Biography: Dr. Hailong An received his PhD degree in Biophysics from Hebei University of Technology in 2005. After that, he was appointed to the faculty in Institute of Biophysics, Hebei University of Technology. Awarded by China Scholarship Council, he has been to Prof. Diomedes Logothetis’ Lab in Virginia Commonwealth University and Prof. Jianmin Cui’s Lab in Washington University in Saint Louis as a visiting scholar. Dr. An focuses on understanding the structure-function of ion channels and drug screening targeting ion channels. Dr. An has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications in journals including, Nature Communications, Bioactive Materials, Journal of Biological Chemistry, etc. and has achieved more than 950 citations, H-index=17. Dr. An has been funded by more than 20 research projects from the National Natural Science Foundation of China or provincial items.

Topic: Structure, Function and Drug Discovery Targeting ANO1

Abstract: ANO1, also known as Calcium-activated chloride channel, is widely present in human tissues and organs, and plays critical roles in physiological and pathological processes. However, the structural basis of the allosteric gating and detail mechanism of ANO1 which is involved in the diversity of diseases is still obscure. Herein, I will talk about the progress, which is made by our lab recently, on understanding the molecular mechanism of calcium and voltage-dependent gating of ANO1, confirmation of drug target role in lung adenocarcinoma, osteoporosis, and gastrointestinal motility deficiency, and drug screening targeting ANO1. We determined the structural bases and molecular mechanisms by which calcium and membrane voltage regulate the gating of ANO1. Moreover, the druggable binding pockets were identified in ANO1 and several leading compounds were proved to be potential drugs for the corresponding disease. Our findings indicate that ANO1 is a potent drug target for lung adenocarcinoma, osteoporosis and gastrointestinal motility deficiency.