Akram Alian

Akram Alian, PhD

Languages spoken: Arabic, English, Hebrew

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Biochemistry

Academic Office Information

akram.alian@biochem.utah.edu

Research Interests

  • X-Ray Crystallography and Cryo-EM
  • Enzymology
  • Biophysics
  • Protein Design
  • Assay evaluation, development and standardization
  • Drug Discovery
  • Structural Biology

I am interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of macromolecular assemblies including protein complexes with nucleic acids, ligands and small molecules. I apply my expertise in X-ray crystallography and Cryo Electron Microscopy to structural biology problems, especially in the field of HIV-1 replication.

Research Statement

My primary research interests are directed toward understanding the structure-function, inhibition and drug-resistance of macromolecular assemblies key to infectious pathogens, immunology and cancer.

Education History

Postdoctoral Fellowship University of California San Francisco
 Postdoctoral Fellow
Graduate Training The Hebrew University of Jerusalem School of Medicine
 PhD
Graduate Training The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
 MSc
Undergraduate The Jordan University in Amman
 BScAg

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Rheinemann L, Thompson T, Mercenne G, Paine EL, Peterson FC, Volkman BF, Alam SL, Alian A, Sundquist WI (2021). Interactions between AMOT PPxY motifs and NEDD4L WW domains function in HIV-1 release. J Biol Chem, 297(2). (Read full article)
  2. Galilee MAlian A (2018). The structure of FIV reverse transcriptase and its implications for non-nucleoside inhibitor resistance. PLoS Pathog, 14(1), e1006849. (Read full article)
  3. Galilee MBritan-Rosich EGriner SLUysal SBaumgrtel VLamb DCKossiakoff AAKotler MStroud RMMarx AAlian A (2016). The Preserved HTH-Docking Cleft of HIV-1 Integrase Is Functionally Critical. Structure, 24(11), 1936-1946. (Read full article)
  4. Khwaja AGalilee MMarx AAlian A (2016). Structure of FIV capsid C-terminal domain demonstrates lentiviral evasion of genetic fragility by coevolved substitutions. Sci Rep, 6, 24957. (Read full article)
  5. Marx AGalilee MAlian A (2015). Zinc enhancement of cytidine deaminase activity highlights a potential allosteric role of loop-3 in regulating APOBEC3 enzymes. Sci Rep, 5, 18191. (Read full article)
  6. Eliahoo EMarx AManor HAlian A (2015). A novel open-barrel structure of octameric translin reveals a potential RNA entryway. Journal of Molecular Biology, 427(4), 756-762. (Read full article)
  7. Marx A, Alian A (2015). The First crystal structure of a dTTP-bound deoxycytidylate deaminase validates and details the allosteric-inhibitor binding site. J Biol Chem, 290(1), 682-690. (Read full article)
  8. Galilee MAlian A (2014). Identification of Phe187 as a crucial dimerization determinant facilitates crystallization of a monomeric retroviral integrase core domain. Structure, 22(10), 1512-1519. (Read full article)
  9. Czudnochowski NAshley GWSanti DVAlian AFiner-Moore JStroud RM (2014). The mechanism of pseudouridine synthases from a covalent complex with RNA, and alternate specificity for U2605 versus U2604 between close homologs. Nucleic Acids Res, 42(3), 2037-2048. (Read full article)
  10. Wu SAvila-Sakar AKim JBooth DSGreenberg CHRossi ALiao MLi XAlian AGriner SLJuge NYu YMergel CMChaparro-Riggers JStrop PTamp REdwards RHStroud RMCraik CSCheng Y (2012). Fabs enable single particle cryoEM studies of small proteins. Structure, 20(4), 582-592. (Read full article)
  11. Alian AGriner SLChiang VTsiang MJones GBirkus GGeleziunas RLeavitt ADStroud RM (2009). Catalytically-active complex of HIV-1 integrase with a viral DNA substrate binds anti-integrase drugs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 106(20), 8192-8197. (Read full article)
  12. Alian ADeGiovanni AGriner SLFiner-Moore JSStroud RM (2009). Crystal Structure of an RluF-RNA Complex: A Base-Pair Rearrangement Is the Key to Selectivity of RluF for U2604 of the Ribosome. Journal of Molecular Biology, 388(4), 785-800. (Read full article)
  13. Alian ALee TGriner SStroud RFiner-Moore J (2008). Structure of a TrmA-RNA complex: A consensus RNA fold contributes to substrate selectivity and catalysis in m5U methyltransferases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 105(19), 6876-6881. (Read full article)
  14. He XAlian AOrtiz de Montellano P (2007). Inhibition of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase InhA by arylamides. Bioorg Med Chem, 15(21), 6649-6658. (Read full article)
  15. Verras AAlian AOrtiz De Montellano PR (2006). Cytochrome P450 active site plasticity: Attenuation of imidazole binding in cytochrome P450cam by an L244A mutation. Protein Eng Des Sel, 19(11), 491-496. (Read full article)
  16. He XAlian AStroud ROrtiz De Montellano P (2006). Pyrrolidine carboxamides as a novel class of inhibitors of enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. J Med Chem, 49(21), 6308-6323. (Read full article)
  17. Puxeddu IAlian APiliponsky AMRibatti DPanet ALevi-Schaffer F (2005). Human peripheral blood eosinophils induce angiogenesis. Int J Biochem Cell Biol, 37(3), 628-636. (Read full article)
  18. Alian AEldor AFalk HPanet A (2002). Viral mediated gene transfer to sprouting blood vessels during angiogenesis. J Virol Methods, 105(1), 1-11. (Read full article)
  19. Shapira-Nahor OMaayan SPeden KWCRabinowitz RSchlesinger MAlian APanet A (2002). Replication of HIV-1 deleted Nef mutants in chronically immune activated human T cells. Virology, 303(1), 138-145. (Read full article)
  20. Ashhab Y, Alian A, Polliack A, Panet A, Yehuda DB (2001). Two splicing variants of a new inhibitor of apoptosis gene with different biological properties and tissue distribution pattern. FEBS Lett, 495(1-2), 56-60. (Read full article)
  21. Alian ASela-Donenfeld DPanet AEldor P (2000). Avian hemangioma retrovirus induces cell proliferation via the envelope (env) gene. Virology, 276(1), 161-168. (Read full article)
  22. Alian AAltman AHeuer B (2000). Genotypic difference in salinity and water stress tolerance of fresh market tomato cultivars. Plant Sci, 152(1), 59-65. (Read full article)

Review

  1. Marx AAlian A (2015). The road less traveled: HIV's use of alternative routes through cellular pathways. [Review]. J Virol, 89(10), 5204-5212. (Read full article)
  2. Salah ZAlian AAqeilan RI (2012). WW domain-containing proteins: Retrospectives and the future. [Review]. Front Biosci, 17(1), 331-348. (Read full article)

Commentary

  1. Marx AAlian A (2015). Rerouting Resistance: Escaping Restriction Using Alternative Cellular Pathways. Trends Microbiol, 23(10), 595-597. (Read full article)

Editorial

  1. Alian AAqeilan RI (2015). Comment on: Melino S, et al. p63 threonine phosphorylation signals the interaction with the WW domain of the E3 ligase Itch. Cell Cycle 2014; 13(20):3207-17; http:.//dx.doi.org/10.4161/15384101.2014.951285. Cell Cycle, 14(4), 469-470. (Read full article)