Global InformationYizhi Jane Tao information
Yizhi Jane Tao | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Rice University, mapped atomic structure of the influenza A virus nucleoprotein trimer, named among the top ten most influential Chinese of 2006 by a consortium of China’s leading media outlets |
Yizhi Jane Tao is a Chinese biochemist, structural biologist, and professor of biochemistry and cell biology at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Professor Tao led a team of researchers to be the first to map the structure of the influenza A virus nucleoprotein to an atomic level, a feat which circulated widely in the popular press.[1][2] She was named among the top ten most influential Chinese of 2006 by a consortium of China's leading media outlets including Phoenix Satellite Television, China News Service, Asia Newsweek, and World Journal.[3][4]
All negative-sense RNA viruses encode a nucleoprotein that surrounds the virus and allows for replication. Tao discovered that the nucleoprotein for influenza A has a distinctive loop that is necessary for the viral genome to be organized into its double-helix hairpin structure. Tao then compared the amino acid sequences of different influenza viruses and found that the nucleoprotein loop she identified is conserved among influenza viruses.[5][6] Since then, Tao has also solved the structure of a capsid protein coat for a double-stranded fungal RNA virus.[5][7]
- ^ "Researchers find flu 'weak spot'". BBC News. 2006-12-07. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
- ^ "Scientists Find Potential 'Achilles' Heel' in Bird-Flu Virus". The Washington Post. 2006-12-06.
- ^ "Biochemist among most influential Chinese".
- ^ "Full list of "You Bring Charm to the World" winners". Archived from the original on April 7, 2007.
- ^ a b Dougherty, Elizabeth (June 14, 2013). "Brush with Fame: Yizhi Jane Tao".
- ^ Ye, Qiaozhen; Krug, Robert M.; Tao, Yizhi Jane (2006-12-21). "The mechanism by which influenza A virus nucleoprotein forms oligomers and binds RNA". Nature. 444 (7122): 1078–1082. Bibcode:2006Natur.444.1078Y. doi:10.1038/nature05379. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 17151603. S2CID 4303369.
- ^ Pan, Junhua; Dong, Liping; Lin, Li; Ochoa, Wendy F.; Sinkovits, Robert S.; Havens, Wendy M.; Nibert, Max L.; Baker, Timothy S.; Ghabrial, Said A.; Tao, Yizhi Jane (2009-03-17). "Atomic structure reveals the unique capsid organization of a dsRNA virus". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106 (11): 4225–4230. Bibcode:2009PNAS..106.4225P. doi:10.1073/pnas.0812071106. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 2657383. PMID 19246376.