Senfang SUI Ph.D.
Professor, Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences
1964-1970 B. S., Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University.
1978-1981 M.S., Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University.
1985-1988 Ph.D., Biophysics Institute, Technical University Munich.
1989-1991 Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University.
1991.01-present Professor, School of Life Sciences (replacing the Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology in September of 2009 ), Tsinghua University.
Research interest
Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) in combination with biochemical, biophysical and cellular methods, our lab currently focuses on: (1) structures, functions and mechanisms of large protein complexes, macromolecular machines and membrane proteins, and (2) molecular mechanisms of membrane trafficking, lipid-protein interactions and membrane-related human diseases.
Representative publications
1. Liu ZF*, You X, Li M, Sui SF*. (2026) Structures of PhotosyntheticSupramolecular Complexes. Annu Rev Biophys., doi: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-021424-011156. Online ahead of print.
2. Ma JF*, You X, Sun S, Sui SF*. (2025) Light-induced structural adaptation of the bundle-shaped phycobilisome from thylakoid-lacking cyanobacterium Gloeobacter violaceus. Nat Commun., 16(1):5956.
3. Cheppali S, Li C, Xing WJ, Sun R, Yang M, Xue Y, Lu SY, Yao J, Sun S*, Chen CL*, Sui SF*. (2025) Single-molecule two- and three-colour FRET studies reveal a transition state in SNARE disassembly by NSF. Nat Commun., 16(1):250.
4. Su JY, Tian XY, Cheng H, Liu DS, Wang ZY, Sun S*, Wang HW*, Sui SF*. (2025) Structural insight into synergistic activation of human 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase. Nat Struct Mol Biol., 32(1):73-85.
5. Zhang X, Xiao Y, You X, Sun S, Sui SF*. (2024) In situ structural determination of cyanobacterial phycobilisome-PSII supercomplex by STAgSPA strategy. Nat Commun., 15(1):7201.
6. Li ZQ, Chen S, Zhao L, Huang GQ, Xu H, Yang XY, Wang PY, Gao N, Sui SF*. (2023) Nuclear export of pre-60S particles through the nuclear pore complex. Nature, 618(7964):411-418.
7. You X, Zhang X, Cheng J, Xiao YN, Ma JF, Sun S, Zhang XZ*, Wang HW*, Sui SF*. (2023) In situ structure of the red algal phycobilisome–PSII–PSI–LHC megacomplex. Nature, 616(7955):199-206.
8. Li ZQ, Chen S, Zhao L, Huang GQ, Pi X, Sun S, Wang PY, Sui SF*. (2022) Near-atomic structure of the inner ring of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear pore complex. Cell Research, 32(5):437-450.
9. Mi CC, Zhang L, Huang GQ, Shao G, Yang F, You X, Dong MQ, Sun S*, Sui SF*. (2022) Structural basis for assembly of TRAPPII complex and specific activation of GTPase Ypt31/32. Science Advances, 8(4):eabi5603.
10. Sui SF*. (2021) Structure of Phycobilisomes. Annu Rev Biophys., 50:53-72. (Review)
11. Hu MQ, Yang F, Huang YW, You X, Liu D, Sun S*, Sui SF*. (2021) Structural insights into the mechanism of human NPC1L1-mediated cholesterol uptake. Science Advances, 7(29):eabg3188.
12. Ma J, You X, Sun S, Wang X, Qin S, Sui SF*. (2020) Structural basis of energy transfer in Porphyridium purpureum phycobilisome. Nature, 579(7797):146-151.
13. Pi X, Zhao S, Wang W, Liu D, Xu C, Han G, Kuang T*, Sui SF*, Shen JR*. (2019) The pigment-protein network of a diatom photosystem II-light-harvesting antenna supercomplex. Science, 365(6452):eaax4406.
14. Huang X, Sun S, Wang X, Fan F, Zhou Q, Lu S, Cao Y, Wang QW, Dong MQ, Yao J, Sui SF*. (2019) Mechanistic insights into the SNARE complex disassembly. Science Advances, 5(4):eaau8164.
15. Zhang J, Ma J, Liu D, Qin S, Sun S*, Zhao J, Sui SF*. (2017) Structure of phycobilisome from the red alga Griffithsia pacifica. Nature, 551(7678):57-63.
Contact information
Tel: +86-10-62792083/62784768
E-mail: suisf@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
Lab website: http://suilab.life.tsinghua.edu.cn/
