LOW Boon Chuan

Associate Professor, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore

dbslowbc@nus.edu.sg
Level 10 T-Lab
National University of Singapore
5A Engineering Drive 1
Singapore 117411

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

Affiliations
Associate Professor and Principal Investigator, Cell Signaling and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore

Low Boon Chuan

Principal Investigator

Research Areas

To identify novel signaling proteins and protein domains that control cell morphogenesis, motility, differentiation and cell growth and tissue/organ development during normal and disease states. Areas of interest include cell signaling, domain-discovery, protein-protein interaction, structural biology, developmental biology, computational biology and mechanobiology.

Research Interests

Molecular recognition forms the basis for all cellular events- from a simple bimolecular enzymatic reaction to the cascades of multimeric protein complex in cell signaling. Fundamental to the structure and function of a protein is its ‘domain’- a discrete, minimal modular entity that constitutes one of the basic physical and functional unit of the polypeptide. This protein domain can either serve as a protein docking/interaction site or an active enzymatic unit. With the emphasis on functional genomics, it is important to address what role does each of these domains play and how their potential functions can be regulated across molecular, cellular and tissue levels.

One of the several protein domains that our group first identified and characterised is a novel protein domain termed BCH domain which play important roles in regulating cell growth/death, differentiation, migration, and tissue/organ development. Based on the prototypical BNIP-2 and BPGAP1 proteins, we show that distinct BCH domains could act as key modulators for Rho and Ras small GTPases as well as their immediate regulators such as guanine nucleotide exchange factors and GTPase-activating proteins. Current effort is geared towards understanding how cells and tissues respond to the dynamic forces and geometry in the environment both under the influence of the BCH domain as a versatile regulatory scaffold domain. These effects will be examined under normal and pathological conditions such as in cancers, neurological disorders, skin and heart diseases.

Biography

Assoc Prof Low left Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for Dunedin, New Zealand in early 90’s to pursue his dream as a scientist. Having spent wonderful undergraduate and postgraduate years at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, he joined IMCB, Singapore and then NUS, trying to figure out what exactly make cells work. Amazing as it is, we are still far from understanding the intricacies underlying these processes. Trained as a biochemist, practising mainly as a cell biologist now, and with exciting arrays of multi-disciplinary tools, his team and collaborators aim to systematically unravel some of the uncharted paths, and are ready to expect the unexpected.

Selected Publications

1. 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]
2. Wong DCP, Xiao J, Chew TW, Pan M, Lee CJM, Ang JW, Yow I, Thivakar T, Ackers-Johnson M, Lee NJW, Foo RS, Kanchanawong P, and Low BC. BNIP-2 Activation of Cellular Contractility Inactivates YAP for H9c2 Cardiomyoblast Differentiation. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2022;:e2202834. [PMID: 35975420]
3. Meng Pan, Ti Weng Chew, Darren Chen Pei Wong, Jingwei Xiao, Hui Ting Ong, Jasmine Fei Li Chin, Boon Chuan Low1. BNIP-2 retards breast cancer cell migration by coupling microtubule-mediated GEF-H1 and RhoA activation. Science Advances 2020.
4. Wong, D. C. P., Xia, Z., Shao, N., Yow, I., Thivakar, T., Yeo, J. Y., Salazar, A. M., Liou, Y.-C., Low, B. C., Ding, J. L., Hiltonol, a dsRNA Mimic, Promotes NK Cell Anticancer Cytotoxicity Through TAZ Cytoplasmic Sequestration. Adv. Therap. 2023, 2300016. https://doi.org/10.1002/adtp.202300016

Recent Publications