On the morning of May 8, 2023, Prof. Xiaokun Shu from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) delivered an academic presentation titled "Illuminating Spatial Organization and Dynamics of Signaling in Living Systems" at Shaheyuan A7, Lihu Campus, Shenzhen University. This lecture was organized at the invitation of the School of Pharmacy, Shenzhen University Medical School, as part of the 40th-anniversary celebration of Shenzhen University, which includes a series of 800 academic activities (this being the 734th) and the 71st lecture of the Shenzhen Medical Forum.

During the lecture, Professor Xiaokun Shu provided a detailed introduction to his research achievements in the development and application of fluorescence reporting systems. They focus on rational design of new classes of signaling reporters that achieve large dynamic range, high brightness, fast kinetics and high spatial resolution. These reporters are designed based on 1) new physical principles such as multivalent interaction-driven protein phase separation forming intensely bright GFP droplets upon activation of kinases (the reporter is named SPARK for Separation of Phases-based Activity Reporter of Kinase); 2) FlipGFP, a fluorogenic protease reporter by flipping a beta-strand of GFP; 3) SURF (Split UnaG-based Reversible and Fluorogenic) protein-protein interaction (PPI) reporter by splitting and engineering a new fluorescent protein scaffold UnaG by structure-based design and directed evolution. Their primary goal in designing the new classes of signaling reporters is to enable us in visualizing compartmentalized signaling dynamics in living systems, including PPIs that determine specificity of signal transduction, and effectors such as kinases and proteases that regulate all major signaling pathways.

Brief introduction of Speakers

Professor Xiaokun Shu, a tenured professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), is a recipient of the NIH Director's New Innovator Award. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Oregon in 2007 and conducted postdoctoral research in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor Roger Y. Tsien from 2007 to 2010. Since 2010, he has been an independent PI at UCSF, serving as an Assistant Professor, tenured Associate Professor, and was promoted to full Professor in 2020. Professor Shu is a member of several scientific societies, including the American Society for Cell Biology, Society for Neuroscience, Biophysical Society, and Genetics Society. He is also a reviewer for esteemed journals such as Nature Biotechnology, Nature Methods, Nature Chemical Biology, PNAS, PLOS Biology, and Trends in Biotechnology.

Professor Shu's research focuses on the development of fluorescent biotechnology tools based on principles from physics, chemistry, and engineering. These tools are utilized for visualizing biological processes in animals and plants, detecting signaling pathways, and manipulating cellular and genetic functions. His research group has developed a series of novel fluorescence reporting systems for proteases, kinases, and protein-protein interactions, using approaches involving protein interactions, in vivo imaging, tumor drug screening, and animal development. Their research findings have been published in prestigious journals including Science, Nature Methods, Nature Chemical Biology, Molecular Cell, JACS, Nature Communications, and PNAS. Furthermore, Professor Shu's work has received substantial funding, including four NIH R01 grants, U01 grants, The Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) (R35), the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, and various research foundation grants. He has also been granted 11 patents for his inventions.