Postdoc (University of Cambridge)
Associate Professor of Department of Chemistry
| Office: | YEUNG-B6608 |
|---|---|
| Lab: | YEUNG-P2405 |
| Phone: | +852 3442-6858 |
| Fax: | +852 3442-0522 |
| Email: | ckkwok42@cityu.edu.hk |
| Twitter: | @kitkwok6 |
| Web: | Personal Homepage |
| ORCID ID: | 0000-0001-9175-8543 |
| Scopus Author ID: | 55167223200 |
- RNA Biology
- Chemical Biology
- Nucleic Acids
- G-Quadruplex
- Gene Regulation
- Aptamer
Prof. Kit Kwok obtained his B.Sc. in Chemistry (2009) from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, after completing an exchange program at University of California, Los Angeles in 2007-2008. He completed his PhD in Pennsylvania State University (2014), mentored by Professor Philip C. Bevilacqua and Professor Sarah M. Assmann. In Apr 2014, Prof. Kwok worked as a Croucher Postdoctoral Fellow in University of Cambridge under Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian. In Oct 2016, Prof. Kwok's joined the City University of Hong Kong as an Assistant professor and has been promoted to Associate professor in July 2021. In 2019, he was one of the recipients of the CityU President Award and Croucher Innovation Award. In 2020, Prof. Kwok's joined the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong. In 2021, Prof. Kwok was recognized as elected member of Hong Kong Young Academy of Science (YASHK) and Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study Rising Star in Chemistry. In 2022, Prof. Kwok was awarded the NSFC Excellent Young Scientist Fund (優青 (港澳)).
Prof. Kwok’s current research focus is to explore the role of RNA structures and interactions in biology, especially the functions of G-quadruplex structures/interactions and non-coding RNA structures/interactions in the mammalian transcriptome and their relevance to gene regulation, RNA metabolism and diseases. Two new research directions in the Kwok lab are to develop targeting tools for detection, imaging, intervention of these important RNA structures and interactions, as well as to invent innovative nucleic acid-based technologies for sensing chemical pollutants and pathogens
To cultivate a stimulating learning environment for students and to establish RNA community in Hong Kong, Prof. Kwok, together with Dr. Minh Le, has founded the Hong Kong RNA Club in Aug 2017 and organized RNA seminar and symposium events regularly. (http://www.kitkwok.com/hk-rna-club.html). The Hong Kong RNA Club has been recognized and supported by the International RNA Society and various industrial companies.
*co-first authors +corresponding author(s)
Original Research
- Guo, W., *Ji, D., Kinghorn, A. B., Chen, F., Pan, Y., Li, X., Li, Q., Huck, W. T. S., +Kwok, C.K, +Shum, H. C. Tuning Material States and Functionalities of G-Quadruplex-Modulated RNA-Peptide Condensates. JACS. 145, 2375-2385 (2023).
- Lyu, K, Chen, S.B., Chow, E.Y., Zhao, H., Yuan, J.H., Cai, M., Shi, J., Chan, T.F., Tan, J.H., +Kwok, C.K. An RNA G-Quadruplex Structure within the ADAR 5'UTR Interacts with DHX36 Helicase to Regulate Translation. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 61, e20203553 (2022).
- Zhao, H., Wong, H.Y., Ji, D., Lyu, K. & +Kwok, C.K. Novel L-RNA Aptamer Controls APP Gene Expression in Cells by Targeting RNA G-Quadruplex Structure. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 14, 30582- 30594 (2022).
- Georgakopoulos-Soares, I., Parada, G.E., Wong, H.Y., Medhi, R., Furlan, G., Munita, R., Miska, E.A., Kwok, C.K. & Hemberg, M. Alternative splicing modulation by G-quadruplexes. Nat Commun 13, 2404 (2022).
- Umar, M.I., Chan, CY. & +Kwok, C.K. Development of RNA G-quadruplex (rG4)-targeting L-RNA aptamers by rG4-SELEX. Nat Protoc. 17, 1385-1414 (2022).
- Mou, X., Liew, S. W. & +Kwok, C.K. Identification and targeting of G-quadruplex structures in MALAT1 long non-coding RNA. Nucleic Acids Res. 50, 397- 410 (2022).
- Dumetz, F., Chow, E.Y.C., Harris, L.M., Liew, S.W., Jensen, A., Umar, M.I., Chung, B., Chan, T.F., Merrick, C.J. & Kwok, C.K. G-quadruplex RNA motifs influence gene expression in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Nucleic Acids Res. 49, 12486-12501 (2021).
- Chen, X., Yuan, J., Xue, G., Campanario, S., Wang, D., Wang, W., Mou, X., Liew, S.W., Umar, M.I., Isern, J., Zhao, Y., He, L., Li, Y., Mann, C.J., Yu, X., Wang, L., Perdiguero, E., Chen, W., Xue, Y., Nagamine, Y., Kwok, C.K., Sun, H., Muñoz-Cánoves, P. & Wang, H. Translational control by DHX36 binding to 5’UTR G-quadruplex is essential for muscle stem-cell regenerative functions. Nat Commun 12, 5043 (2021).
- Ji, D., Lyu, K., Zhao, H. & +Kwok, C.K. Circular L-RNA aptamer promotes target recognition and controls gene activity. Nucleic Acids Res. 49, 7280-7291 (2021).
- Umar, M.I. & +Kwok, C.K. Specific suppression of D-RNA G-quadruplex-protein interaction with an L-RNA aptamer. Nucleic Acids Res. 48, 10125-10141 (2020).
- Yang, X., Cheema, J., Zhang, Y., Deng, H., Duncan, S., Umar, M. I., Zhao, J., Liu, Q., Cao, X., Kwok, C. K. & Ding, Y. RNA G-quadruplex structures exist and function in vivo in plants. Genome Biol 21, 226 (2020).
- Chan, C. Y. & +Kwok, C. K. Specific Binding of a D-RNA G-Quadruplex Structure with an L-RNA Aptamer. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 59, 5293 –5297 (2020).
- Lyu, K., Chen, S. B., Chan, C. Y., Tan, J. H. & +Kwok, C. K. Structural analysis and cellular visualization of APP RNA G-quadruplex. Chemical Science. 10, 11095 - 11102 (2019).
- Kwok, CK., Marsico, G., Sahakyan, A., Chambers V.S., Balasubramanian, S. rG4-Seq Reveals Widespread Formation of G-Quadruplex Structures in the Human Transcriptome. Nat. Methods 13, 841-844 (2016).
- Kwok, CK., Sahakyan, A., Balasubramanian, S. Structural Analysis using SHALiPE to Reveal RNA G-Quadruplex Formation in Human Precursor MicroRNA. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 55, 8958-8961 (2016).
- Ding, Y., *Kwok, CK., Tang, Y., Bevilacqua, P.C., & Assmann, S.M. Structure-Seq: Genome-Wide Profiling of In Vivo RNA Structure at Single Nucleotide Resolution. Nat. Protoc. 10 1050-1066 (2015).
- Kwok, CK., & Balasubramanian, S. Targeted Detection of G-Quadruplexes in Cellular RNAs. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 54, 6751-6754 (2015).
- Ding, Y., Tang, Y., *Kwok, CK., Zhang, Y., Bevilacqua, P.C., & Assmann, S.M. In Vivo Genome-Wide Profiling of RNA Secondary Structures Reveal Novel Regulatory Features. Nature. 505, 696-700 (2014)
Invited Reviews or Featured Articles
- *Ji, D., *Feng, H., *Liew, S. W., +Kwok, C. K. Modified nucleic acid aptamers: development, characterization, and biological applications. Trends in Biotechnology (2023). 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.05.005
- *Lyu, K., *Chow, E.Y.C., *Mou, X., +Chan, T. & +Kwok, C.K. RNA G-quadruplexes (rG4s): genomics and biological functions. Nucleic Acids Res. 49, 5426-5450 (2021).
- Zhao, H. & +Kwok, C.K. Bringing distant DNA together. Nature Chem. Bio. 17, 125-126 (2021).
- *Zhao, J., *Qian, X., *Yeung, P.Y., +Zhang, Q.F.C., +Kwok, C.K., Mapping In Vivo RNA Structures and Interactions. Trends Biochem. Sci. 44, 555-556 (2019).
- *Qian, X., *Zhao, J., *Yeung, P.Y., +Zhang, Q.F.C., +Kwok, C.K., Revealing LncRNA Structures and Interactions by sequencing-based approaches. Trends Biochem. Sci. 44, 33-52 (2019).
- Ding, Y., +Kwok, CK. Emergence of Vascular Plants. Nature Plants 4, 325-326 (2018).
We are looking for outstanding PhD Students and Postdoctoral Fellows to join the Kwok Lab. Researchers within the group will be exposed to diverse chemical and biochemical techniques at our laboratory in the Department of Chemistry.
If you are interested to join the group, please kindly send your i) cover letter, ii) academic transcripts and GPA, and iii) CV which includes a summary of past research experience and publication records, and your research interests to Prof. Kwok: (email:ckkwok42@cityu.edu.hk).
We strongly encourage and support eligible PhD and Postdoc applicants to apply for their own support, either from the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/index.html), RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme (https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/funding_opport/pdfs.html) or other funding agencies.
Research Vision
The discovery of new classes of RNA with regulatory functions have challenged the central dogma of molecular biology and caused a paradigm shift in biological, medical, and agricultural research. RNA plays a crucial role in regulation of gene expression in normal and stress physiology; however, the RNA structure-function relationship and the underlying biochemical mechanism remain elusive. My research focus is to develop biochemical technologies to decipher the hidden layers of information in RNA such as RNA structure; identify the RNA binding partners and molecular basis of interactions; and elucidate the mechanistic roles of RNA in regulatory pathways, stress physiologies, cell differentiation/organism development, as well as disease pathology. My long-term ambition is to uncover the central RNA players in stress physiologies and diseases that could reveal novel RNA-mediated gene regulations, as well as to develop targeting strategies via chemical, aptamer and CRISPR approaches for manipulation of gene expression and potential biotechnological applications, bringing my research closer relevance to improving the quality of human life.
For more details about Prof. Kwok’s current research and team, please click here.