KOH Cheng Gee

KOH Cheng Gee

Collaborator, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
Associate Chair (Faculty), School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University

cgkoh@ntu.edu.sg
+65 6316 2854
SBS-03n-38
Nanyang Technological University
50 Nanyang Avenue
Singapore 639798

Research Program
The Cell-Matrix and Cell-Cell Mechanotransduction Group

Koh Cheng Gee

Collaborator

Research Areas

Cell signalling; Regulation of actin cytoskeleton; Rho GTPases, their effectors and regulators

Research Interests

Our laboratory is interested in the signal transduction events involving small GTPases of the Rho family, their regulators and effectors. These proteins play key roles in transducing extracellular stimuli into distinct responses including cell shape changes, cell motility, adhesion, cell division and phagocytosis. The emphasis of our current research is on the kinase PAK, its interacting protein PIX and a family of serine/ threonine phosphataes of the PP2C family, POPXs.

Biography

Dr Koh did her undergraduate studies at the Department of Chemistry at the National University of Singapore. After completing her Ph.D. with Sydney Brenner at the University of Cambridge, she returned to Singapore to work on Fugu genomics at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology. She later moved to Louis Lim’s laboratory at the same institute to study small GTPases-mediated cell signaling. In 2004, Dr Koh started her own laboratory at the School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University. Dr Koh is also a Principal Investigator at MBI.

Education

PhD University of Cambridge

Recent Publications

  1. Zhang S, Chong LH, Woon JYX, Chua TX, Cheruba E, Yip AK, Li H, Chiam K, and Koh C. Zyxin regulates embryonic stem cell fate by modulating mechanical and biochemical signaling interface. Commun Biol 2023; 6(1):62. [PMID: 36653484]
  2. Wong DCP, Pan CQ, Er SY, Thivakar T, Rachel TZY, Seah SH, Chua PJ, Jiang T, Chew TW, Chaudhuri PK, Mukherjee S, Salim A, Aye TA, Koh CG, Lim CT, Tan PH, Bay BH, Ridley AJ, and Low BC. The Scaffold RhoGAP Protein ARHGAP8/ BPGAP1 Synchronizes Rac and Rho Signaling to Facilitate Cell Migration. Mol Biol Cell 2023;:mbcE21030099. [PMID: 36598812]
  3. Yip AK, Zhang S, Chong LH, Cheruba E, Woon JYX, Chua TX, Goh CJH, Yang H, Tay CY, Koh C, and Chiam K. Zyxin Is Involved in Fibroblast Rigidity Sensing and Durotaxis. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:735298. [PMID: 34869319]
  4. Sathe SR, Jain D, Koh C, and Yim EKF. POPX2 phosphatase enhances topographical contact guidance for cell morphology and migration. Biomed Mater 2020;. [PMID: 33321483]
  5. Koon YL, Zhang S, Rahmat MB, Koh CG, and Chiam K. Enhanced Delta-Notch Lateral Inhibition Model Incorporating Intracellular Notch Heterogeneity and Tension-Dependent Rate of Delta-Notch Binding that Reproduces Sprouting Angiogenesis Patterns. Sci Rep 2018; 8(1):9519. [PMID: 29934586]
  6. Ou S, Tan M, Weng T, Li H, and Koh C. LIM kinase1 regulates mitotic centrosome integrity via its activity on dynein light intermediate chains. Open Biol 2018; 8(6). [PMID: 29925632]
  7. Weng T, and Koh C. POPX2 phosphatase regulates apoptosis through the TAK1-IKK-NF-κB pathway. Cell Death Dis 2017; 8(9):e3051. [PMID: 28906490]
  8. Zhang S, Weng T, Cheruba E, Guo T, Chan H, Sze SK, and Koh C. Phosphatase POPX2 Exhibits Dual Regulatory Functions in Cancer Metastasis. J. Proteome Res. 2016;. [PMID: 27976581]
  9. Hoon JL, Tan MH, and Koh C. The Regulation of Cellular Responses to Mechanical Cues by Rho GTPases. Cells 2016; 5(2). [PMID: 27058559]
  10. Khaw S, Min-Wen C, Koh C, Lim B, and Shyh-Chang N. Oocyte Factors Suppress Mitochondrial Polynucleotide Phosphorylase to Remodel the Metabolome and Enhance Reprogramming. Cell Rep 2015; 12(7):1080-8. [PMID: 26257174]

Lab Members

Violet vs. Blue: Controlling Mechanotransduction with a Single-protein Light Switch

Jan 7th, 2026|Comments Off on Violet vs. Blue: Controlling Mechanotransduction with a Single-protein Light Switch

In a study published in the Journal of Cell Science, led by Ryosuke Nishimura at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS, researchers developed an optogenetic tool to precisely manipulate talin’s structure and observe the resulting cellular behavior.

Yiwen Zhu

Jan 5th, 2026|Comments Off on Yiwen Zhu

Research Fellow, Yu Group

Brandon Goh Yeow Wee

Jan 5th, 2026|Comments Off on Brandon Goh Yeow Wee

Research Fellow, Seetharaman Group

Hana Maldivita Tambrin

Jan 5th, 2026|Comments Off on Hana Maldivita Tambrin

Research Fellow, Seetharaman Group

Kevin Heinrich Kaub

Dec 4th, 2025|Comments Off on Kevin Heinrich Kaub

Research Fellow, Michelot Group

Fang Zhou

Dec 4th, 2025|Comments Off on Fang Zhou

Research Fellow, Holle Group

MBI warmly welcomes Shailaja Seetharaman!

Dec 3rd, 2025|Comments Off on MBI warmly welcomes Shailaja Seetharaman!

MBI warmly welcomes Shailaja Seetharaman as a MBI PI leading the Vascular Mechano-Medicine Lab.

Elgene Chng Junyuan

Dec 3rd, 2025|Comments Off on Elgene Chng Junyuan

PhD Student, Lim Group

Bryan Ng Zheng Jie

Dec 3rd, 2025|Comments Off on Bryan Ng Zheng Jie

Research Assistant, Lim Group

Ge Zhixing

Dec 3rd, 2025|Comments Off on Ge Zhixing

Research Fellow, Lim Group

EASMB Symposium 2025 Showcases Global Participation and Relevance

Dec 1st, 2025|Comments Off on EASMB Symposium 2025 Showcases Global Participation and Relevance

The East Asian Single-Molecule Biophysics Symposium 2025 (EASMB2025) held from 24 to 26 November at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium in the Education Resource Centre, UTown, National University of Singapore showcased global participation and relevance.