# Jinrong Min
**Jinrong Min** (闵金荣) is a structural biologist who determines crystal structures of epigenetic enzymes and RNA-binding proteins, and a professor at the School of Life Sciences of Central China Normal University in Wuhan. His fields are structural biology, chemical biology, epigenetics, and protein post-translational modification.[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm) He is known for early crystal structures of a SIR2 homolog bound to NAD and of the human DOT1L histone methyltransferase, both published in *Cell* while he was a postdoctoral researcher at [Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory](https://www.edgepedia.org/cold-spring-harbor-laboratory),[2](http://repository.cshl.edu/view/cshl_author/min=5Fjinrong.default.html) • [3](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11336676/) and for later structures of methylated-RNA recognition by the [YTH domain](https://www.edgepedia.org/yth-domain) family.[4](https://datamed.org/author/8829478)
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Field | Structural biology of epigenetic enzymes and RNA-binding proteins[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm) |
| Doctorate | Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1993–1995[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm) |
| Signature work | Structure of the catalytic domain of human DOT1L with S-adenosyl-L-methionine, *Cell*, 2003[5](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12628190/) |
| Toronto career | Group leader at the Structural Genomics Consortium from June 2005; professorship in Physiology from July 2007, both to November 2022[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm) |
| Structural output | More than 300 protein crystal structures determined (as of 2019)[6](http://jcyx.ustc.edu.cn/2019/1223/c24378a520212/page.htm) |
| Current position | Full professor, Central China Normal University, since December 2022[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm) |
| Activity through 2026 | 2024 papers in *PNAS*, *Trends in Pharmacological Sciences*, and *Nucleic Acids Research*[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm) |
## Education and early career
Min studied at Wuhan University of Technology, taking a bachelor's degree from September 1986 to June 1990 and a master's held jointly with the [Institute of Physics](https://www.edgepedia.org/institute-of-physics) of the [Chinese Academy of Sciences](https://www.edgepedia.org/chinese-academy-of-sciences) from September 1990 to March 1993. He completed his doctorate at the Institute of Physics from March 1993 to August 1995.[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm)
His postdoctoral years moved through structural biology groups in Germany and the United States: Saarland University (December 1995 to June 1996), [Florida State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/florida-state-university) (June 1996 to August 1997), the University of Essen as a Humboldt fellow (August 1997 to December 1998), the European Cancer Institute (March 1999 to March 2000), and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (March 2000 to June 2005).[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm) The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation records his fellowship in its 1996 program, sponsored at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of Universität Duisburg-Essen, with initial sponsorship beginning 1 December 1997.[7](https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/connect/explore-the-humboldt-network/singleview/1036887/dr-jinrong-min) His ORCID record dates his Cold Spring Harbor affiliation to 2001–2003, narrower than the 2000–2005 span on his faculty page.[8](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5210-3130)
## Representative work
His 2003 *Cell* paper solved a 2.5 Å resolution structure of the catalytic domain of human DOT1L in complex with S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM). DOT1L methylates lysine 79 of histone H3 in the nucleosome core, and unlike other histone methyltransferases it contains no [SET domain](https://www.edgepedia.org/set-domain); the structure showed a mainly alpha-helical N-terminal domain, a central open alpha/beta fold with the SAM binding pocket, and a flexible, positively charged C-terminal region critical for nucleosome binding and enzymatic activity.[5](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12628190/) The paper is archived in the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory repository from his postdoctoral period there.[2](http://repository.cshl.edu/view/cshl_author/min=5Fjinrong.default.html)
## Structural Genomics Consortium and University of Toronto
In June 2005 Min joined the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine as a group leader, a role he held until November 2022; from July 2007 to November 2022 he also held a professorship, rising from assistant to full professor, in the university's Department of Physiology.[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm) A 2019 [University of Science and Technology of China](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-science-and-technology-of-china) lecture announcement describes him as a principal investigator at the SGC and states that by then he had determined more than 300 protein crystal structures.[6](http://jcyx.ustc.edu.cn/2019/1223/c24378a520212/page.htm)
His Toronto structures cover a series of epigenetic recognition modules: chromodomains (including the Polycomb chromodomain bound to histone H3 methylated at lysine 27, *Genes & Development*, 2003, and human CDY chromodomains), human CXXC domains, the EHMT1/GLP lysine methyltransferase, the SGF29 tandem Tudor domains in complex with H3K4me3 at 1.26 Å resolution,[9](https://www.rcsb.org/structure/3MEA) and the YTH domain family.[2](http://repository.cshl.edu/view/cshl_author/min=5Fjinrong.default.html) • [4](https://datamed.org/author/8829478) • [8](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5210-3130) In 2014 his group published the structural basis for selective binding of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA by the YTHDC1 YTH domain in *Nature Chemical Biology* (PDB entry 4R3I, 1.8 Å), followed in 2015 by a 1.6 Å structure addressing discriminative recognition of m6A RNA across the human YTH domain family in the *Journal of Biological Chemistry*.[4](https://datamed.org/author/8829478) A 2018 *Genes & Development* paper he co-led reported the DOT1L–AF10 complex and its role in MLL-AF10-associated leukemogenesis.[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm)
## Central China Normal University and recent work
Min held a lecture professorship at Central China Normal University from January 2006 to November 2022 and became a full professor there in December 2022, after his Toronto group leadership ended.[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm) He was also a GIR visiting professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology from January 2015 to December 2019.[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm) His ORCID record lists about 120 works, including recent ones on the NTE domain of PTENα/β interacting with WDR5 and on DNA sequence recognition by the TFAP2 transcription factors.[8](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5210-3130)
He remained active through 2024: a *PNAS* paper published on 13 August 2024 showed that H3K14ac facilitates reinstallation of constitutive heterochromatin in early *Drosophila* embryos by engaging Eggless/SetDB1; a March 2024 review in *Trends in Pharmacological Sciences* covered inhibitor development targeting the [PWWP domain](https://www.edgepedia.org/pwwp-domain); and a *Nucleic Acids Research* paper published on 25 January 2024 described the molecular mechanism of specific DNA sequence recognition by NRF1.[1](https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm)
## References
1. 闵金荣, faculty page, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University. https://bio.ccnu.edu.cn/info/1232/9897.htm
2. Browse by CSHL Author, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Scientific Digital Repository. http://repository.cshl.edu/view/cshl_author/min=5Fjinrong.default.html
3. "Crystal structure of a SIR2 homolog-NAD complex" (PubMed abstract). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11336676/
4. DataMed, J Min (PDB-derived structural records). https://datamed.org/author/8829478
5. "Structure of the catalytic domain of human DOT1L" (PubMed). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12628190/
6. 生命科学讲坛: 闵金荣教授学术报告会, University of Science and Technology of China, 2019. http://jcyx.ustc.edu.cn/2019/1223/c24378a520212/page.htm
7. Dr. Jinrong Min, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation network entry. https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/connect/explore-the-humboldt-network/singleview/1036887/dr-jinrong-min
8. Jinrong Min (0000-0001-5210-3130), ORCID. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5210-3130
9. 3MEA (rcsb.org). https://www.rcsb.org/structure/3MEA
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Life and health scientists › Life scientists › Researchers in structural biology, biochemistry, and biophysics › Protein crystallography and structural genomics › Enzyme and nucleic acid machinery structures*
*Initially written Sep 21, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 25, 2026; Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 25, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license