curr. Opin. Solid State Mater. Sci., 2013, 17, 164-174
- Self-diffusion of water in electrolyte solutions J. S. Kim, Z. Wu, A. Yethiraj, A. R. Morrow, A. Yethiraj., J. Phys. Chem. B, 2012, 116, 12007-12013
- A new coarse-grained force field for membrane peptide simulations Z. Wu, Q. Cui, A. Yethiraj., J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2011, 7, 3793-3802
- Driving force for the association of hydrophobic peptides: The importance of electrostatic interactions in coarse-grained water models Z. Wu, Q. Cui, A. Yethiraj., J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2011, 2, 1794-1798
- A new coarse-grained model for water: The importance of water electrostatic interactions Z. Wu, Q. Cui, A. Yethiraj., J. Phys. Chem. B. 2010, 114, 10524-10529
