CLIPepPI predicts domain-peptide specificity using contrastive learning, achieving competitive performance across benchmarks and enabling proteome-wide analysis.

bioRxiv · May 24, 2026 · PreprintBioinformatics

Importins recognize the winged-helix fold of ETS transcription factors to mediate nuclear import

Michael McConville, Kaylee P. Lankford, Natália Elisa Bernardes, Abby Walterscheid, Catherine Valadez, Ashley B. Niesman, Yuh Min Chook, Glen Liszczak

The paper identifies the ETS domain as a structure-encoded NLS recognized by importins, revealing how importins mediate nuclear import of ETS transcription factors.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · May 1, 2026Peer-reviewedBiochemistry

SINE compounds activate exportin-1 degradation via an allosteric mechanism

Casey E. Wing, Ho Yee Joyce Fung, Bert Kwanten, Tolga Çağatay, Ashley B. Niesman, Maarten Jacquemyn, Mehdi Gharghabi, Brecht Permentier, Binita Shakya, Rhituparna Nandi, Joseph M. Ready, Trinayan Kashyap, Sharon Shacham, Yosef Landesman, Rosa Lapalombella, , Yuh Min Chook

This paper reveals that SINE compounds induce XPO1 degradation via an allosteric mechanism involving ASB8, distinct from molecular glue degraders.

Nature Chemical Biology · Nov 21, 2025Peer-reviewedCancer Biology

Setdb1 and Atf7IP form a hetero-trimeric complex that blocks Setdb1 nuclear export

Leena S. Kariapper, Ila A. Marathe, Ashley B. Niesman, Kelly M. Suino-Powell, Yuh Min Chook, Vicki Hopper Wysocki, Evan J. Worden

This study identifies a hetero-trimeric complex formed by Setdb1 and two Atf7IP copies that blocks Setdb1 nuclear export by competing with CRM1.

Journal of Biological Chemistry · May 6, 2025Peer-reviewedBiochemistry

Enigmatic missense mutations can cause disease via creation of de novo nuclear export signals

Michael McConville, Toby Thomas, Ryan L. Beckner, Benjamin R. Kroger, Catherine Valadez, Yuh Min Chook, Stephen S. Chung, G. P. Liszczak

The paper identifies missense mutations that create nuclear export signals, leading to disease, and shows therapeutic strategies can restore function.

Science Advances · Apr 16, 2025Peer-reviewedBiochemistry

Phosphate-dependent nuclear export via a novel NES class recognized by exportin Msn5

Ho Yee Joyce Fung, Sanraj R. Mittal, Ashley B. Niesman, Jenny Jiou, Binita Shakya, Takuya Yoshizawa, Ahmet E. Cansizoglu, Michael P. Rout, Yuh Min Chook

The paper identifies a novel phosphorylated NES in Pho4 recognized by Msn5, revealing a phosphate-specific nuclear export mechanism in yeast.

Nature Communications · Mar 15, 2025Peer-reviewedBiophysics

Structure of Importin-4 bound to the H3-H4·ASF1 histone·histone chaperone complex

Natália Elisa Bernardes, Ho Yee Joyce Fung, Yang Li, Zhe Chen, Yuh Min Chook

This study determines the structure of Importin-4 bound to the H3-H4·ASF1 complex, revealing how Importin-4 recognizes and transports the histone chaperone complex into the nucleus.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · Sep 14, 2022Peer-reviewedMolecular Biology

A murine model of hnRNPH2-related neurodevelopmental disorder recapitulates clinical features of human disease and reveals a mechanism for genetic compensation of HNRNPH2

Ané Korff, Xiaojing Yang, Kevin O’Donovan, Abner Gonzalez, Brett J.W. Teubner, Haruko Nakamura, James Messing, Fen Yang, Alexandre F. Carisey, Yong‐Dong Wang, Tushar Patni, Heather S. Tillman, Stanislav S. Zakharenko, Yuh Min Chook, J. Paul Taylor, Hong Joo Kim

This paper creates a mouse model of HNRNPH2-related neurodevelopmental disorder, showing similar symptoms to humans and revealing genetic compensation mechanisms.

bioRxiv · Mar 17, 2022 · PreprintNeuroscience