Molecular Biology Program

The Xiaolan Zhao Lab

Research

Xiaolan Zhao, PhD

Our lab studies two fundamental aspects of biology that have broad implications for human health. The first research direction examines how cells faithfully duplicate their genomes and repair DNA lesions arising from endogenous and exogenous sources. The second direction focuses on how a protein modifier called SUMO mediates signal transduction, directs the DNA stress response, and dynamically regulates the functions of many proteins. We have implemented a versatile combination of molecular, genetic, biochemical, cell biological, and genomic/proteomic approaches toward answering these questions. Our current work aims to elucidate new underlying principles of the above processes, and reveal how they are integrated with other cellular functions to achieve cell proliferation under various conditions.

View Lab Overview

Featured News

At Work: Molecular Biologist Xiaolan Zhao

In the Lab

“Molecular Origami” Enables Proteins to Serve as Specialized Delivery Vehicles, Study Finds

Monday, August 12, 2019

In the News

10 Remarkable Basic Science Breakthroughs from 2019

Monday, December 16, 2019

Publications

Yu Y, Li S, Ser Z, Sanyal T, Choi K, Wan B, Kuang H, Sali A, Kentsis A, Patel DJ, Zhao X. (2021) Integrative analysis reveals unique structural and functional features of the Smc5/6 complex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 118(19):e2026844118.

Dhingra N, Kuppa S, Wei L, Pokhrel N, Baburyan S, Meng X, Antony E, Zhao X (2021). The Srs2 helicase dampens DNA damage checkpoint by recycling RPA from chromatin . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Feb 23;118(8):e2020185118.

Li S, Bonner JN, Wan B, So S, Summers A, Gonzalez L, Xue X, Zhao X (2021). Esc2 orchestrates substrate-specific sumoylation by acting as a SUMO E2 cofactor in genome maintenance. Genes Dev . 35(3-4):261-272.

Shen M, Dhingra N, Wang Q, Cheng C, Zhu S, Tian , Yu J, Gong X, Li X, Zhang H, Xu X, Zhai L, Xie M, Gao Y, Deng H, He Y, Niu H, Zhao X, Xiang S (2021). Structural basis for the multi-activity factor Rad5 in replication stress tolerance. Nature Commun. 12: 321.

Meng X, Wei L, Devbhandari S, Zhang T, Xiang J, Remus D, Zhao X (2020). DNA polymerase ε relies on a unique domain for efficient replisome assembly and strand synthesis. Nat Commun. 11(1):2437.

View All Publications

People

Xiaolan Zhao, PhD

Molecular biologist Xiaolan Zhao studies chromosomal organization, genome integrity, DNA replication and repair, dynamic protein modification.
PhD, Columbia University

zhaox1@mskcc.org: Email Address
212-639-5582: Office Phone

Members

Nalini Dhingra
Senior Research Scientist

Shibai Li, PhD — Shibai Li
Research Scholar

Gemma Regan-Mochrie
Graduate Student (GSK)

Nisma Hussein

Undergraduate Researcher

Lab Alumni

Yu-Huang (Jeffrey) Chen
Former Graduate Student

Catherine Cremona
Former Postdoctoral Fellow

Inn Chung, PhD — Inn Chung
Former Research Fellow

Milica Arneric
Former Postdoctoral Fellow

Vladimir Yong-Gonzalez
Former Postdoctoral Fellow

Xianpeng Liu

Former Postdoctoral Fellow

Jeannette Huaman
Former Summer Research Intern

Silva Baburyan
Former Undergraduate Researcher

Dennis Lysov
Former Undergraduate Researcher

Lab Affiliations

Achievements

Bressler Scholar, Alfred W. Bressler Scholar Endowment Fund (2007-2010)
Research Scholar, American Cancer Society (2012-2016)
Scholar, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (2013-2018)
Discovery of the extensive SUMO-based DNA damage response
Discovery of the connection between the nuclear pore complex and desumoylation

Discovery of the Smc5/6 complex in budding yeast
Discovery of the essential function of the DNA replication and damage checkpoint

Lab News & Events

Tweets by @@ZhaoLab_SKI

Accolades

Team Recognitions

Shibai and Jake’s paper on the functions of a sumoylation cofactor is out in Genes Dev (2021).
Bingbing started his own lab at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Michael’s new lab is not far from Bingbing’s lab in the same University!
Congrats to Michael and Wei for their work on POLe that synthesizes half of our body’s DNA (Nat Commun 2020).
We welcome new Research Scholars, Jiayi and Thane.
Congrats to Nalini for winning 2020 Kravis Women in Science Endeavor grant!
A shout out to Danying who won best Oral Presentation at 2020 ABRC conference.
Bingbing’s structural paper on a genome maintenance hub is out in Mol Cell, 2019.
Read up our reviews on SUMO-based controls in Genes Dev, 2019 and Mol Cell. 2018.
Congrats to Silva for winning the 2021 Jonas E Salk Scholarship!

Open Positions

Postdoctoral, Graduate Student, & Technician Positions

Positions are available for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and technicians in the research group of Dr. Xiaolan Zhao.

Apply now

Get in Touch

zhaox1@mskcc.org

Lab Head Email
212-639-5582

Office Phone
212-639-5579

Lab Phone
646-422-2062

Lab Fax

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Xiaolan Zhao discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

Gordon Research Conference
Provision of Services

The information published here is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2019 through disclosure submission in spring 2020). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at ecoi@mskcc.org.

View all disclosures