Akram Alian

Akram Alian, PhD

Languages spoken: Arabic, English, Hebrew

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Biochemistry

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

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

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Rheinemann L,Thompson T,Mercenne G,Paine EL,Peterson FC,Volkman BF,Alam SL,Alian A,Sundquist W (2021). Interactions between AMOT PPxY motifs and NEDD4L WW domains function in HIV-1 release. The Journal of biological chemistry, 297(2),
  2. Galilee M,Alian (2018). The structure of FIV reverse transcriptase and its implications for non-nucleoside inhibitor resistance. PLoS pathogens, 14(1), e1006849.
  3. Galilee M,Britan-Rosich E,Griner SL,Uysal S,Baumgärtel V,Lamb DC,Kossiakoff AA,Kotler M,Stroud RM,Marx A,Alian (2016). The Preserved HTH-Docking Cleft of HIV-1 Integrase Is Functionally Critical. Structure (London, England, 24(11), 1936-1946.
  4. Khwaja A,Galilee M,Marx A,Alian (2016). Structure of FIV capsid C-terminal domain demonstrates lentiviral evasion of genetic fragility by coevolved substitutions. Scientific reports, 6, 24957.
  5. Marx A,Galilee M,Alian (2015). Zinc enhancement of cytidine deaminase activity highlights a potential allosteric role of loop-3 in regulating APOBEC3 enzymes. Scientific reports, 5, 18191.
  6. Eliahoo E,Marx A,Manor H,Alian (2015). A novel open-barrel structure of octameric translin reveals a potential RNA entryway. Journal of Molecular Biology, 427(4), 756-762.
  7. Marx A,Alian (2015). The First crystal structure of a dTTP-bound deoxycytidylate deaminase validates and details the allosteric-inhibitor binding site. The Journal of biological chemistry, 290(1), 682-690.
  8. Galilee M,Alian (2014). Identification of Phe187 as a crucial dimerization determinant facilitates crystallization of a monomeric retroviral integrase core domain. Structure (London, England, 22(10), 1512-1519.
  9. Czudnochowski N,Ashley GW,Santi DV,Alian A,Finer-Moore J,Stroud R (2014). The mechanism of pseudouridine synthases from a covalent complex with RNA, and alternate specificity for U2605 versus U2604 between close homologs. Nucleic acids research, 42(3), 2037-2048.
  10. Wu S,Avila-Sakar A,Kim J,Booth DS,Greenberg CH,Rossi A,Liao M,Li X,Alian A,Griner SL,Juge N,Yu Y,Mergel CM,Chaparro-Riggers J,Strop P,Tampé R,Edwards RH,Stroud RM,Craik CS,Cheng (2012). Fabs enable single particle cryoEM studies of small proteins. Structure (London, England, 20(4), 582-592.
  11. Alian A,Griner SL,Chiang V,Tsiang M,Jones G,Birkus G,Geleziunas R,Leavitt AD,Stroud R (2009). Catalytically-active complex of HIV-1 integrase with a viral DNA substrate binds anti-integrase drugs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(20), 8192-8197.
  12. Alian A,DeGiovanni A,Griner SL,Finer-Moore JS,Stroud R (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.
  13. Alian A,Lee T,Griner S,Stroud R,Finer-Moore (2008). Structure of a TrmA-RNA complex: A consensus RNA fold contributes to substrate selectivity and catalysis in m5U methyltransferases. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105(19), 6876-6881.
  14. He X,Alian A,Ortiz de Montellano (2007). Inhibition of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase InhA by arylamides. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry, 15(21), 6649-6658.
  15. Verras A,Alian A,Ortiz De Montellano P (2006). Cytochrome P450 active site plasticity: Attenuation of imidazole binding in cytochrome P450cam by an L244A mutation. Protein engineering, design & selection, 19(11), 491-496.
  16. He X,Alian A,Stroud R,Ortiz De Montellano (2006). Pyrrolidine carboxamides as a novel class of inhibitors of enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Journal of medicinal chemistry, 49(21), 6308-6323.
  17. Puxeddu I,Alian A,Piliponsky AM,Ribatti D,Panet A,Levi-Schaffer (2005). Human peripheral blood eosinophils induce angiogenesis. The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology, 37(3), 628-636.
  18. Alian A,Eldor A,Falk H,Panet (2002). Viral mediated gene transfer to sprouting blood vessels during angiogenesis. Journal of virological methods, 105(1), 1-11.
  19. Shapira-Nahor O,Maayan S,Peden KWC,Rabinowitz R,Schlesinger M,Alian A,Panet (2002). Replication of HIV-1 deleted Nef mutants in chronically immune activated human T cells. Virology, 303(1), 138-145.
  20. Ashhab Y,Alian A,Polliack A,Panet A,Yehuda D (2001). Two splicing variants of a new inhibitor of apoptosis gene with different biological properties and tissue distribution pattern. FEBS letters, 495(1-2), 56-60.
  21. Alian A,Sela-Donenfeld D,Panet A,Eldor (2000). Avian hemangioma retrovirus induces cell proliferation via the envelope (env) gene. Virology, 276(1), 161-168.
  22. Alian A,Altman A,Heuer (2000). Genotypic difference in salinity and water stress tolerance of fresh market tomato cultivars. Plant science, 152(1), 59-65.

Review

  1. Marx A,Alian (2015). The road less traveled: HIV's use of alternative routes through cellular pathways. Journal of virology, 89(10), 5204-5212.
  2. Salah Z,Alian A,Aqeilan R (2012). WW domain-containing proteins: Retrospectives and the future. Frontiers in bioscience, 17(1), 331-348.

Commentary

  1. Marx A,Alian (2015). Rerouting Resistance: Escaping Restriction Using Alternative Cellular Pathways. Trends in microbiology, 23(10), 595-597.

Editorial

  1. Alian A,Aqeilan R (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.