Education
- Bachelor's degree in 2004 from the School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China
- Ph.D. in 2013 from the University of Göttingen/Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Germany, specializing in liquid NMR
Postdoctoral Experience
- 2013-2016 at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany, focusing on solid-state NMR
- 2016-2019 at the Department of Chemistry, Utrecht University, Netherlands, focusing on solid-state NMR
- 2016-2019 Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research VENI grant
Research Focus
Utilizing various biophysical methods, primarily solid-state NMR, to study the structure and function of protein polymers and protein machines. Typical protein polymers include structural fibers and cytoskeletons under natural conditions, amyloid fibers under pathological conditions, and the phase separation and transition systems of biomacromolecules that have gained attention recently. Solid-state NMR is the optimal method for studying the structure of these protein polymers. Our research holds significant importance in both fundamental and applied aspects: expanding existing knowledge of protein structures and enhancing understanding of various diseases.
Work Content
- Preparation and purification of milligram quantities of stable isotope-labeled proteins and nucleic acids
- Investigating interactions between proteins and between proteins and nucleic acids in vitro using various biophysical methods
- Using solid-state NMR rotors with different spinning speeds, including the smallest 0.7mm rotor that can reach 111kHz, for magic angle spinning
- Obtaining high-resolution structural details and interaction information of these molecules through NMR spectroscopy
Representative Publications
1. Qiunan Ren#, Linge Li#, Lei Liu, Juan Li, Chaowei Shi, Yujie Sun, Xuebiao Yao*, Zhonghuai Hou*, ShengQi Xiang* ;(2025) The molecular mechanism of temperature-dependent phase separation of heat shock factor 1, Nature Chemical Biology , https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-024-01806-y
2. Zhelin Jiang#, Fan Shi#, Juan Li, Rui Liu, Jinhua Zhou, Zhensheng Zhong, Chaowei Shi, Mingming Ma, ShengQi Xiang*, Daxing Gao* ; (2025)Crucial role of the cGAS N terminus in mediating flowable and functional cGAS-DNA condensate formation via DNA interactions, Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122 (3) e2411659122, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2411659122 .
3. Shenqing Zhang#, Huaijiang Xiang#, Youqi Tao#, Juan Li#, Shuyi Zeng, Qianhui Xu, Haonan Xiao,Shiran Lv, Caiwei Song, Yan Cheng, Martin Li, Zeyun Zhu, Shengnan Zhang, Bo Sun, Dan Li, ShengQi Xiang*, Li Tan*, Cong Liu*;(2024) Inhibitor Development for α-Synuclein Fibril’s Disordered Region to Alleviate Parkinson’s Disease Pathology, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 146:28282-28295
4. Shengnan Zhang#, Juan Li#, Qianhui Xu#, Wencheng Xia, Youqi Tao, Chaowei Shi, Dan Li, ShengQi Xiang*, Cong Liu*;(2023) Conformational Dynamics of an α-Synuclein Fibril upon Receptor Binding Revealed by Insensitive Nuclei Enhanced by Polarization Transfer-Based Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Journal of the American Chemical Society, ,145(8): 4473-4484
5. Yanzhang Luo#, Shengqi Xiang#, Peter Jan Hooikaas, Laura van Bezouwen, A.S. Jijumon, Carsten Janke, Friedrich Förster, Anna Akhmanova, Marc Baldus*;(2020) Direct observation of dynamic protein interactions involving human microtubules using solid-state NMR spectroscopy., Nature Communications, 2020, 11(18)
6. Xiang SQ, le Paige UB, Horn V, Houben K, Baldus M, van Ingen H. (2018) Site-Specific Studies of Nucleosome Interactions by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy. Angew Chem Int Edit 57(17): 4571-4575
7. Xiang SQ, Kulminskaya N, Habenstein B, Biernat J, Tepper K, Giller K, Lange A, Becker S, Mandelkow E, Linser R. (2017) A two-component adhesive: Tau fibrils arise from a combination of well-defined contacts with conformationally flexible interactions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 139(7), 2639-2646
8. Xiang SQ, Narayanan RL, Becker S, & Zweckstetter M (2013) N-H Spin-Spin Couplings: Probing Hydrogen Bonds in Proteins. Angew Chem Int Edit 52(12): 3525-3528
9. Xiang SQ, Biernat J, Mandelkow E, Becker S, Linser R. (2016) Backbone assignment for minimal protein amounts of low structural homogeneity in the absence of deuteration. Chem. Commun. 52: 4002-4005
10. Xiang SQ, Grohe K, Rovo P, Vasa S, Giller K, Becker S, Linser R. (2015) Sequential backbone assignment through direct amide-to-amide correlation experiments. J. Biomol. NMR 62: 303-11
11. Xiang S, Chevelkov V, Becker S, Lange A. (2014) Towards automatic protein backbone assignment based on proton-detected 4D solid-state NMR data. J. Biomol. NMR 60: 85-90
Recruitment
Undergraduates interested in related fields are welcome to intern or pursue graduate studies in the lab. We sincerely invite postdoctoral researchers with a background in structural biology, molecular biophysics, or synthetic biology to join us.
Email: cqxiang@ustc.edu.cn