Associate
Zunyi Yang

Education

BS in Chemistry. Northwest University, China (1997)
PhD in Chemistry. Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (2002)
Postdoctoral Research Associate. University of Florida (2005)

Research summary

My research focuses on the development of an efficient and accurate method for the detection of multiple nucleic acids in biological sample. This innovative technology is the multiplexed amplification of DNA and RNA and the orthogonal capture of oligonucleotides tagged with non-standard nucleobases in such a fashion where close mismatches do not compete. My research includes: 1) Synthesis of two components of a non-standard nucleobase pair, dZ:dP, along with a demonstration that the stability of the dZ:dP base pair is stronger than G:C base pair. Furthermore, a demonstration to show the ability of each base to effectively discriminate against mismatches in short duplex DNA. 2) PCR amplification of DNA containing dZ:dP base pair with sufficient fidelity and development of the methodology for the measurement of enzyme fidelity. 3) Synthesis of a novel molecular beacon containing dZ and dP to detect the level of the expression of viral genes in cancer cell. 4) Development of the technology of multiplexed PCR and microarray of dZ and dP, by combining the enzymology and chemistry of non-standard nucleobases. The goal of my research is to reduce the cost of personalized DNA sequencing, revolutionize the diagnosis, management, and treatment of human disease.

Recent Publications

Recognition of an expanded genetic alphabet by type-II restriction endonucleases and their application to analyze polymerase fidelity.
Chen, F; Yang, ZY; Yan, M; Alvarado, JB; Wang, G; Benner, SA
Nucl. Acids Res. 39 (9) 3949-3961 (2011)
<Abstract>

To explore the possibility of using restriction enzymes in a synthetic biology based on artificially expanded genetic information systems (AEGIS), 24 type-II restriction endonucleases (REases) were challenged to digest DNA duplexes containing recognition sites where individual Cs and Gs were replaced by the AEGIS nucleotides Z and P [respectively, 6-amino-5-nitro-3-(1'-?-d-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl)-2(1H)-pyridone and 2-amino-8-(1'-?-d-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl)-imidazo[1,2-a]-1,3,5-triazin-4(8H)-one]. These AEGIS nucleotides implement complementary hydrogen bond donor-donor-acceptor and acceptor-acceptor-donor patterns. Results allowed us to classify type-II REases into five groups based on their performance, and to infer some specifics of their interactions with functional groups in the major and minor grooves of the target DNA. For three enzymes among these 24 where crystal structures are available (BcnI, EcoO109I and NotI), these interactions were modeled. Further, we applied a type-II REase to quantitate the fidelity polymerases challenged to maintain in a DNA duplex C:G, T:A and Z:P pairs through repetitive PCR cycles. This work thus adds tools that are able to manipulate this expanded genetic alphabet in vitro, provides some structural insights into the working of restriction enzymes, and offers some preliminary data needed to take the next step in synthetic biology to use an artificial genetic system inside of living bacterial cells.

Synthetic Biology, Tinkering Biology, and Artificial Biology: A Perspective from Chemistry
Benner, SA; Chen, F; Yang, ZY
Chemical Synthetic Biology , ed. Pier Luigi Luisi and Cristiano Chiarabelli , Wiley 69-106 (2011)

Setting the Stage: The History, Chemistry, and Geobiology behind RNA
Benner, SA; Kim, HJ; Yang, ZY
RNA Worlds: From Life's Origins to Diversity in Gene Regulation , ed. John F. Atkins, Raymond F. Gesteland, Thomas R. Cech , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 7-19 (2011)

Amplification, Mutation, and Sequencing of a Six-Letter Synthetic Genetic System
Yang, Z; Chen, F; Alvarado, JB; Benner, SA
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133 (38) 15105-15112 (2011) dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja204910n
<Abstract>

The next goals in the development of a synthetic biology that uses artificial genetic systems will require chemistry-biology combinations that allow the amplification of DNA containing any number of sequential and nonsequential nonstandard nucleotides. This amplification must ensure that the nonstandard nucleotides are not unidirectionally lost during PCR amplification (unidirectional loss would cause the artificial system to revert to an all-natural genetic system). Further, technology is needed to sequence artificial genetic DNA molecules. The work reported here meets all three of these goals for a sixletter artificially expanded genetic information system (AEGIS) that comprises four standard nucleotides (G, A, C, and T) and two additional nonstandard nucleotides (Z and P). We report polymerases and PCR conditions that amplify a wide range of GACTZP DNA sequences having multiple consecutive unnatural synthetic genetic components with low (0.2% per theoretical cycle) levels of mutation. We demonstrate that residual mutation processes both introduce and remove unnatural nucleotides, allowing the artificial genetic system to evolve as such, rather than revert to a wholly natural system. We then show that mechanisms for these residual mutation processes can be exploited in a strategy to sequence "six-letter" GACTZP DNA. These are all not yet reported for any other synthetic genetic system.

Expanded Genetic Alphabets in the Polymerase Chain Reaction
Yang, ZY; Chen, F; Chamberlin, SG; Benner, SA
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 49 (1) 177-180 (2010)

Design of a novel molecular beacon: modification of the stem with artificially genetic alphabet
Sheng, PP; Yang, ZY; Kim, YM; Wu, YR; Tan, WH; Benner, SA
Chem. Comm. (41) 5128-5130 (2008)
<Abstract>

A molecular beacon that incorporates components of an artificially expanded genetic information system (AEGIS) in its stem is shown not to be opened by unwanted stem invasion by adventitious standard DNA; this should improve the "darkness" of the beacon in real-world applications.

Synthetic Biology for Improved Personalized Medicine
Benner, SA; Hoshika, S; Sukeda, M; Hutter, D; Leal, NA; Yang, ZY; Chen, F
Nucleic Acids Symp. Ser. 52 (1) 243-244 (2008) doi: 10.1093/nass/nrn123
<Abstract>

Tools to re-sequence the genomes of individual patients having well described medical histories is the first step required to connect genetic information to diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. There is little doubt that in the future, genomics will influence the choice of therapies for individual patients based on their specific genetic inheritance, as well as the genetic defects that led to disease. Cost is the principle obstacle preventing the realization of this vision. Unless the interesting parts of a patient genome can be resequenced for less than $10,000 (as opposed to $100,000 or more), it will be difficult to start the discovery process that will enable this vision. While instrumentation and biology are important to reducing costs, the key element to cost-effective personalized genomic sequencing will be new chemical reagents that deliver capabilities that are not available from standard DNA. Scientists at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution and the Westheimer Institute have developed several of these, which will be the topic of this talk.

Nucleoside alpha-thiotriphosphates, polymerases and the exonuclease III analysis of oligonucleotides containing phosphorothioate linkages
Yang, ZY; Sismour, AM; Benner, SA
Nucl. Acids Res. 35 (9) 3118-3127 (2007)
<Abstract>

The use of DNA polymerases to incorporate phosphorothioate linkages into DNA, and the use of exonuclease III to determine where those linkages have been incorporated, are re- examined in this work. The results presented here show that exonuclease III degrades single- stranded DNA as a substrate and digests through phosphorothioate linkages having one absolute stereochemistry, assigned ( assuming inversion in the polymerase reaction) as S, but not the other absolute stereochemistry. This contrasts with a general view in the literature that exonuclease III favors double-stranded nucleic acid as a substrate and stops completely at phosphorothioate linkages. Furthermore, not all DNA polymerases appear to accept exclusively the ( R) stereoisomer of nucleoside alpha- thiotriphosphates [ and not the ( S) diastereomer], a conclusion inferred two decades ago by examination of five Family- A polymerases and a reverse transcriptase. This suggests that caution is appropriate when extrapolating the detailed behavior of one polymerase from the behaviors of other polymerases. Furthermore, these results provide constraints on how exonuclease III - thiotriphosphate - polymerase combinations can be used to analyze the behavior of the components of a synthetic biology.

Enzymatic incorporation of a third nucleobase pair
Yang, ZY; Sismour, AM; Sheng, PP; Puskar, NL; Benner, SA
Nucl. Acids Res. 35 (13) 4238-4249 (2007)
<Abstract>

DNA polymerases are identified that copy a nonstandard nucleotide pair joined by a hydrogen bonding pattern different from the patterns joining the dA:T and dG:dC pairs. 6-Amino-5-nitro3-(l'-p-D-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl)-2(1H)-pyridone (dZ) implements the non-standard 'small' donordonor-acceptor (pyDDA) hydrogen bonding pattern. 2-Amino-8-(1-beta-D-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl)imidazo[1,2-a]-1,3,5-triazin-4 (8H)-one [dP) implements the 'large' acceptor-acceptor-donor (puAAD) pattern. These nucleobases were designed to present electron density to the minor groove, density hypothesized to help determine specificity for polymerases. Consistent with this hypothesis, both dZTP and dPTP are accepted by many polymerases from both Families A and B. Further, the dZ:dP pair participates in PCR reactions catalyzed by Taq, Vent (exo(-)) and Deep Vent (exo-) polymerases, with 94.4%, 97.5% and 97.5%, respectively, retention per round. The dZ:dP pair appears to be lost principally via transition to a dC:dG pair. This is consistent with a mechanistic hypothesis that deprotonated dZ (presenting a pyDAA pattern) complements dG (presenting a puADD pattern), while protonated dC (presenting a pyDDA pattern) complements dP (presenting a puAAD pattern). This hypothesis, grounded in the Watson-Crick model for nucleobase pairing, was confirmed by studies of the pH-dependence of mismatching. The dZ:dP pair and these polymerases, should be useful in dynamic architectures for sequencing, molecular-, systems- and synthetic-biology.

Artificially expanded genetic information system: a new base pair with an alternative hydrogen bonding pattern
Yang, ZY; Hutter, D; Sheng, PP; Sismour, AM; Benner, SA
Nucl. Acids Res. 34 (21) 6095-6101 (2006)
<Abstract>

To support efforts to develop a 'synthetic biology' based on an artificially expanded genetic information system (AEGIS), we have developed a route to two components of a non-standard nucleobase pair, the pyrimidine analog 6-amino-5-nitro-3-(1'-beta-D-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl)-2(1H)-pyridone (dZ) and its Watson-Crick complement, the purine analog 2-amino-8-(1'-beta-D-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl)-imidazo[1,2-a]-1,3,5-triazin -4(8H)-one (dP). These implement the pyDDA:puAAD hydrogen bonding pattern (where 'py' indicates a pyrimidine analog and 'pu' indicates a purine analog, while A and D indicate the hydrogen bonding patterns of acceptor and donor groups presented to the complementary nucleobases, from the major to the minor groove). Also described is the synthesis of the triphosphates and protected phosphoramidites of these two nucleosides. We also describe the use of the protected phosphoramidites to synthesize DNA oligonucleotides containing these AEGIS components, verify the absence of epimerization of dZ in those oligonucleotides, and report some hybridization properties of the dZ:dP nucleobase pair, which is rather strong, and the ability of each to effectively discriminate against mismatches in short duplex DNA.

(View all publications by Zunyi Yang)

Associate
Zunyi Yang

Education

Research summary

Recent Publications

Interests

Contact

Associate Zunyi Yang

Education

Research summary

Recent Publications

Interests

Contact

Associate
Zunyi Yang