Shi-jie Chen
Curators' Distinguished Professor of Physics
Joint Curators' Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry
E-mail:chenshi@missouri.edu
Office: 302 Physics Building
Mail: Physics
223 Physics Building
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: 573-882-6626
Fax: 573-882-4195
Lab: 573-882-6735
Lab site: http://vfold.missouri.edu/
Educational background
| Degree | School | Location | Major |
| BS | Zhejiang University | China | Physics |
| PhD | University of California, San Diego | San Diego, Calif. | Physics |
Notable honors and service
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2018
- Curators' Distinguished Professor, University of Missouri System, 2018
- Founding Council Member: International Society of RNA Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine (ISRNN), 2017
- Fellow, American Physical Society, 2013
Research description
We develop computer models for biomolecular structure and function with focus on RNA molecules. Biological molecules are large organic molecules composed of hundreds or thousands of atoms bound together by covalent bonds into a chain-like structure. One of the best known challenges in biology is to understand how biomolecules fold properly into compact structures to perform biological functions and how they misfold to cause disease. We develop computational methods to study RNA folding, predict RNA 3D structures, and model RNA-small molecule and RNA-metal ion interactions, RNA in vivo folding kinetics, and cellular functions at the level of gene expression and regulation. Furthermore, through collaborations with experimental labs, we design RNA-based therapeutic strategies involving aptamer binding and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing.
Selected publications
Xinyue Zhang+, Dong Zhang+, Chenhan Zhao, Kai Tian, Ruicheng Shi, Xiao Du, Andrew Burcke, Jing Wang, Shi-Jie Chen*, and Li-Qun Gu* (2017) Nanopore electric snapshots of an RNA tertiary folding pathway. Nature Communications. 8: 1458. doi:10.1038/s41467-017-01588-z.
Sun, LZ+, Zhang, D+, Chen, SJ. (2017) Theory and Modeling of RNA Structure and Interactions with Metal Ions and Small Molecules. Annu Rev Biophys. 46:227-246. doi: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-070816-033920.
Xu, XJ., Yu, T., Chen, SJ. (2016) Understanding the kinetic mechanism of RNA single base pair formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 113(1):116-21. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1517511113.
Xu, XJ, Chen, SJ. (2012) Kinetic mechanism of conformational switch between bistable RNA hairpins. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134 (30), pp 12499-12507 DOI: 10.1021/ja3013819.
Chen, SJ. (2008) RNA Folding: Conformational Statistics, Folding Kinetics, and Ion Electrostatics. Annual Review of Biophysics 37: 197-214.