Biography

Education

Postdoctoral Associate       12/2008 - 12/2013  

Baylor College of Medicine

Postdoctoral Researcher     05/2005 - 12/2008  

Louisiana State University

Ph.D.    Genetics          1998 - 2004                              

Wuhan University, College of Life Sciences

Academic Appointments

07/2022-Current   Joint Investigator

Wuhan University Taikang Center for Life and Medical Sciences

07/2021-Current   Joint Investigator

Frontier Science Centre of Immunology and Metabolism,

Wuhan University

06/2016-Current   Associate Director

Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Wuhan University

05/2015 - Current   Chair

The Department of Genetics

03/2014 - Current   Professor

Wuhan University College of Life Sciences

Research

Maintenance of genome stability is essential for the faithful transmission of genetic materials to daughter cells. Eukaryotic cells integrate an efficient DNA damage response network with accurate chromosome segregation mechanisms to preserve genome stability. Deficiency in DNA repair or chromosome segregation often causes mutation, chromosome breakage, aneuploidy, and genome instability, leading to cancer and other human diseases.

Our group aimed to address the fundamental questions regarding the maintenance of genome integrity using a combination of genetic, biochemical, and cell biology approaches. Currently, we focus on the following directions: 1) The molecular mechanism and regulation of DNA repair; 2) The molecular mechanism ensuring accurate chromosome segregation; 3) Genome instability, cancer, and immune response.

Representative  Publications

1.Guangxue Liu^#, Jimin Li^#, Boxue He, Jiaqi Yan, Jingyu Zhao, Xuejie Wang, Xiaocong Zhao, Yeyao Wu, Xiaoli Gan, Simin Zhang, Chun Zhou, Xiangpan Li, Xinghua Zhang, Xuefeng Chen^*. Bre1/RNF20 promotes Rad51-mediated strand exchange and antagonizes the Srs2/FBH1 helicases. Nature Communications, 2023, 14(1): 3024.

2. Jimin Li, Jingyu Zhao, Xiaoli Gan, Yanyan Wang, Donghao Jiang, Liang Chen, Fangwei Wang, Jingyan Xu, Huadong Pei, Jun Huang, Xuefeng Chen^*. The RPA-RNF20-SNF2H cascade promotes proper chromosome segregation and homologous recombination repair. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2023, 120(20): e2303479120.

3. Xiaoli Gan, Yueyue Zhang, Donghao Jiang, Jingyao Shi, Han Zhao, Chengyu Xie, Yanyan Wang, Jingyan Xu, Xinghua Zhang, Gang Cai, Hailong Wang, Jun Huang, Xuefeng Chen^*. Proper RPA acetylation promotes accurate DNA replication and repair. Nucleic Acids Research, 2023, 51(11):5565-5583.

4. Meng Shi^# , Jiaqi Zhao^#, Simin Zhang^#, Wei Huang , Mengfei Li, Xue Bai , Wenxue Zhang, Kai Zhang , Xuefeng Chen*, Song Xiang*. Structural basis for the Rad6 activation by the Bre1 N-terminal domain. Elife, 2023, 12: e84157.

5. Xuejie Wang^#, Yang Dong^#, Xiaocong Zhao^#, Jinbao Li, Jordan Lee, Zhenxin Yan, Shuangshuang Yang, Wenqiang Wu, Ximiao Hou, Guangxue Liu, Yueyue Zhang, Lun Song, Gang Cai, Qing Li, Grzegorz Ira, Xinghua Zhang^*, Xuefeng Chen^*. Rtt105 promotes high-fidelity DNA replication and repair by regulating the single-stranded DNA binding factor RPA. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2021, 118: e2106393118.

6. Haoyang Peng, Simin Zhang, Yihan Peng, Shuangyi Zhu, Xin Zhao, Xiaocong Zhao, Shuangshuang Yang, Guangxue Liu, Yang Dong, Xiaoli Gan, Qing Li, Xinhua Zhang, Huadong Pei^*, Xuefeng Chen^*. Yeast Bromodomain Factor 1 and Its Human Homolog TAF1 Play Conserved Roles in Promoting Homologous Recombination. Advanced Science, 2021, e2100753

7. Guangxue Liu, Jiaqi Yan, Xuejie Wang, Junliang Chen, Xin Wang, Yang Dong, Simin Zhang, Xiaoli Gan, Jun Huang, Xuefeng Chen^*. RPA-Mediated Recruitment of Bre1 Couples Histone H2B Ubiquitination to DNA Replication and Repair. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2021,118(8): e2017497118.

8. Sihao Zheng, Dan Li, Zhen Lu, Guangxue Liu, Meng Wang, Min Wang, Yang Dong, Jingyao Li, Haoyang Peng, Xuejie Wang, Grzegorz Ira, Guohong Li, Xuefeng Chen^*. Bre1-dependent H2B ubiquitination promotes homologous recombination by stimulating histone eviction at DNA breaks. Nucleic Acids Research, 2018, 46(21):11326-11339.

9. Xuefeng Chen^*, Hengyao Niu, Yang Yu, Jingjing Wang, Shuangyi Zhu, Jianjie Zhou, Alma Papusha, Dandan Cui, Xuewen Pan, Youngho Kwon, Patrick Sun^* and Grzegorz Ira^*. Enrichment of Cdk1-cyclins at DNA double-strand breaks stimulates Fun30 phosphorylation and DNA end resection. Nucleic Acids Research, 2016, 44: 2742-2753

10. Xuefeng Chen, Dandan Cui, Alma Papusha, Xiaotian Zhang, Chia-Dwo Chu, Jiangwu Tang, Kaifu Chen, Xuewen Pan, Grzegorz Ira. The Fun30 ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeler promotes resection of DNA double-strand break ends. Nature, 2012,489(7417): 576-580

11. Xuefeng Chen, Hengyao Niu, Woo-Hyun Chung, Zhu Zhu, Alma Papusha, Eun Yong Shim, Sang Eun Lee, Patrick Sungand Grzegorz Ira. Cell cycle regulation of DNA double-strand break end resection by Cdk1-dependent Dna2 phosphorylation. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2011, 18(9):1015-1019

12. Marenda A. Wilson,YoungHo Kwon,Yuanyuan Xu, Woo-Hyun Chung, Peter Chi,Hengyao Niu, Ryan Mayle, Xuefeng Chen, Anna Malkova, Patrick Sung, Grzegorz Ira. Pif1 helicase and Polδ promote recombination-coupled DNA synthesis via bubble migration. Nature, 2013, 502 (7471): 393-396