Aye Lab Science

REX technologies (T-REX, G-REX, Localis-REX) for simultaneous function-guided proximity mapping and on-target signaling interrogations

Our team has developed the first, and to-date, the only means via which researchers can directly and precisely map the functional consequences of individual protein-specific reactive small-molecule signaling events in complex living systems, including cultured bacterial and animal cells, zebrafish, and nematode worms. The method is broadly known as T-REX (Parvez & Long et al. 2016 Nature Protocols). We recently adapted this technology to applications in live zebrafish (Huang & Poganik et al. 2023 Nature Protocols). More recently, we have evolved the concept of 'precision localised electrophile generation' to achieve for the first-time function-guided proximity mapping (Zhao et al. 2022 PNAS and Liu et al. 2024 Cell).

Novel Functions of Protein Multimers in Nucleotide Signaling, DNA Biogenesis, and Genome Maintenance, and "the most interesting enzymes", Ribonucleotide Reductases

We seek to advance mechanistic understanding of nucleotide drugs-driven protein oligomeric regulation and signaling consequences in DNA replication and genome integrity, through approaches that combine in vitro studies, cell culture, and through collaboration, electron microscopy and studies in mice models. In this context, our recent discovery of a novel pharmaceutically relevant tumor suppressive nuclear- signaling axis has resolved the long-debated tumor-suppressor role of the large subunit of "the most interesting enzyme" ribonucleotide reductase (Fu and Long et al. 2018 Nature Chemical Biology).