Faculty

Liu, Hung-wen (Ben)
George H. Hitchings Regents Chair In Drug Design
Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Chemistry, and Biochemistry

E-mail

Website

Main Office: PHR 3.206B
Phone: 232-7811

Alternate Office: PHR 4th floor
Phone: 471-5592

Mailing Address:
The University of Texas at Austin, PHAR-MED CHEM
1 University Station A1935
2409 University Ave.
Austin, TX 78712-1095

Graduate Student

• Chen, Wei-chen - Graduate Student
• Kim, Hak Joong - Graduate Student
• Sasaki, Eita - Graduate Student
• Thibodeaux, Christopher - Graduate Student
• White, Jessica - Graduate Student

Post Doctoral

• Liu, Yung-nan - Post Doctoral
• Ogasawara, Yasushi - Post Doctoral



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Research Summary:



My group is currently working on three general areas with the focus aimed at the elucidation of the mechanisms of novel enzymatic reactions and the design of methods to control and/or regulate their functions. Most of the biological systems under investigation are target candidates for therapeutic drugs.

Enzyme Mechanism and Inhibitor Design: We study the mechanisms of enzymes involved in diverse biological processes including the formation of bacterial cell wall, biosynthesis of and resistance to antibiotics, and biosynthesis and metabolism of lipids.

Metabolic Pathway Engineering: Through selective disruption and/or substitution of sugar biosynthetic genes in the microorganisms that produce bioactive glycosylated secondary metabolites, we are exploring the feasibility of engineering nature�s biosynthetic machinery for the production of novel compounds carrying designed sugar appendages.

Protein Function Regulation: We study poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, an enzyme that recognizes damaged DNA and turns on the repairing machinery through polyADP-ribosylation of itself and other nuclear proteins. This posttranslational modification is also essential to other crucial cellular events including apoptosis.




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Publications:

2011	Kim, H. J.; Ruszczycky, M. W.; Choi, S. H.; Liu, Y.-n.; Liu, H.-w., An Enzyme-Catalyzed [4+2] Cycloaddition is a Key Step in the Biosynthesis of Spinosyn A, Nature 473:109-112.
2010	Sasaki, E.; Ogasawara, Y.; Liu, H.-w. , A Biosynthetic Pathway for BE-7585A: A 2- Thiosugar-containing Augucycline-type Natural Product, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 132:7405-7417.
2010	Ruszczycky, M. W.; Choi, S. H.; Liu, H.-w., Stoichiometry of the Redox Neutral Deamination and Oxidative Dehydrogenation Reactions Catalyzed by the Radical SAM Enzyme DesII, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 132:2359-2369.
2009	Munos, J. W.; Pu, X.; Mansoorabadi, S. O.; Kim, H. J.; Liu, H.-w. , A Secondary Kinetic Isotope Effect Study of 1-Deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate Reductoisomerase-catalyzed Reaction: Evidence for a Retroaldol-Aldol Rearrangement, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131:2048-2049.
2008	Thibodeaux, C. J.; Melancon, C. E., III.; Liu, H.-w. , Natural Product Sugar Biosynthesis and Enzymatic Glycodiversification, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 47:9814-9859.
2008	Tao, Z.; Gao, P.; Hofmann, D.; Liu, H.-w. , Domain C of Human Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 is Important for Enzyme Activity and Contains a Novel Zinc-Ribbon Motif, Biochemistry 47:5804-5813.
2007	Thibodeaux, C.; Melançon, C. E.; Liu, H.-w. , Understanding and Exploiting Sugar Biosynthetic Enzymes and Natural Product Glycosyltransferases, Nature 446:1008-1016.