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Research Overview

The primary focus of her research involves developing and applying single molecule approaches to acquire quantitative understanding of biology and to find ways to improve human medicine. The current directions of her research include:

  1. Investigations of G-quadruplex mediated gene expression supported by the NIGMS
  2. Telomere regulation with focus on the alternative lengthening of telomere promoted by oxidative damage supported by the NCI
  3. Molecular mechanism underlying liquid-liquid phase separation implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, ALS/FTLD supported by the NINDS
  4. regulation of poly (ADP-ribose) in RNA binding proteins and stress granule assembly supported by the NIA.

Research Background

Dr. Myong received her Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley with Barry Shane and she did her postdoctoral work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with Taekjip Ha. She began her independent position as an Assistant Professor in the Bioengineering department at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2009. She moved to Johns Hopkins University, Biophysics department as an Associate Professor in 2015 and became a full professor in 2022.

Dr. Myong is a recipient of Scaringe Award (2005), Genome Technology’s annual list of Tomorrow’s PIs (2009), American Cancer Society Research Award (2011), NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (2012), Human Frontier Science Research Award (2012), Outstanding Advisor of the Year Award, University of Illinois (2014), Rose Award for Teaching Excellence, University of Illinois (2014), Catalyst Award, Johns Hopkins (2016), Discovery Award, Johns Hopkins (2017). Dr. Myong serves on the Editorial Board for Molecular Cell, Biophysical Journal and Scientific Report. She is a Chair-elect of the FASEB Helicase and Nucleic Acid-Based Machine Conference (2025) and a Chair-Elect of the Gordon conference on Nucleic Acid (2027).

Selected Publications

  1. Rhine, K., Dasovich, M., Yoniles, J.*, Badiee, M., Skanchy, S., Ganser, L., Ge, Y., Fare, C.M., Shorter, J., Leung, A.K.L., Myong, S. "Poly(ADP-ribose) drives condensation of FUS via a transient interaction" Molecular Cell, Mol Cell. 2022 Mar 3;82(5):969-985
  2. Rhine, K., Makurath, M.A., Liu, James, Skanchy, S., Catalan, K.F., Lopez, C., Ma, Y., Ha, T., Chemla, Y.R., Myong, S. "ALS/FTLD-linked mutations in FUS glycine residues cause accelerated gelation and reduced interactions with wild-type FUS" Molecular Cell, 2020 Nov 19;80(4):666-681. [ Highlighted in Communcations Biology ]
  3. Lee, C., McNerney, C., Ma, K., Zhao, W., Wang, A., Myong, S. "R-loop induced G-quadruplex in non-template promotes transcription by successive R-loop formation" Nature Communications, 2020 Jul 7;11(1):3392.
  4. Niaki, A.G., Sarkar, J., Cai, X., Rhine, K., Vidaurre, V., Guy, B., Hurst, M., Lee, J.C., Koh, H.R., Guo, L., Fare, C.M., Shorter, J., Myong, S. "Loss of dynamic RNA interaction and aberrant phase separation induced by two distinct types of ALS/FTD-linked FUS mutations", Molecular Cell, 2020 Jan 2;77(1):82-94.e4. [ Highlighted in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology ]
  5. Tippana, R., Chen, M. C., Demeshkina, N. A., Ferré-D’Amaré,A. R., Myong, S. "RNA G-quadruplex is resolved by repetitive and ATP-dependent mechanism of DHX36", Nat Commun., 2019 Apr 23;10(1):1855.
  6. Chen M. C., Tippana R., Demeshkina N. A., Murat P., Balasubramanian S., Myong S., Ferré-D'Amaré A. R., “Structural basis of G-quadruplex unwinding by the DEAH/RHA helicase DHX36”, Nature, 2018
  7. Koh HR, Ghanbariniaki A, Myong S., “RNA stem structure governs coupling of dicing and gene silencing in RNA interference”. PNAS, 2017 Nov 28;114(48):E10349-E10358.
  8. Qiu, Y., Levendosky, R., Chakravarthy, S., Bowman, G., Myong, S. "The Chd1 chromatin remodeler shifts nucleosomal DNA bidirectionally as a monomer" Molecular Cell, 2017 Oct 5; 68(1):76-88.e6.
  9. Kim Y., Myong S., “RNA remodeling activity of DEAD-box proteins tuned by protein concentration, RNA length and ATP”, Molecular Cell 2016 Sep 1;63(5):865-76.
  10. Tippana R., Hwang H., Bohr V.A., Opresko P.L., Myong S., “Single molecule imaging reveals a common mechanism shared by G-quadruplex resolving helicases”, PNAS 2016 Jul 26;113(30):8448-53

Publications