Professor

Tel: 0510-85912322

Email: raoyijian@jiangnan.edu.cn

Web: 

2016 – present   Professor, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University

2011 – 2016     Postdoctoral Fellow, Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Germany

2007 – 2011     Ph.D., Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

2006 – 2007     Research Assistant at Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS

2003 – 2006     M.Sc., Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, CAS

1999 – 2003     B.Sc., Wuhan Institute of Technology

The Rao laboratory uses a wide range of technologies that include biochemical and molecular biological approaches in vitro, structural biology, protein engineering and design, fermentation engineering as well as organic synthesis, to investigate the acute connection between biocatalysts and chemical reactions, thus developing novel strategies for organic synthesis. Research within the Rao lab can be grossly divided into two major themes: 

(1) Dissect the cercosporin biosynthetic pathway and explore its “metal-free catalyst” role in organic synthesis, especially in visible light-driven photocatalysis, and set up a bridge between Fermentation engineering and Organocatalysis;

(2) Repurpose diverse existing enzymes，mainly polyketide synthase and monooxygenase cytochromes P450, and their promiscuous functions for new chemistries.

1. Tang, Z., Li, J., Zhang, S., Bao, W., Huang, S., Zhang, Y., Rao, Y*. Cercosporin as photoredox catalyst for the reductive activation of aryl halides. (in preparation, * corresponding author)

2. Zhang, S., Tang, Z., Bao, W., Li, J., Guo, B., Huang, S., Zhang, Y., Rao, Y*. Perylenequinonoid-catalyzed photoredox activation for the direct arylation of (het)arenes with sunlight. (submitted, * corresponding author)

3. Rao, Y., Perna, M., Hofmann, B., Beier, V., Wollert, T. The Atg1-kinase complex tethers Atg9-vesicles to initiate autophagy. (2016).Nature Communications 12 (7), 10338. (highlighted by Faculty of 1000 Biology)

4. Rao, Y., Matscheko, N., and Wollert, T. Autophagy in the test tube: In vitro reconstitution of autophagosome biogenesis. (2016). FEBS Journal doi: 10.1111/febs.13661

5. Rao, Y., Ma, Q., Vahedi-Faridi, A., Sundborger, A., Pechstein, A., Puchkov, D., Luo, L., Shupliakov, O., Saenger, W., and Haucke, V. (2010). Molecular basis for SH3 domain regulation of F-BAR-mediated membrane deformation. PNAS 107, 8213-8218. (highlighted by Faculty of 1000 Biology as" Must Read")

6. Smith, K.R., Muir, J., Rao, Y., Browarski, M., Gruenig, M.C., Sheehan, D.F., Haucke, V., and Kittler, J.T. (2012). Stabilization of GABA(A) receptors at endocytic zones is mediated by an AP2 binding motif within the GABA(A) receptor beta3 subunit. J Neurosci 32, 2485-2498.

7. Rao, Y., Ruckert, C., Saenger, W., and Haucke, V. (2012). The early steps of endocytosis: from cargo selection to membrane deformation. Eur J Cell Biol 91, 226-233.

8. Rao, Y., and Haucke, V. (2011). Membrane shaping by the Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) domain protein superfamily. Cell Mol Life Sci 68, 3983-399