Dr Chun Guo

School of Biosciences

Lecturer

Dr Chun Guo
Profile picture of Dr Chun Guo
c.guo@sheffield.ac.uk
Alfred Denny Building

Full contact details

Dr Chun Guo
School of Biosciences
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
Profile

Brief career history

  • 2015–Present: Lecturer, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield
  • 2013–2015: Research Fellow, School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol
  • 2009–2013: Senior Research Associate, School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol
  • 2002–2009: Research Associate, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester
  • 1999–2002: PhD, Leicester School of Pharmacy, De Montfort University, U.K.
  • 1996–1999: Lecturer, Department of Human Anatomy, Medical College of Soochow University, China.
  • 1991–1996: Teaching Assistant, Department of Human Anatomy, Medical College of Soochow University, China.
  • 1986–1991: MBBS, Medical College of Soochow University, China
Research interests

Protein SUMOylation and deSUMOylation in Health and Disease
My research interests are to understand the basic cell biology and signaling pathways associated with protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) in cell death, survival, and repair following stress, and to translate the findings into animal models of human diseases and into treatments for human disease.
One type of PTM is SUMOylation, which involves the attachment of a small protein called Small Ubiquitin-related Modifier (SUMO) to target proteins.
SUMOylation is essential for the survival of all plant and animal cells because it regulates protein-protein interactions, either promoting or hindering specific interactions according to the molecular environment.
Thus the functional consequences of SUMO attachment vary greatly depending on the substrate and the cell type, and in most cases remain only poorly understood.
SUMOylation can be reversed by the action of SUMO proteases to cleave the bond between proteins. This is called deSUMOylation.
The largest and most characterised family of SUMO proteases is that of the sentrin-specific proteases (SENPs). Specific targets and physiological roles for SENPs are largely unknown.
In my laboratory, a combination of techniques including molecular cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, pharmacology, and histology is used to address the roles of protein SUMOylation and deSUMOylation in health and disease, particularly in ischemia and age-related diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer.
The results may lead to better understanding of disease processes, more effective therapies, an enhancement to the quality of life of both patients and their carers, and finally, an easing of the substantial economic burden that ischemia and age-related diseases currently impose.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Journal articles

  • Zhao A, Maple L, Jiang J, Myers KN, Jones CG, Gagg H, McGarrity-Cottrell C, Rominiyi O, Collis SJ, Wells G , Rahman M et al (2024) . Cell Death & Disease, 15(12).
  • Seager R, Ramesh NS, Cross S, Guo C, Wilkinson KA & Henley JM (2024) . Science Advances, 10(40).
  • Wilkinson KA & Guo C (2022) . Autophagy, 18(7), 1743-1745.
  • Waters E, Wilkinson KA, Harding AL, Carmichael RE, Robinson D, Colley HE & Guo C (2022) . EMBO reports, 23(2).
  • Guo C, Hildick KL, Jiang J, Zhao A, Guo W, Henley JM & Wilkinson KA (2021) . Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9.
  • Zhang M, Zhao A, Guo C & Guo L (2021) . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 530.
  • Luo J, Gurung S, Lee L, Henley JM, Wilkinson KA & Guo C (2017) . Journal of Toxicological Sciences, 42(5), 529-538.
  • Guo C, Wilkinson KA, Evans AJ, Rubin PP & Henley JM (2017) . Scientific Reports, 7(-), ---.
  • Guo C & Henley JM (2014) . IUBMB LIFE, 66(2), 71-77.
  • Guo C, Hildick KL, Luo J, Dearden L, Wilkinson KA & Henley JM (2013) . The EMBO Journal, 32(11), 1514-1528.
  • Guo C & Whitmarsh AJ (2008) . Journal of Biological Chemistry, 283(23), 15903-15911.
  • Guo C, Willem M, Werner A, Raivich G, Emerson M, Neyses L & Mayer U (2006) . Human Molecular Genetics, 15(6), 989-998.
  • Guo C, Jiang J, Martin Elliott J & Piacentini L (2005) . Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 94(3), 446-459.
  • Guo C & Piacentini L (2003) . Journal of Biological Chemistry, 278(47), 46699-46708.

Conference proceedings

  • Zhang M, Zhang Y, Zhao A, Guo C & Guo L (2020) . Proceedings of 2020 7th International Conference on Biomedical and Bioinformatics Engineering (pp 16-21). Kyoto, Japan, 6 November 2020 - 9 November 2020.

Preprints

  • Waters E, Wilkinson KA, Carmichael RE & Guo C (2019) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

All publications

Journal articles

  • Wang Y, Zhang X, Guo H, Qian S, Fang H, Wu X, Shen Y, Xu C, Zhou B, Guo C , Lu X et al (2025) . CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 31(4).
  • Zhao A, Maple L, Jiang J, Myers KN, Jones CG, Gagg H, McGarrity-Cottrell C, Rominiyi O, Collis SJ, Wells G , Rahman M et al (2024) . Cell Death & Disease, 15(12).
  • Seager R, Ramesh NS, Cross S, Guo C, Wilkinson KA & Henley JM (2024) . Science Advances, 10(40).
  • Gao F, Du W, Guo C, Geng P, Liu W & Jin X (2024) . Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 179.
  • Wang X, Wang Q, Song M, Wang Y, Shen X, Sun Y, Guo C, Geng P, Ma C & Jin X (2024) . CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics, 30(2).
  • Wang Y, Liu W, Geng P, Du W, Guo C, Wang Q, Zheng G-Q & Jin X (2023) . Aging and disease.
  • Wang Y, Du W, Hu X, Yu X, Guo C, Jin X & Wang W (2023) . Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, 13(12), 4667-4687.
  • Taghvaei S, Taghvaei A, Anvar MS, Guo C, Sabouni F & Minuchehr Z (2023) . Frontiers in Pharmacology, 14.
  • Hu X, Geng P, Zhao X, Wang Q, Liu C, Guo C, Dong W & Jin X (2023) . Neurobiology of Disease, 180.
  • Wilkinson KA & Guo C (2022) . Autophagy, 18(7), 1743-1745.
  • Waters E, Wilkinson KA, Harding AL, Carmichael RE, Robinson D, Colley HE & Guo C (2022) . EMBO reports, 23(2).
  • Guo C, Hildick KL, Jiang J, Zhao A, Guo W, Henley JM & Wilkinson KA (2021) . Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9.
  • Zhang M, Zhao A, Guo C & Guo L (2021) . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 530.
  • Klionsky DJ, Abdel-Aziz AK, Abdelfatah S, Abdellatif M, Abdoli A, Abel S, Abeliovich H, Abildgaard MH, Abudu YP, Acevedo-Arozena A , Adamopoulos IE et al (2021) . Autophagy.
  • Wilkinson KA, Martin S, Tyagarajan SK, Arancio O, Craig TJ, Guo C, Fraser PE, Goldstein SAN & Henley JM (2017) . Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 11.
  • Luo J, Gurung S, Lee L, Henley JM, Wilkinson KA & Guo C (2017) . Journal of Toxicological Sciences, 42(5), 529-538.
  • Guo C, Wilkinson KA, Evans AJ, Rubin PP & Henley JM (2017) . Scientific Reports, 7(-), ---.
  • Guo C & Henley JM (2014) . IUBMB LIFE, 66(2), 71-77.
  • Guo C, Hildick KL, Luo J, Dearden L, Wilkinson KA & Henley JM (2013) . The EMBO Journal, 32(11), 1514-1528.
  • Jin J, Zhao Y, Tan X, Guo C, Yang Z & Miao D (2011) . PLoS One, (6)(6), e21005-e21005.
  • Choudhury R, McGovern A, Ridley C, Cain SA, Baldwin A, Wang M-C, Guo C, Mironov Jr A, Drymoussi Z, Trump D , Shuttleworth A et al (2009) . Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284(36), 24553-24567.
  • Guo C & Whitmarsh AJ (2008) . Journal of Biological Chemistry, 283(23), 15903-15911.
  • NADIFSAVEY R, CARTWRIGHT E, EMERSON M, GUO C, MAYER U & NEYSES L (2007) . European Journal of Heart Failure Supplements, 6(1), 43-43.
  • Guo C, Willem M, Werner A, Raivich G, Emerson M, Neyses L & Mayer U (2006) . Human Molecular Genetics, 15(6), 989-998.
  • Papadakis ES, Finegan KG, Wang X, Robinson AC, Guo C, Kayahara M & Tournier C (2006) . FEBS Letters, 580(5), 1320-1326.
  • Wang X, Merritt AJ, Seyfried J, Guo C, Papadakis ES, Finegan KG, Kayahara M, Dixon J, Boot-Handford RP, Cartwright EJ , Mayer U et al (2005) . Molecular and Cellular Biology, 25(1), 336-345.
  • Guo C, Jiang J, Martin Elliott J & Piacentini L (2005) . Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 94(3), 446-459.
  • Guo C & Piacentini L (2003) . Journal of Biological Chemistry, 278(47), 46699-46708.
  • Guo C & Piacentini L (2002) Inhibition of furin attenuates type I collagen-induced MMP-2 activation in cardiac fibroblasts. BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, 135.
  • Guo C & Piacentini L (2001) Divergent regulations of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in adult rat cardiac fibroblasts: Mechanism of proMMP-2 activation. BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, 133, U69-U69.

Conference proceedings

  • Zhang M, Zhang Y, Zhao A, Guo C & Guo L (2020) . Proceedings of 2020 7th International Conference on Biomedical and Bioinformatics Engineering (pp 16-21). Kyoto, Japan, 6 November 2020 - 9 November 2020.

Preprints

  • Waters E, Wilkinson KA, Carmichael RE & Guo C (2019) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Research group

PhD projects

  • Investigating the Roles for deSUMOylation Enzyme SENP3 in Autophagy Impaired by α-synuclein

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  • Uncovering novel molecular targets for cancer chemoprevention in oral squamous cell carcinoma

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Teaching activities
  • BioMed Undergraduate Tutorials
  • BioMed Undergraduate Final Year Project Supervision (Molecular and Cell biology)
  • Postgraduate Research Project Supervision (Molecular and Cell biology)
  • Undergraduate and Postgraduate Human Neuroanatomy (Core-Teaching)
Professional activities and memberships
  • Member of the Anatomical Society (2016)
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2018)
  • Member of the British Society for Cell Biology (2019)
  • Peer reviewer for scientific journals including EMBO Journal, Nature Communications, Autophagy, The FASEB Journal, iScience, Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, Journal of Molecular Medicine, Biochemical Journal and Scientific Reports
  • Peer reviewer for grant-awarding bodies including BBSRC, British Heart Foundation, Royal Society and BRACE – Alzheimer’s Research

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