PHS 398/2590 (Rev. 06/09) - Jules Stein Eye Institute

NAME
Sun, Hui
EDUCATION/TRAINING
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
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POSITION TITLE
Associate Professor of Physiology
and Ophthalmology
DEGREE
(if applicable)
YEAR(S) FIELD OF STUDY
Johns Hopkins University PhD 1992-1998 Biochemistry & Mol. Bio.
Johns Hopkins University Postdoc 1998-1999 Biochemistry
Kennedy Krieger Institute N/A 2002-2003 Animal Model
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory N/A 2002 Animal Model
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Postdoc 1999-2003 Biochemistry
A. Positions and Honors:
Positions
2003-2009 Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Department of Ophthalmology, David
Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
2004-present Associate Member, Jules Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of
California, Los Angeles
2003-present Member, Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles
2009-present Associate Professor, Department of Physiology and Department of Ophthalmology, David
Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
2009-present Early Career Scientist, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Honors
1998 Alicia Showalter Reynolds Prize, Johns Hopkins University
2003 Karl Kirchgessner Foundation Award
2004 Stein-Oppenheimer Endowment Award, University of California, Los Angeles
2004 Ruth and Milton Steinbach Award
2005 E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation Award
2006 Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar
2009 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist
B. Teaching Activities:
2010: MCIP 215, Molecular and Cellular Foundation of Physiology, University of California, Los
Angeles, Graduate School
2010: System 2, Gastrointestinal Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, School of
Dentistry
2009: Problem Based Learning, Foundation of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles,
School of Medicine
2009: System 2, Gastrointestinal Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, School of
Dentistry
2008: Problem Based Learning, Foundation of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles,
School of Medicine
2008: Physiology 100, Gastrointestinal Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, School of
Dentistry

2007: Problem Based Learning, Foundation of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles,
School of Medicine
2007: Physiology 100, Gastrointestinal Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, School of
Dentistry
2006: Problem Based Learning, Foundation of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles,
School of Medicine
2006: Physiology 100, Gastrointestinal Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, School of
Dentistry
2005: M205, The Retina, Systems Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, Graduate
School
2005: CM 267B, Cell Structure, Signaling, and Differentiation, University of California, Los Angeles,
Graduate School
2004: Physiology 100, Gastrointestinal Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, School of
Dentistry
C. Selected Publications:
1. Allikmets, R., Singh, N., Sun, H., Shroyer, N.F., Hutchinson, A, Chidambaram, A., Gerrard, B., Baird,
L., Stauffer, D., Peiffer, A., Rattner, A., Smallwood, P., Li, Y., Anderson, K.L., Lewis, R.A., Nathans, J.,
Leppert, M., Dean, M., and Lupski, J.R. A photoreceptor cell-specific ATP-binding transporter gene
(ABCR) is mutated in recessive Stargardt macular dystrophy. Nature Genetics 15, 236-246 (1997).
2. Sun, H., Macke, J.P., and Nathans, J. Mechanisms of spectral tuning in the mouse green cone
pigment. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 8860-8865 (1997).
Free Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC23167/?tool=pubmed
3. Sun, H., Gilbert, D.J., Copeland, N.G., Jenkins, N.A., and Nathans, J. Peropsin, a novel visual
pigment-like protein located in the apical microvilli of the retinal pigment epithelium. Proc. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA 94, 9893-9898 (1997).
Free Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC23288/?tool=pubmed
4. Sun, H., and Nathans, J. Stargardt's ABCR is localized to the disc membrane of retinal rod outer
segments. Nature Genetics 17, 15-16 (1997).
5. Sun, H., Molday, R.S., and Nathans, J. Retinal stimulates ATP hydrolysis by purified and
reconstituted ABCR, the photoreceptor-specific ATP-binding cassette transporter responsible for
Stargardt disease. J. Biol. Chem. 274: 8269-8281 (1999).
Free Access: http://www.jbc.org/content/274/12/8269.long
6. Sun, H., Smallwood, P.M., and Nathans, J. Biochemical defects in ABCR protein variants associated
with human retinopathies. Nature Genetics 26, 242-246 (2000).
7. Sun, H., and Nathans, J. ABCR, the ATP-binding cassette transporter responsible for Stargardt
macular dystrophy, is an efficient target of all-trans-retinal-mediated photooxidative damage in vitro:
implications for retinal disease. J. Biol. Chem. 276,11766-11774 (2001).
Free Access: http://www.jbc.org/content/276/15/11766.long
8. Sun, H., and Nathans, J. Mechanistic studies of ABCR, the ABC transporter in photoreceptor outer
segments responsible for autosomal recessive Stargardt disease. J Bioenerg Biomembr. 33, 519-
526 (2001).
9. Sun, H., Tsunenari, T., Yau, K.W., and Nathans, J., The vitelliform macular dystrophy protein defines
a new family of chloride channels. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 4008-4013 (2002).
Free Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC122639/?tool=pubmed
10. Jin, M., Li, S., Moghrabi, W.N., Sun, H., and Travis, G.H. RPE65 is the retinoid isomerase in bovine
retinal pigment epithelium. Cell 122:449-459 (2005).
Free Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2748856/?tool=pubmed
11. Yang, Z., Camp, N., Sun, H., Tong, Z., Gibbs, D., Cameron, J., Chen, H., Zhao, Y., Pearson, E., Li, X.,
Chien, J., DeWan, A., Harmon, J., Bernstein, P., Shridhar, V., Zabriskie, N., Hoh, J., Howes, K., and
Zhang, K. A variant of the HTRA1 gene increases susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration.
Science 314: 992-993 (2006).
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12. Kawaguchi, R., Yu, J., Honda, J., Hu, J., Whitelegge, J., Ping, P., Wiita, P., Bok, D., and Sun, H. A
membrane receptor for retinol binding protein mediates cellular uptake of vitamin A. Science
(Research Article) 315: 820-825 (2007).
This article was highlighted in the following scientific news:
Science News, Science January 25, 2007
Research Highlights, Nature 445: 462, 2007
Research Highlights, Nature Chemical Biology 3:143, 2007
Editor’s Choice, Science STKE 373:55, 2007
Research Spotlight, ACS Chemical Biology 2:142, 2007
This week in Science, Science 315: 735, 2007
Research News, The Scientist, January 25, 2007
Rated as “Exceptional” by Faculty of 1000 Biology
13. Yu, J., Wiita, P., Kawaguchi, R., Honda, J., Jorgensen, A., Zhang, K., Fishchetti, V., and Sun, H.
Biochemical analysis of a common human polymorphism associated with age-related macular
degeneration. Biochemistry 46:8451-8461 (2007).
14. Kawaguchi, R., Yu, J., Wiita, P., Ter-Stepanian, M., and Sun, H. Mapping the Membrane Topology
and Extracellular Ligand Binding Domains of the Retinol Binding Protein Receptor. Biochemistry 47:
5387-5395 (2008).
15. Kawaguchi, R., Yu, J., Wiita, P., Honda, J., and Sun, H. An Essential Ligand Binding Domain in the
Membrane Receptor for Retinol Binding Protein Revealed by Large-Scale Mutagenesis and a Human
Polymorphism. J. Biol. Chem. 283:15160-15168 (2008).
Free Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2397481/?tool=pubmed
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