Woojin An, PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine

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Overview

Dr. An is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. His research program is focused on using multi-disciplinary biochemical and cellular approaches to understand fundamental concepts and mechanisms of action of epigenetic histone remodeling in various cellular events. Specifically, his laboratory employs multiple assay systems and methods to dissect molecular details of how histone modification, histone variant exchange, and histone tail proteolysis regulate chromatin structure and control gene expression processes. Current projects involve genome-wide location analysis and functional characterization of histone marks and downstream effectors that are crucial for epigenetic regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and transformation. Dr. An received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics in 1998 from the Oregon State University and did his postdoctoral training at the Rockefeller University. He began his career on the faculty at USC in 2004.

Publications

  • MMP-9-dependent proteolysis of the histone H3 N-terminal tail: a critical epigenetic step in driving oncogenic transcription and colon tumorigenesis Mol Oncol. 2024 Apr 10. . View in PubMed
  • Promoter hypermethylation as a novel regulator of ANO1 expression and function in prostate cancer bone metastasis Sci Rep. 2024 05 21; 14(1):11595. . View in PubMed
  • Non-canonical MLL1 activity regulates centromeric phase separation and genome stability Nat Cell Biol. 2023 Nov; 25(11):1637-1649. . View in PubMed
  • VprBP/DCAF1 Triggers Melanomagenic Gene Silencing through Histone H2A Phosphorylation Biomedicines. 2023 Sep 17; 11(9). . View in PubMed
  • VprBP/DCAF1 regulates p53 function and stability through site-specific phosphorylation Oncogene. 2023 04; 42(17):1405-1416. . View in PubMed
  • Phosphorylation and stabilization of EZH2 by DCAF1/VprBP trigger aberrant gene silencing in colon cancer Nat Commun. 2023 04 17; 14(1):2140. . View in PubMed
  • MMP-9 drives the melanomagenic transcription program through histone H3 tail proteolysis Oncogene. 2022 01; 41(4):560-570. . View in PubMed
  • DNMT and EZH2 inhibitors synergize to activate therapeutic targets in hepatocellular carcinoma Cancer Lett. 2022 11 01; 548:215899. . View in PubMed
  • VprBP directs epigenetic gene silencing through histone H2A phosphorylation in colon cancer Mol Oncol. 2021 10; 15(10):2801-2817. . View in PubMed
  • Insight Into Pathological Integrin aIIbß3 Activation From Safeguarding The Inactive State J Mol Biol. 2021 04 02; 433(7):166832. . View in PubMed
  • MMP-2 is a novel histone H3 N-terminal protease necessary for myogenic gene activation Epigenetics Chromatin. 2021 05 17; 14(1):23. . View in PubMed
  • A HOTAIR regulatory element modulates glioma cell sensitivity to temozolomide through long-range regulation of multiple target genes Genome Res. 2020 02; 30(2):155-163. . View in PubMed
  • Epigenetic Modification as a Regulatory Mechanism for Spatiotemporal Dynamics of ANO1 Expression in Salivary Glands Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Dec 13; 20(24). . View in PubMed
  • p32 is a negative regulator of p53 tetramerization and transactivation Mol Oncol. 2019 09; 13(9):1976-1992. . View in PubMed
  • DNMT and HDAC inhibitors modulate MMP-9-dependent H3 N-terminal tail proteolysis and osteoclastogenesis Epigenetics Chromatin. 2019 04 16; 12(1):25. . View in PubMed
  • MacroH2A12 inhibits prostate cancer-induced osteoclastogenesis through cooperation with HP1a and H1. 2. Oncogene. 2018 10; 37(43):5749-5765. . View in PubMed
  • Membrane Anchoring of a-Helical Proteins: Role of Tryptophan J Phys Chem B. 2018 01 25; 122(3):1185-1194. . View in PubMed
  • Regulation of Breast Cancer-Induced Osteoclastogenesis by MacroH2A12 Involving EZH2-Mediated H3K27me3. Cell Rep. 2018 07 03; 24(1):224-237. . View in PubMed
  • H3K27me1 is essential for MMP-9-dependent H3N-terminal tail proteolysis during osteoclastogenesis Epigenetics Chromatin. 2018 05 28; 11(1):23. . View in PubMed
  • Role of remodeling and spacing factor 1 in histone H2A ubiquitination-mediated gene silencing Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 09 19; 114(38):E7949-E7958. . View in PubMed
  • Correction for Kim et al, “Vpr-Binding Protein Antagonizes p53-Mediated Transcription via Direct Interaction with H3 Tail”. Mol Cell Biol. 2017 08 01; 37(15). . View in PubMed
  • MMP-9 facilitates selective proteolysis of the histone H3 tail at genes necessary for proficient osteoclastogenesis Genes Dev. 2016 Jan 15; 30(2):208-19. . View in PubMed
  • A Conserved Ectodomain-Transmembrane Domain Linker Motif Tunes the Allosteric Regulation of Cell Surface Receptors J Biol Chem. 2016 08 19; 291(34):17536-46. . View in PubMed
  • Linker histone H12 establishes chromatin compaction and gene silencing through recognition of H3K27me3. Sci Rep. 2015 Nov 19; 5:16714. . View in PubMed
  • Cooperation between SMYD3 and PC4 drives a distinct transcriptional program in cancer cells Nucleic Acids Res. 2015 Oct 15; 43(18):8868-83. . View in PubMed
  • Analysis of a transgenic Oct4 enhancer reveals high fidelity long-range chromosomal interactions Sci Rep. 2015 Oct 05; 5:14558. . View in PubMed
  • Linker Histone H12 cooperates with Cul4A and PAF1 to drive H4K31 ubiquitylation-mediated transactivation. Cell Rep. 2013 Dec 26; 5(6):1690-703. . View in PubMed
  • VprBP has intrinsic kinase activity targeting histone H2A and represses gene transcription Mol Cell. 2013 Nov 07; 52(3):459-67. . View in PubMed
  • The histone variant MacroH2A regulates Ca(2+) influx through TRPC3 and TRPC6 channels Oncogenesis. 2013 Oct 28; 2:e77. . View in PubMed
  • Gene dysregulation by histone variant H2AZ in bladder cancer. Epigenetics Chromatin. 2013 Oct 16; 6(1):34. . View in PubMed
  • Biological implications and regulatory mechanisms of long-range chromosomal interactions J Biol Chem. 2013 Aug 02; 288(31):22369-77. . View in PubMed
  • Klf4 organizes long-range chromosomal interactions with the oct4 locus in reprogramming and pluripotency Cell Stem Cell. 2013 Jul 03; 13(1):36-47. . View in PubMed
  • Cell-penetrating H4 tail peptides potentiate p53-mediated transactivation via inhibition of G9a and HDAC1 Oncogene. 2013 May 16; 32(20):2510-20. . View in PubMed
  • Nuclear CaMKII enhances histone H3 phosphorylation and remodels chromatin during cardiac hypertrophy Nucleic Acids Res. 2013 09; 41(16):7656-72. . View in PubMed
  • The interactomes of POU5F1 and SOX2 enhancers in human embryonic stem cells Sci Rep. 2013; 3:1588. . View in PubMed
  • Functional interplay between p53 acetylation and H12 phosphorylation in p53-regulated transcription. Oncogene. 2012 Sep 27; 31(39):4290-301. . View in PubMed
  • An essential role of variant histone H33 for ectomesenchyme potential of the cranial neural crest. PLoS Genet. 2012 Sep; 8(9):e1002938. . View in PubMed
  • p53 requires an intact C-terminal domain for DNA binding and transactivation J Mol Biol. 2012 Feb 03; 415(5):843-54. . View in PubMed
  • Vpr-binding protein antagonizes p53-mediated transcription via direct interaction with H3 tail Mol Cell Biol. 2012 Feb; 32(4):783-96. . View in PubMed
  • Recognition of enhancer element-specific histone methylation by TIP60 in transcriptional activation Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2011 Nov 13; 18(12):1358-65. . View in PubMed
  • Selective requirement of H2B N-Terminal tail for p14ARF-induced chromatin silencing Nucleic Acids Res. 2011 Nov; 39(21):9167-80. . View in PubMed
  • 3 stimulates HSP70 transcription through cooperation with HP1? . Nucleic Acids Res. 2011 Oct; 39(19):8329-41.. View in PubMed
  • Identification of preferential target sites for human DNA methyltransferases Nucleic Acids Res. 2011 Jan; 39(1):104-18. . View in PubMed
  • Cooperative action of TIP48 and TIP49 in H2AZ exchange catalyzed by acetylation of nucleosomal H2A. Nucleic Acids Res. 2009 Oct; 37(18):5993-6007. . View in PubMed
  • Requirement of histone methyltransferase SMYD3 for estrogen receptor-mediated transcription J Biol Chem. 2009 Jul 24; 284(30):19867-77. . View in PubMed
  • 30 nm chromatin fibre decompaction requires both H4-K16 acetylation and linker histone eviction J Mol Biol. 2008 Sep 12; 381(4):816-25. . View in PubMed
  • CCAR1, a key regulator of mediator complex recruitment to nuclear receptor transcription complexes Mol Cell. 2008 Aug 22; 31(4):510-519. . View in PubMed
  • FACT-mediated exchange of histone variant H2AX regulated by phosphorylation of H2AX and ADP-ribosylation of Spt16 Mol Cell. 2008 Apr 11; 30(1):86-97. . View in PubMed
  • Isolation and characterization of a novel H12 complex that acts as a repressor of p53-mediated transcription. J Biol Chem. 2008 Apr 04; 283(14):9113-26. . View in PubMed
  • Purification and characterization of cellular proteins associated with histone H4 tails J Biol Chem. 2007 Jul 20; 282(29):21024-31. . View in PubMed
  • Isolation and characterization of proteins associated with histone H3 tails in vivo J Biol Chem. 2007 May 25; 282(21):15476-83. . View in PubMed
  • Histone acetylation and methylation: combinatorial players for transcriptional regulation Subcell Biochem. 2007; 41:351-69. . View in PubMed
  • Mechanism of polymerase II transcription repression by the histone variant macroH2A Mol Cell Biol. 2006 Feb; 26(3):1156-64. . View in PubMed
  • SWI/SNF remodeling and p300-dependent transcription of histone variant H2ABbd nucleosomal arrays EMBO J. 2004 Oct 01; 23(19):3815-24. . View in PubMed
  • Ordered cooperative functions of PRMT1, p300, and CARM1 in transcriptional activation by p53 Cell. 2004 Jun 11; 117(6):735-48. . View in PubMed
  • Regulation of the p300 HAT domain via a novel activation loop Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2004 Apr; 11(4):308-15. . View in PubMed
  • Reconstitution and transcriptional analysis of chromatin in vitro Methods Enzymol. 2004; 377:460-74. . View in PubMed
  • mAM facilitates conversion by ESET of dimethyl to trimethyl lysine 9 of histone H3 to cause transcriptional repression Mol Cell. 2003 Aug; 12(2):475-87. . View in PubMed
  • Direct association of p300 with unmodified H3 and H4 N termini modulates p300-dependent acetylation and transcription of nucleosomal templates J Biol Chem. 2003 Jan 17; 278(3):1504-10. . View in PubMed
  • Selective requirements for histone H3 and H4 N termini in p300-dependent transcriptional activation from chromatin Mol Cell. 2002 Apr; 9(4):811-21. . View in PubMed
  • SYT associates with human SNF/SWI complexes and the C-terminal region of its fusion partner SSX1 targets histones J Biol Chem. 2002 Feb 15; 277(7):5498-505. . View in PubMed
  • Activator-dependent transcription from chromatin in vitro involving targeted histone acetylation by p300 Mol Cell. 2000 Sep; 6(3):551-61. . View in PubMed
  • The site of binding of linker histone to the nucleosome does not depend upon the amino termini of core histones Biochimie. 1999 Jul; 81(7):727-32. . View in PubMed
  • The non-histone chromatin protein HMG1 protects linker DNA on the side opposite to that protected by linker histones J Biol Chem. 1998 Oct 09; 273(41):26289-91. . View in PubMed
  • Linker histone protection of chromatosomes reconstituted on 5S rDNA from Xenopus borealis:a reinvestigation Nucleic Acids Res. 1998 Sep 01; 26(17):4042-6. . View in PubMed
  • Linker histone protects linker DNA on only one side of the core particle and in a sequence-dependent manner Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Mar 31; 95(7):3396-401. . View in PubMed