This paper engineers a ribozyme that can aminoacylate tRNA and discriminate between cognate and non-cognate tRNAs, enabling non-canonical amino acid incorporation.

ACS Chemical Biology · Sep 26, 2026Peer-reviewedBiochemistry

Chemical Proteomic Profiling of the Histaminylation Proteome in Cancer Cells Unveils Uncharted Epigenetic Marks on Core Histones

Xingyu Ma, Anne A Leaman, Lin Zeng, Huapeng Li, Zhengjun Cai, Qianyue Wang, Kaiwaan Dalal, Md Shahadat Hossain, Venkatesh P. Thirumalaikumar, Zhihong Wang, Valerie P. O’Brien, W. Andy Tao, Qingfei Zheng

This study identifies new TGM2-catalyzed histaminylation marks on core histones in cancer cells and reveals their crosstalk with γH2AX formation in DNA damage responses.

Journal of the American Chemical Society · Aug 3, 2026Peer-reviewedBiochemistry

PBRM1-Dependent PBAF Targeting is Required for EMT and Metastasis in Breast Cancer

Alisha Dhiman, Mitchell G. Ayers, Jamie L McCuiston, Aparna B. Shinde, Saeed Salehin Akhand, Guanming Jiao, Juan P P Jauregui-Lozano, Marco Hadisurya, Elizabeth G. Poulsen Porter, W. Andy Tao, Vikki Marie Weake, Yucheng Zhang, Sagar M. Utturkar, Matthew R. Marunde, Michael K. Wendt, Emily C. Dykhuizen

This study shows that PBRM1 in PBAF is essential for EMT and metastasis in breast cancer by enabling promoter targeting and DNA accessibility for TGFβ1-inducible genes.

Science Advances · Jul 29, 2026Peer-reviewedMolecular Biology

NRMLncR, a myocyte-enriched long non-coding RNA, enhances myogenesis in mouse

Yufen Li, Yumei Zhou, Qing Ying Li, Justine V. Arrington, Mostafa Fathi Abdelhai, Yubo Wang, Junxiao Ren, Yung-Yu Cheng, Mingyi Xie, W. Andy Tao, Kuang Shihuan, Feng Yue

This study identifies NRMLncR, a myocyte-enriched lncRNA, as a regulator of myogenesis in mouse, showing it enhances differentiation through interactions with MyoD/MyoG and CELF1.

bioRxiv · Feb 14, 2026 · PreprintGenetics

Multiplexed Data-Independent Acquisition (mDIA) to Profile Extracellular Vesicle Proteomes

Yi‐Kai Liu, Nathaniel Miller, Marco Hadisurya, Zheng Zhang, W. Andy Tao

This study establishes a robust mDIA pipeline for EV proteomics, showing library-based DIA outperforms other methods and reveals IDH1 mutation effects on EV proteomes in cholangiocarcinoma.

Molecular & Cellular Proteomics · Jan 9, 2026Peer-reviewedBiochemistry

Discovery of Chirally-dependent Protein O-2-Hydroxyglutarylation by D2HG and L2HG

Zheng Zhang, Yi‐Kai Liu, Zhuojun Luo, Meng‐Ju Wu, Claudia N. Evans, Zihan Qu, Fanglei Xue, Zhong‐Yin Zhang, Elizabeth I. Parkinson, Nabeel M. Bardeesy, W. Andy Tao

The paper identifies D2HG and L2HG-induced O-2-hydroxyglutarylation with chiral specificity, revealing inhibitory effects on kinases MRCKA and SLK.

bioRxiv · Jan 24, 2025 · PreprintBiochemistry

Activity-assembled nBAF complex mediates rapid immediate early gene transcription by regulating RNA Polymerase II productive elongation.

Karen G. Cornejo, Andie Venegas, Morgan H. Sono, Madeline Door, Brenda Gutierrez-Ruiz, Lucy B. Karabedian, Supratik G. Nandi, Marco Hadisurya, W. Andy Tao, Emily C. Dykhuizen, Ramendra N. Saha

This study shows the nBAF complex facilitates activity-induced transcription of IEGs by regulating RNA Polymerase II elongation through its assembly and ATPase activity.

Cell Reports · Oct 15, 2024Peer-reviewedNeuroscience