Breadcrumb

R. Andrew  Byrd, Ph.D.

R. Andrew Byrd, Ph.D.

  • Center for Cancer Research
  • National Cancer Institute
NIH Scientist Emeritus
Center for Structural Biology

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Dr. Byrd was prominent in developing NMR-based structural biology for the study of proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and protein complexes. His research focused on deciphering allosteric mechanisms in the ubiquitination pathway regulating protein degradation/homeostatis and the roles of ADP ribosylation factors and GTPase activating proteins in regulating membrane trafficking. Dr. Byrd served as Chief of the Structural Biophysics Laboratory from 1999-2017 and continued as Head of the Macromolecular NMR Section until 2024. His group contributed to the development and impact of structural biology within the CCR and conducts an active, multidisciplinary research effort utilizing biophysics and NMR spectroscopy to provide mechanistic understanding of complex biological processes.

Areas of Expertise

Structural Biology in Cancer
NMR
Biophysics
Ubiquitination

Publications

Selected Key Publications

Myr-Arf1 conformational flexibility at the membrane surface sheds light on the interactions with ArfGAP ASAP1

Zhang Y, Soubias O, Pant S, Heinrich F, Vogel A, Li J, Yifei Li, Clifton LA, Daum S, Bacia K, Huster D, Randazzo PA, Lösche M, Tajkhorshid E, Byrd RA.
Nature Communications. 14:7570: 2023.
Full-Text Article
[ Journal Article ]

Membrane surface recognition by the ASAP1 PH domain and consequences for interactions with the small GTPase Arf1

Soubias, O., Pant, S., Heinrich, F., Zhang, Y., Roy, N.S., Li, J., Jian, X., Yohe, M.E., Randazzo, P.A., Losche, M., Tajkhorshid, E., Byrd, R.A.
Science Advances. Vol 6, Issue 40: 2020.
Full-Text Article
[ Journal Article ]

Optimization of Sortase A Ligation for Flexible Engineering of Complex Protein Systems

Li J, Zhang Y, Soubias O, Khago D, Chao FA, Li Y, Shaw K, Byrd RA
J. Biol Chem. 295(9): 2664-75, 2020. [ Journal Article ]

Allosteric regulation of E2:E3 interactions promote a processive ubiquitination machine

Das R, Liang YH, Mariano J, Li J, Huang T, King A, Tarasov SG, Weissman AM, Ji X, Byrd RA.
EMBO J. 32: 2504-16, 2013. [ Journal Article ]

News

ByrdFest Symposium April 18-19, 2024 at IBBR

Image
Group Photo-1 from ByrdFest Symposium April 18-19, 2024 at IBBR
Image
Group Photo-2 from ByrdFest Symposium April 18-19, 2024 at IBBR
Image
Former-members-at-ByrdFest-18Apr2024
Former lab members at ByrdFest 18Apr2024. 

Multi-group collaboration:

Zhang, Y. et al. Myr-Arf1 conformational flexibility at the membrane surface sheds light on the interactions with ArfGAP ASAP1. Nat. Comm. 2023

Interesting methods publication:

Koscielniak J, Li J, Sail D, Swenson R, Anklin C, Rozovsky S, Byrd RA. Exploring Sulfur Sites in Proteins via Triple-Resonance (1)H-Detected (77)Se NMR. JACS 2023.

Collaboration with Randazzo group published in JBC => Rosenberg et al. JBC 2023

Byrd Group: 2023

MNMR Byrd Group Photo April 2023
Front row: Kailin Guo, Ethan Dionne, Rebekah Jackson, Jess Li Back row: RAB, Ian Fucci, Olivier Soubias

Jess Li publishes protocol for deuteration of proteins in JBC that has been widely used by the group and many colleagues; JBC, 2022.

New Postbacs joining the group: Rebekah Jackson (Indiana Univ-Purdue Univ), Ethan Dionne (Providence College) and Kailian Guo (UCLA)

Changing of the guard - Two postbacs are moving on this summer: Kristen Snitchler will be entering a PhD program at the Univ. Oregon & Brianna Papoutsis will be entering Med School at Penn State Univ.

Recent publications from the group: Collaboration with Xinhua Ji and Allan Weissman in Plos Biology 2021; collaboration with Chao et al in the RAS initiative, JACS 2022; collaboration with Sharon Rozovsky on 77Se NMR, J, Biomol NMR 2022.

Byrd Group 2018

Image

Yue Zhang headed to RING Therapeutics, congratulations!

Ian Fucci publishes python software tool for both NMR scientists and biochemists to permit facile review/examination of NMR data from BMRB: nightshift. Will appear in Special Issue of Protein Science: Protein Tools, available online now.

Image
Overhead lamp with circle objects floating beneath

Yue Zhang wins NIH FARE award for his research on Arf1 and ASAP1 ArfGAP system, supporting travel to a conference of his choice in 2022.

Domarin Khago GETS A JOB!!! Congratulations to Domarin as she moves to Eat Just, a plant-based food alternatives biotech company in the San Francisco Area.

Olivier Soubias leads multidisciplinary publication in Science Advances (2020) on the ASAP1 PH domain surface recognition and Arf1 interactions.

Frank Chao extends the dynamics methods development with publications in J. Biomolecular NMR (2020) and J. Magnetic Resonance (2021).

Frank Chao moves on in 2020 – joins the NCI LEIDOS Ras Initiative as a Scientist. Congratulations Frank!

Domarin Khago and Ian Fucci publish a review on conformational dynamics in the recognition and regulation of the ubiquitination proteasomal degradation system, Molecules (2020).

Jess Li publishes paper on protein engineering and segmental labeling using variants of Srt A J. Biol. Chem.295(9):2664-2675 (2020).

The Arf1:ASAP1 project (collaboration with the Randazzo lab) utilizing nanodisc methodology advances with recent publications: Li et al., Biochemistry 58(10):1432-1439 (2019) and Roy et al. J. Biol. Chem., 294(46):17534-17370 (2019)

Group represented with two posters (Domarin Khago and Andy Byrd) at the joint Euromar/ISMAR conference in Berlin, Germany, August 2019

Adiabatic relaxation dispersion methodology and applications developed and extended to methyl reporters in recent papers led by Fa-An Chao: J. Magn. Res. 277:8-14 (2017); Emerging Topics in Life Sciences. 2:93-105 (2018); JACS 141(30):11881-11891 (2019); J. Biomol. NMR, in press (2020).

Frank Chao gives promoted lecture on geometric approximation and HARD (Heteronuclear Adiabatic Relaxation Disperson) at Computational Aspects of Biomolecular NMR – Gordon Research Conference, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, June 2019.

Group represented with two posters (Chao: geoHARD and Zhang: ASAP1 PH domain and Nanodiscs) at 60th Experimental NMR Conference, Asilomar, CA, April, 2019

Dr. Byrd awarded August-Wilhelm Schneer Gastprofessor (second term) by the Technical Universität München, spends August-November 2018 at TUM, host Prof. Franz Hagn. Invited lectures at the Murnau Conference on Structural Biology, Murnau, Germany, Department of Biochemistry, Cambridge Univ., Cambridge, UK, and Dept. of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Medical Univ. of Graz, Austria.

Group represented with poster (Chakrabarti et al.) at XXVIII ICMRBS, Dublin, Ireland, August 2018.

Dr. Byrd gives invited lecture on “NMR Dynamics and Allostery in the Ubquitin Pathway” at the IBBR-NMR Day for local Washington area NMR groups, May 2018

Group represented with poster (Jess Li and Domarin Khago) at the Keystone Conference on Ubiquitin Signaling, January 2018.

Olivier Soubias joins the group as a Staff Scientist. Olivier brings expertise in membranes, lipids, and solid-state NMR that will contribute to all the projects, especially the nano disc work.

Group represented at XXVIIth ICMRBS, Kyoto, Japan: two posters and lecture by R.A. Byrd.

Fa-An Chao’s geoHARD paper published in J. Am.Chem. Soc. 2016: “Geometric approximation: a new computational approach to characterize protein dynamics from NMR adiabatic relaxation dispersion experiments”.  JACS 138(23):7337-7345 (2016).

Group represented at 57th ENC, Pittsburgh: three posters and lecture by R.A. Byrd.

Dr. Byrd interviewed regarding research and NMR technology: Inhibiting Cancer Cells Using NMR (Bruker Corp.)

Collaborative work on ASAP1 PH domain with groups of Di Xia and Paul Randazzo group published:  Structure 23(11):1977-88 (2015).

Dr. Byrd awarded August-Wilhelm Schneer Gastprofessor by Technical Universität München, spends January – March 2016 at TUM, host Profs. Michael Sattler and Franz Hagn.

New approach for analyzing dynamics in Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) published by Michelle Gill in collaboration with Art Palmer, Columbia University: Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 18(8):5839-49 (2016).

Dr. Byrd serving as Chair, wwPDB Advisory Committee (2015-2017).

Group publishes new Non-Uniform Sampling software NESTA-NMR for reconstruction of NUS NMR data, work of Shangjin Sun and Michelle Gill: J. Biomol. NMR 62(1):105-17 (2015).

Alumni

Fa-An Chao
Fa-An Chao
(2014-2020)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Guneet Janda
Guneet Janda
2018-2019
Postbac Fellow
Yifei Li
Yifei Li
(2014-2019)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Cameron McGlone, B.S.
Cameron McGlone, B.S.
(2015-2017)
Postbaccalaureate Fellow
Michelle Gill, Ph.D.
Michelle Gill, Ph.D.
(2014-2016)
Research Fellow
Eric Shon, B.S.
Eric Shon, B.S.
(2013-2015)
Postbaccalaureate Fellow
Kaylan Chakrabarti, Ph.D.
Kaylan Chakrabarti, Ph.D.
(2012-2014)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Shangjin Sun, Ph.D.
Shangjin Sun, Ph.D.
(2011-2014)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Tao Huang, Ph.D.
Tao Huang, Ph.D.
(2011-2013)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Yinghua Chen, Ph.D.
Yinghua Chen, Ph.D.
(2009-2012)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Shan Liu, Ph.D.
Shan Liu, Ph.D.
(2009-2011)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ranabir Das, Ph.D.
Ranabir Das, Ph.D.
(2005-2014)
Postdoctoral Fellow and Staff Scientist
Mary Starich, Ph.D.
Mary Starich, Ph.D.
(2000-2010)
Staff Scientist
Amanda S. Altieri, Ph.D.
Amanda S. Altieri, Ph.D.
(1993-2011)
Postdoctoral Fellow and Staff Scientist
Ravi Amphapathi, Ph.D.
Ravi Amphapathi, Ph.D.
(2007-2009)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Catherine Deatherage, B.S.
Catherine Deatherage, B.S.
(2007-2009)
Postbaccalaureate Fellow
Hana Krizova, Ph.D.
Hana Krizova, Ph.D.
(2005-2008)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Robert L. McFeeters, Ph.D.
Robert L. McFeeters, Ph.D.
(2002-2008)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Sandra Loss, Ph.D.
Sandra Loss, Ph.D.
(2001-2002)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Andrew Fowler. Ph.D.
Andrew Fowler. Ph.D.
(2000-2004)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Vadim Gaponenko, Ph.D.
Vadim Gaponenko, Ph.D.
(2000-2006)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Elan Eisenmesser, Ph.D.
Elan Eisenmesser, Ph.D.
(1998-2000)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Barbara Dancheck, B.S.
Barbara Dancheck, B.S.
(1998-1999)
Summer Student & Senior Thesis
Eva Meirovitch, Ph.D.
Eva Meirovitch, Ph.D.
(1995-1996)
Visiting Fellow
Siddhartha Sarma, Ph.D.
Siddhartha Sarma, Ph.D.
(1996-1998)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Hongjun Zhou, Ph.D.
Hongjun Zhou, Ph.D.
(1996-1999)
Postdoctoral Fellow
David A. Horita, Ph.D.
David A. Horita, Ph.D.
(1994-2000)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Donna Baldisseri, Ph.D.
Donna Baldisseri, Ph.D.
1992-1996
Staff Scientist
Brianna, Papoutsis, B.Sc.
Brianna, Papoutsis, B.Sc.
2021-2022
Postbaccalaureate Fellow (CRTA)
 Kristin Snitchler B.Sc.
Kristin Snitchler B.Sc.
2020-2022
Postbaccalaureate Fellow (CRTA)
Yue Zhang , Ph.D.
Yue Zhang , Ph.D.
2018-2021
Postdoctoral Fellow