2001 - 2005  B.S., Shandong University

2005 - 2011  Ph.D., Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2011 - 2016  Research Fellow/Research Associate, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

2016 -           Professor, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2024  Tan Kah Kee Young Scientist Award

2023  Tan Jiazhen Life Science Innovation Award

2023  Young Scientist Award, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2023  Distinguished Young Scholar, National Natural Science Foundation of China

2021  Work selected into "NRI at 20", Nature Review Immunology

2020  Excellent in Final Evaluation of Talent Recruitment Program, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2019  VCANBIO Award for Biosciences and Medicine

2019  Excellent Young Scholar, National Natural Science Foundation of China

2018  Youth Science and Technology Award, Chinese Crystallographic Society

2016  NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

2014  Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, Cancer Research Institute

2013  Postdoctoral Research Award, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

2009  David Blow Visiting Scholarship, CCP4 community, UK

The main research interest of our group is Host-Pathogen Interaction. Using a combined approach including biochemistry, structural biology, cell biology and animal models, we aim to understand the molecular mechanisms of pathogen infection and host immunity, and to develop novel therapeutics and biological tools. In recent years, we have been focusing on one topic: "immune response and regulation of host cells to aberrant nucleic acids".

1. Huang J^#, Zhang X^#, Nie X, Zhang X, Wang Y, Huang L, Geng X, Li D, Zhang L*, Gao G*, Gao P* (2024). Assembly and activation of EBV latent membrane protein 1. Cell. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.021.

2. Ma S^#*, Sandhoff R^#, Luo X^#, Shang F^#, Shi Q, Li Z, Wu J, Ming Y, Schwarz F, Madi A, Weisshaar N, Mieg A, Hering M, Zettl F, Yan X, Mohr K, Bosch NT, Li Z, Poschet G, Rodewald HR, Papavasiliou N, Wang X*, Gao P*, Cui G* (2024). Serine enrichment in tumors promotes regulatory T cell accumulation through sphinganine-mediated regulation of c-Fos. Sci Immunol. 19;9(94):eadg8817.

3. Li Q*, Gao P* (2024). Phase separation in cGAS-STING signaling. Front Med. 17(5):855-866.

4. Gao Y, Luo X, Li P, Li Z, Ye F, Liu S, Gao P* (2023). Molecular basis of RADAR anti-phage supramolecular assemblies. Cell. 186(5):999-1012.e20.

5. Zhang Q^#, Zhang X^#, Zhu Y^#, Sun P^#, Zhang L, Ma J, Zhang Y, Zeng L, Nie X, Gao Y, Li Z, Liu S, Lou J, Gao A*, Zhang L*, Gao P* (2022). Recognition of cyclic dinucleotides and folates by human SLC19A1. Nature. 612(7938):170-176.

6. Zhu J, Gao Y, Wang Y, Zhan Q, Feng H, Luo X, Li P, Liu S, Hou H*, Gao P* (2022) Molecular insights into DNA recognition and methylation by non-canonical type I restriction-modification systems. Nat Commun. 13(1): 6391.

7. Shen C^#, Li R^#, Negro R, Cheng J, Vora SM, Fu TM, Wang A, He K, Andreeva L, Gao P, Tian Z, Flavell RA, Zhu S*, Wu H* (2021). Phase separation drives RNA virus-induced activation of the NLRP6 inflammasome. Cell. 184(23):5759-5774.e20.

8. Xu G^#, Liu C^#, Zhou S^#, Li Q, Feng Y, Sun P, Feng H, Gao Y, Zhu J, Luo X, Zhan Q, Liu S, Zhu S, Deng H*, Li D*, Gao P* (2021). Viral tegument proteins restrict cGAS-DNA phase separation to mediate immune evasion. Mol Cell. 81(13):2823-2837.e9.

9. Feng H^#, Tian H^#, Wang Y, Zhang Q, Lin N, Liu S, Yu Y, Deng H*, Gao P* (2020). Molecular mechanism underlying selective inhibition of mRNA nuclear export by herpesvirus protein ORF10, PNAS. 117(43):26719-26727.

10. Wang Y^#, Zhan Q^#, Wang X, Li P, Liu S, Gao G, Gao P* (2020). Insights into catalysis and regulation of non-canonical ubiquitination and deubiquitination by bacterial deamidase effectors, Nat Commun. 11(1):2751.

11. Gao Y^#, Cao D^#, Zhu J, Feng H, Luo X, Liu S, Yan XX, Zhang X*, Gao P* (2020). Structural insights into assembly, operation and inhibition of a type I restriction-modification system, Nat Microbiol. 5(9):1107-1118.

12. Luo X^#, Wang X^#, Gao Y, Zhu J, Liu S, Gao G*, Gao P* (2020). Molecular Mechanism of RNA Recognition by Zinc-Finger Antiviral Protein, Cell Reports. 30(1):46-52.e4.

13. Zhu Y^#, Gao A^#, Zhan Q, Wang Y, Feng H, Liu S, Gao G, Serganov A*, Gao P* (2019). Diverse mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas9 inhibition by type IIC anti-CRISPR proteins. Mol Cell.74(4):296-309.

14. Wang X^#, Xuan Y^#, Han Y^#, Ding X, Ye K, Yang F, Gao P, Goff SP, Gao G* (2019). Regulation of HIV-1 Gag-Pol expression by Shiftless, an inhibitor of programmed -1 ribosomal frameshifting. Cell. 176(3):625-635.

15. Wang Y, Shi M, Feng H, Zhu Y, Liu S, Gao A*, Gao P* (2018). Structural insights into non-canonical ubiquitination catalyzed by SidE. Cell. 173(5): 1231-1243.

16. Liu YP, Tang Q, Zhang JZ, Tian LF, Gao P*, and Yan XX* (2017). Structural basis underlying complex assembly and conformational transition of the type I R-M system. PNAS. 114(42): 11151-6.

17. Wang Y^#, Feng H^#, Zhu Y, and Gao P* (2017). Structural insights into glutathione-mediated activation of the master regulator PrfA in Listeria monocytogenes. Protein Cell. 8(4):308-12.

18. Vincent J^#, Adura C^#, Gao P^#, Luz A, Lama L, Asano Y, Okamoto R, Imaeda T, Aida J, Rothamel K, Gogakos T, Steinberg J, Reasoner S, Aso K, Tuschl T, Patel DJ*, Glickman JF*, and Ascano M* (2017). Small molecule inhibition of cGAS reduces interferon expression in primary macrophages from autoimmune mice. Nat Commun. 8(1): 750.

19. Yang H, Gao P, Rajashankar KR, and Patel DJ*. (2016). PAM-Dependent Target DNA Recognition and Cleavage by C2c1 CRISPR-Cas Endonuclease. Cell. 167(7):1814-28.

20. Gao P*, Yang H, Rajashankar KR, Huang Z, and Patel DJ* (2016). Type V CRISPR-Cas Cpf1 endonuclease employs a unique mechanism for crRNA-mediated target DNA recognition. Cell Research. 26(8):901-13.

21. Gao P, and Patel DJ (2015). V-cGAPs: Attenuators of 3'3'-cGAMP signaling. Cell Research. 25(5): 529-30.

22. Gao P^#, Zillinger T^#, Wang W, Ascano M, Dai P, Hartmann G, Tuschl T, Deng L, Barchet W*, and Patel DJ* (2014). Binding-Pocket and Lid-Region Substitutions Render Human STING Sensitive to the Species-Specific Drug DMXAA. Cell Reports. 8(6): 1668-76.

23. Gao P^#, Ascano M^#, Zillinger T^#, Wang W, Dai P, Serganov AA, Gaffney BL, Shuman S, Jones RA, Deng L, Hartmann G, Barchet W*, Tuschl T*, and Patel DJ* (2013). Structure-Function Analysis of STING Activation by c[G(2',5')pA(3',5')p] and Targeting by Antiviral DMXAA. Cell. 154(4):748-62.

24. Gao P^#, Ascano M^#, Wu Y, Barchet W, Gaffney BL, Zillinger T, Serganov AA, Liu Y, Jones RA, Hartmann G, Tuschl T*, and Patel DJ* (2013). Cyclic [G(2',5')pA(3',5')p] is the metazoan second messenger produced by DNA-activated cyclic GMP-AMP synthase. Cell. 153(5):1094-107.

25. Oh YS, Gao P, Lee KW, Ceglia I, Seo JS, Zhang X, Ahn JH, Chait BT, Patel DJ, Kim Y*, and Greengard P* (2013). SMARCA3, a chromation-remodeling factor, is required for p11-dependent antidepressant action. Cell. 152(4): 831-43.

26. Tang Q, Gao P, Liu YP, Liu S, Gao A, An XM, Yan XX*, and Liang DC* (2012). RecOR complex including RecR N-N dimer and RecO monomer displays a high affinity for ssDNA. Nucleic Acids Res. 40(21): 11115-25.

27. Gao P, Tang Q, An XM, Yan XX*, and Liang DC* (2011). Structure of HsdS subunit from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis sheds lights on mechanism of dynamic opening and closing of type I methyltransferase. PLoS One. 6(3): e17346.

28. Shi L^#, Gao P^#, Yan XX, and Liang DC* (2009). Crystal structure of a putative methylmalonyl-coenzyme A epimerase from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis at 2.0 angstrom resolution. Proteins. 77(4), 994-9.

• International Patents




1. Compositions and methods for altering second messenger signaling. Patent No.: US10131686B2.

2. Compositions and methods for altering second messenger signaling. Patent No.: US9840533B2.

3. STING crystals and modulators. Patent No.: US10176292B2.

 

(From Pu Gao, July 30, 2024)