• The chemistry, biology, and application of enzymes
• Enzymes of particular interest are sirtuins, HDACs, PARPs, radical SAM enzymes, and CD38. Most of these enzymes are involved in protein post-translational modifications and have important biological functions.
• We combine organic synthesis, biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, and cell biology to study the enzymology, identify the modified proteins, and study how the modification affects protein structure/function and thus the biological significance of the modification. We also develop small molecule inhibitors to target these enzymes and investigate their potentials in treating human diseases, such as cancer.

X. Zhu, B. Dzikovski, X. Su, A.T. Torelli, Y. Zhang, S.E. Ealick, J.H. Freed, and H. Lin. "Mechanistic understanding of Pyrococcus horikoshii Dph2, a [4Fe-4S] enzyme required for diphthamide biosynthesis", Mol. BioSystems. 2011, 7, 74-81,  Link

X. Zhu, J. Kim, X. Su, and H. Lin. "Reconstitution of diphthine synthase activity in vitro", Biochemistry. 2010, 49, 9649-9657. Link

Hong Jiang, Jun Hyun Kim, Kristine M. Frizzell, W. Lee Kraus and Hening Lin; "Clickable NAD Analogues for Labeling Substrate Proteins of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases", JACS. 2010. Link

Yang Zhang, Xuling Zhu, Andrew T. Torelli, Michael Lee, Boris Dzikovski, Rachel M. Koralewski, Eileen Wang, Jack Freed, Carsten Krebs, Steven E. Ealick & Hening Lin; "Diphthamide biosynthesis requires an organic radical generated by an iron–sulphur enzyme", Nature. 2010, 465,891-896. Link

H. Jiang, J. Congleton, Q. Liu, P. Merchant, F. Malavasi, H.C. Lee, Q. Hao, A. Yen, H. Lin, "Mechanism-Based Small Molecule Probes for Labeling CD38 on Live Cells", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2009, 131, 1658-1659 Link. Highlighted in Nat. Chem. Biol., 2009. 5, 149. Link

J. Du, H. Jiang, H. Lin, "Investigating the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of sirtuins with NAD analogs and 32P-NAD", Biochemistry, 2009, 48, 2878–2890. Link

Q. Liu, I.A. Kriksunov, H. Jiang, R. Graeff, H. Lin, H.C. Lee, Q. Hao, "Covalent and non-covalent intermediates of an NAD utilizing enzyme - human CD38", Chem. Biol., 2008, 15,1068-78. Link

H. Lin, J. Du, H. Jiang, "Posttranslational modifications to regulate protein function", Wiley Encyclopedia of Chemical Biology, 2008. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/9780470048672. wecb467. Link

H. Lin, "Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide: beyond a redox coenzyme", Org. Biomol. Chem., 2007, 5, 2541-2554. Link

• PhD, Columbia University, 2003

• BS, Tsinghua University, 1998

• 2011             Marilyn Emmons Williams Award
• 2011             CAPA Distinguished Junior Faculty Award
• 2006             Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award
• 2003             Jane Coffin Childs Fellow, Harvard Medical School
• 2003             Hammet Award, Columbia University
• 2001             Arun Guthikonda Memorial Fellow, Columbia University
• 1998             Graduate with Honor, Tsinghua University
• 1994-1997    First Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Tsinghua University