Hung-wen (Ben) Liu, for accepting me to be a member of his great research team. I sincerely thank his valuable advice and support given all these years. I would also like to thank him for giving me the freedom and courage to explore in my scientific research, and at the same time, encouraging me to confront the difficulties as they come. None of work presented here could be done with out collaborations. I feel so thankful for having the opportunities to meet and learn from different

more »

... s during different stages of my graduate study. I sincerely thank Dr. Yung-nan Liu, who teaches me different molecular cloning and protein expression skills. Many of the proteins being used in my experiments are generously provided by her. Being away from home for years, I truly feel touched for the care she gives in everyday life. I would also like to thank Dr. Mark W. Ruszczycky, who provides endless help during my graduate work, and being such a great mentor who always inspires me to think and be critical of my work. I also owe him a lot for his time in proofreading this dissertation. To Mark, I always think that saying "thank you" is never enough. I feel honored for having the opportunities to collaborate with Dr. Borries Demeler, Dr. Brian Cannon, Dr. Rick Russell and Dr. Steve O. Mansoorabadi in different research projects. I truly appreciate their time and patience in teaching me different research techniques. I earnestly thank them for their valuable discussion and encouragement for all these years. Finally, I would like to thank the current and former Liu lab members. Besides research, they are the strongest motivation for me to stay in lab. This is a lovely group of people who provides endless care to their peers. They work hard, and they also play quite hard when getting together. Thank you, my dear friends! vi