AWARDEE OF LIFE SCIENCES PRIZE
CHANG WENRUI
Chang Wenrui, a structural biologist, was born in September 1940, in Jinzhuo, Liaoning Province. He graduated from Department of Chemistry, Nankai University in 1964. He is now a research professor in Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Since 1969, Prof. Changs research has been focused on the structure-function relation ship of biomarcromolecules, and in the current years, he has concentrated on the photosynthesis membrane proteins and some of enzymes related to the human diseases and severe environments.Changs group solved the first crystal structure of light-harvesting complex (LHC-II) from green plant (spinach) which is also the first crystal structure of membrane protein determined in China. This research revealed a novel “Type III”membrane protein crystal, provide an atomic model of LHC-II-lipid proteoliposome vesicle, established the major energy transfer pathways within LHC-II monomer and trimer and also proposed a structure-based NPQ ( Non-photochemical Quenching ) model. The result was published a paper in NATURE with cover picture. Changs group has also worked on the light-harvesting system of blue-green and red algae for about 10 years. The major part of light-harvesting complex in algae is formed by the rod-like phycobilisomes which consist of phycobiliproteins: phycoerythrin(PE), phycocyanin (PC) and all-phycocyanin (APC), Changs group solved four structures: R-PE, two PC ( one R-PC and one C-PC ) and an APC. This project was awarded the first class prize of Science- Technology of Beijing in 2003.
Prof. Chang was one of the members of “Beijing Insulin Structure Group”, this group determined the first crystal structure of protein (insulin) in China. After that, Chang worked on the refinement of insulin structure at 1.2 A resolution, the result revealed the electron densities of about 80% of hydrogen atoms in insulin molecules. Chang has also made important contributions on the research of enzymes related to the human diseases and severe environments. His group solved the structures of earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme component A and B, which not only directly degrade fibrins but also active as a plasminogen. They also solved the structures of Rubrerythrin with different air-exposure time and found that the zinc atom can be moved by 2A. They solved the structure of manganese superoxide dismutase (GP-MnSOD), the structures of nitrite reductase mutants ( NiRc-5, NiRc-11 and NiR-I257E), the structures of human phenol sulfotransferases(M-PSTs and P-PSTs) which have important biological activity in chemical defensemechanism in human body.
For Prof. Changs excellent scientific achievements, he was awarded the national natural scienceprize (2ndrank) two times, the science-technology prize (1strank and 2ndrank) of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the science-technology prize (1strank) of Beijing. Chang was the deputy director of national laboratory of biomacromolecules and the vice-chairman of the society of crystallography of China.
