Yan (Kathy) Yang

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Research

Developing novel inhibitors targeting the bacterial cell wall biosynthetic enzyme MurA and the shikimate pathway enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). Studying the mechanism of inhibitor action on MurA and EPSPS by enzyme kinetics, crystallization and structure determination.

Education

2005, Ph. D. in organic synthesis and biocatalysis, University of New Brunswick, Canada

Recent Publications

• Han H, Yang Y, Olesen SH, Becker A, Betzi S, Schonbrunn E. The Fungal Product Terreic Acid is a Covalent Inhibitor of the Bacterial Cell Wall Biosynthetic Enzyme UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 1-carboxyvinyltransferase (MurA). Biochemistry. 2010 Apr 14. Pubmed ID: 20392080
• Yihui Chen, Ana G. Petrovic, Marin Roje, Gennaro Pescitelli, Margaret M. Kayser, Yan Yang, Nina Berova, Gloria Proni. “CD-Sensitive Zn-Porphyrin Tweezer Host-Guest Complexes. Part 2: Cis- and Trans-3-Hydroxy-4-Aryl/Alkyl-β-Lactams. A case study”. Chirality, 2010, 22, 140-152 Pubmed ID: 19388083
• Todd Funke, Yan Yang, Huijong Han, Martha Healy-Fried, Sanne Olesen, Andreas Becker, Ernst Schönbrunn. “Structural Basis of Glyphosate Resistance Resulting from the Double Mutation Thr97Ile and Pro101Ser in 5-Enolpyruvyl-Shikimate-3-Phosphate Synthase from Escherichia coli”. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2009, 284, 9854-9860 Pubmed ID: 19211556
• Haribabu Ankati, Dunming Zhu,Yan Yang, Edward R.Biehl, Ling Hua. “Asymmetric Synthesis of Both Antipodes of β-Hydroxy Nitriles and β-Hydroxy Carboxylic Acids via Enzymatic Reduction or Sequential Reduction/Hydrolysis”. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2009, 74, 1658-1662 Pubmed ID: 19161324
• Haribabu Ankati, Yan Yang, Dunming Zhu, Edward R.Biehl, Ling Hua. “Synthesis of Optically Pure 2-Azido-1-Arylethanols with Isolated Enzymes and Conversion to Triazole-Containing β-Blocker Analogues Employing Click Chemistry”. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2008, 73, 6433-6436 Pubmed ID: 18630881
• Dunming Zhu, Yan Yang, Stephanie Majkowitcz, Thoris Hsin-Yuan Pan, Katherine A. Kantardjieff, Ling Hua. “Inverting the Enantioselectivity of a Carbonyl Reductase via Substrate-Enzyme Docking-Guided Point Mutation”. Organic Letters, 2008, 10, 525-528 Pubmed ID: 18205368
• Dunming Zhu, Chandrani Mukherjee, Yan Yang, Beatriz E. Rios, D. Travis Gallagher, N. Natasha Smith, Edward R. Biehl, Ling Hua. “A new nitrilase from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110. Gene cloning, biochemical characterization and substrate specificity”. Journal of Biotechnology, 2008, 133, 327-333 Pubmed ID: 18061298
• Yan Yang, Jianmei Wang, Margaret M. Kayser. “Approaches to the Synthesis of Enantiopure α-Hydroxy-β-Lactams with Functionalized Side Chains”. Tetrahedron : Asymmetry, 2007, 18, 2021-2029
• Yan Yang, Dunming Zhu, Timothy J. Piegat, Ling Hua. “Enzymatic Ketone Reduction. Mapping the Substrate Profile of a Short-Chain Alcohol Dehydrogenase (YMR226c) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae”.Tetrahedron : Asymmetry, 2007, 18, 1799-1803
• Dunming Zhu, Haribabu Ankati, Chandrani Mukherjee, Yan Yang, Edward R. Biehl, Ling Hua. “Asymmetric Reduction of β-Ketonitriles with a Recombinant Carbonyl Reductase and Cascade Enzymatic Transformation to Optically Pure β-Hydroxy Carboxylic Acids”. Organic Letters, 2007, 9, 2561-2563 Pubmed ID: 17521195
• Jianmei Wang, Fernande D. Rochon, Yan Yang, Ling Hua, Margaret M. Kayser. “Synthesis of Oxazolidine Using DMSO/P4O10 as Formaldehyde Equivalent”. Tetrahedron : Asymmetry, 2007, 18, 1115-1123
• Haibo Ge, Jared T. Spletstoser, Yan Yang, Margaret Kayser, Gunda I. Georg. “Synthesis of Docetaxel and Butitaxel Analogues Through Kinetic Resolution of Racemic β-Lactams with 7-O-Triethylsilylbaccatin III”. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2007, 72, 756-759. Pubmed ID: 17253791
• Dunming Zhu, Yan Yang, John D. Buynak, Ling Hua. “Stereoselective Ketone Reduction by a Carbonyl Reductase from Sporobolomyces salmonicolor. Substrate Specificity, Enantioselectivity and Enzyme-Substrate Docking Studies”. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 2006, 4, 2690-2695. Pubmed ID: 16826293
• Dunming Zhu, Yan Yang, Ling Hua. “Stereoselective Enzymatic Synthesis of Chiral Alcohols with the Use of a Carbonyl Reductase from Candida magnoliae with Anti-Prelog Enantioselectivity”. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2006, 71, 4202-4205. Pubmed ID: 16709061
• Yan Yang, Melissa Drolet, Margaret M. Kayser. “The Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of 3-Oxo-4-Phenyl-β-Lactam by Recombinant E. coli Overexpressing Yeast Reductase Ara1p”. Tetrahedron : Asymmetry, 2005, 16, 2748-2753
• Yan Yang, Margaret M. Kayser, Don Hooper. “The Assignment of Absolute Configuration of 3-Hydroxy β-Lactams by NMR “Mix and Shake” Method”. Chirality, 2005, 17, 131-134. Pubmed ID: 15704195
• Yan Yang, Fengyun Wang, Fernande D. Rochon, Margaret M. Kayser. “Synthesis of Novel Optically Pure β-Lactams”. Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 2005, 83, 28-36.
• Yan Yang, Margaret M. Kayser, Fernande D. Rochon, Sonia Rodríguez, Jon D. Stewart. “Assessing Substrate Acceptance and Enantioselectivity of Yeast Reductases in Reactions with Substituted α-Keto β-Lactams”. Journal of Molecular Catalysis. B: Enzymatic, 2005, 32, 167-174
• Magaret M. Kayser, Yan Yang, Marko D. Mihovilovic, Anton Feicht, Fernande D. Rochon. “Baker’s Yeast-Catalyzed Synthesis of Optically Pure 4-tert-Butyl-3-Hydroxy β-Lactam cis-(3R,4S) and trans-(3R, 4R) Diastereomers”. Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 2002, 80, 796-800.