- Research Assistant Professor, Translational Medical Sciences, Texas A&M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
- Research Assistant Professor, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
I obtained my Ph.D. with a major in Bioinorganic Chemistry, focusing on metallodrugs against cancer and Alzheimer's disease (AD). After then, I worked at the Institute of Biosciences & Technology (IBT), Texas A&M University (TMAU) as a postdoc and research scientist dissecting and regulating Calcium Signaling by biochemistry, cell biology, and synthetic biology strategies. I accumulated strong research expertise on Ca2+ signaling in the immune system from mechanistic dissection of SOCE channels to tailoring cell functions using optical and chemical tools. I was promoted as a Research Assistant Professor in Oct 2020 to pursue my independent research program with interests in (i) Design and screening of Ca2+ channel modulators (compounds & peptide/protein drugs) to treat channelopathy or improve T cell immunotherapy; (ii) Delineate novel regulatory mechanisms of Ca2+ signaling in health and disease; (iii) Devise optogenetic, chemical and synthetic biology tools for translational research and biomedical applications. I have been engaged in the interface between chemistry and biology for almost 15 years, with specific training and expertise in Ca2+ imaging, protein engineering, protein chemistry, cell biology, and immunotherapy. So far, I have published 20+ publications as a lead author or corresponding author in well-respected journals, including Nature Communications, JACS, Angew Chem, Advanced Science, Chemical Science, eLife, and PLOS Biology with citations > 2000 times.
My current research interests:
1. Design and screening of CRAC Ca2+ channel modulators including small molecules, peptide/protein drugs, and antibody/nanobody to treat Channelopathy or improve T cell-based immunotherapy.
2. Delineate the regulatory network of the CRAC channel in healthy and diseased states
3. Devising optogenetic, chemical, and synthetic biology tools for precise control of cellular physiology
- Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China - (Hefei, China) 2012
- S.B. in Chemistry, Liaocheng University - (Liaocheng, China) 2007
Academic Articles45
- Zhou, Y., Jennette, M. R., Ma, G., Kazzaz, S. A., Baraniak, J. H., Nwokonko, R. M., ... Gill, D. L. (2023). An apical Phe-His pair defines the Orai1-coupling site and its occlusion within STIM1.. Nature Communications. 14(1), 6921.
- Ali, S., Ma, G., & Zhou, Y. (2023). Shedding light on ORAI1 channel with genetic code expansion.. Cell Calcium. 113, 102755-102755.
- Haruehanroengra, P., Zheng, Y. Y., Ma, G., Lan, T., Hassan, A., Zhou, Y., & Sheng, J. (2022). Probing the Substrate Requirements of the InVitro Geranylation Activity of Selenouridine Synthase (SelU).. ChemBioChem. 23(15), e202200089.
- Xie, J., Ma, G., Zhou, L., He, L., Zhang, Z., Tan, P., ... Han, W. (2022). Identification of a STIM1 Splicing Variant that Promotes Glioblastoma Growth.. Advanced Science. 9(11), e2103940-2103940.
- Zhou, Y., Nwokonko, R. M., Ma, G., Baraniak, J. H., Wang, J., Jennette, M. R., ... Gill, D. L. (2022). A key amino acid in STIM1 mediates coupling to gate the Orai1 channel. Biophysical Journal. 121(3), 374A-374A.
Chapters2
- Ma, G., He, L., Jing, J. i., Tan, P., Huang, Y., & Zhou, Y. (2018). Engineered Cross-Linking to Study the Pore Architecture of the CRAC Channel.. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.). CRAC CHANNEL: METHODS AND PROTOCOLS. 147-166. Springer Nature.
- Ma, G., Wen, S., Huang, Y., & Zhou, Y. (2017). The STIM-Orai Pathway: Light-Operated Ca2+ Entry Through Engineered CRAC Channels.. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. STORE-OPERATED CA2+ ENTRY (SOCE) PATHWAYS: EMERGING SIGNALING CONCEPTS IN HUMAN (PATHO)PHYSIOLOGY, 2ND EDITION. 117-138. Springer Nature.
Conference Papers5
- Gudlur, A., Zeraik, A. E., Hirve, N., Vangipurapu, R., Bobkov, A., Ma, G., ... Hogan, P. G. (2018). STIM1 Function Is Controlled by Multiple Ca2+ Binding Sites in its Luminal Domain. Biophysical Journal. 114(3), 285A-285A.
- Zhang, Q., He, L., Ma, G., & Zhou, Y. (2017). An Potogenentic Toolkit for Reversible Labeling and Remote Manipulation of Cytoskeleton In Situ. Biophysical Journal. 112(3), 430A-430A.
- Ma, G., He, L., Zhang, Q., & Zhou, Y. (2017). Optogenetic Dissection of STIM1 Conformational Switch and Oligomerization. Biophysical Journal. 112(3), 94A-94A.
- He, L., Zhang, Y., Ma, G., Tan, P., Wang, Y., Huang, Y., ... Zhou, Y. (2016). Near-Infrared Photoactivatable Control of Calcium Signaling. Biophysical Journal. 110(3), 360A-360A.
- Jing, J. i., He, L., Sun, A., Quintana, A., Ding, Y., Ma, G., ... Zhou, Y. (2016). Proteomic Mapping and Optogenetic Control of ER-PM Junctions in Living Cells. Biophysical Journal. 110(3), 258A-258A.
