Professor at the School of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Ph.D. advisor, recipient of the National Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars. His main research focus is protein chemical and synthetic biology, with over 50 research papers published as a corresponding author in journals such as J Am Chem Soc, Angew Chem Int Ed, Chem, Science Advance, Nature Protocols. He has received funding as a project leader from the National Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars, major research programs, and key R&D projects from the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Primary Research Focus
Protein Chemical and Synthetic Biology
1. Based on bio/chem and AI cross-disciplinary technologies, developing bioorthogonal reactions new strategies for protein modification and function regulation in vitro and in vivo.
2. Developing new protein evolution technologies to discover rapidly man-made proteins such as protein drugs and new-to-nature enzymes.
3. Bioorthogonal reaction-driven development of antibody-like and cell drugs.
Education
- 2002-2006: Bachelor's degree, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, USTC
- 2006-2012: Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, USTC
Work Experience
- 2012-2014: Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University
- 2014-2016: Associate Researcher, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- 2016-2020: Researcher, School of Life Sciences and Medicine, USTC
- 2021-Present: Professor, School of Life Sciences and Medicine, USTC
Lab Recruitment
The lab is continuously recruiting graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and special associate researchers interested in interdisciplinary fields such as biology, chemical biology, and biomedical sciences.
1. Ph.D. or Master's Students: Students interested in biology, chemical biology, or biomedical sciences are welcome to join the lab for doctoral studies.
2. Special Associate Researchers and Postdocs: Researchers with backgrounds in protein bio/chemical synthesis, phage display, protein function evolution, Antibody drug development and cell drugs.
Please send your resume to: jszheng@ustc.edu.cn
Recent Representative Publications (as corresponding author):
1. Qi, Y.-K.; Zheng, J. S.*; Liu, L.* Mirror-image protein and peptide drug discovery through mirror-image phage display. Chem 2024, 10 (8), 2390-2407.
2. Dong-Liang Huang; Wu-Chen Guo; Wei-Wei Shi; Yun-Pu Gao; Yong-Kang Zhou; Long-Jie Wang; Chen Wang; Tang, S.*; Liu, L.*; Zheng, J. S.*, Enhanced Native Chemical Ligation by Peptide Conjugation in Trifluoroacetic Acid. Sci. Adv.2024, 10, eado9413.
3. Zheng, Y.; Zhang, B.; Shi, W. W.; Deng, X.; Wang, T. Y.; Han, D.; Ren, Y.; Yang, Z.; Zhou, Y. K.; Kuang, J.; Wang, Z.W.; Tang, S.; Zheng, J. S.*, An Enzyme-Cleavable Solubilizing-Tag Facilitates the Chemical Synthesis of Mirror-Image Proteins. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202318897.
4. Shi, W. W.; Wang, T. Y.; Yang, Z. Y.; Ren, Y. X.; Han, D. Y.; Zheng, Y. P.; Deng, X. Y.; Tang, S.; Zheng, J. S.*, L-Glycosidase-Cleavable Natural Glycans Facilitate the Chemical Synthesis of Correctly Folded Disulfide-Bonded D-Proteins. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202313640.
5. Zhang, B.; Zheng, Y.; Chu, G.; Deng, X.; Wang, T.; Shi, W.; Zhou, Y.; Tang, S.; Zheng, J. S.*; Liu, L.*, Backbone‐Installed Split Intein‐Assisted Ligation for the Chemical Synthesis of Mirror‐Image Proteins. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023,62 (33), e202306270.
6. Li, Y.; Wang, L.-J.; Zhou, Y.-K.; Liang, J.; Xiao, B.; Zheng, J. S.*, An improved installation of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzyl (iHmb) method for chemical protein synthesis. Chin Chem Lett 2024, 109033.
7. Gao, Y.-P.; Sun, P.-F.; Guo, W.-C.; Zhou, Y.-K.; Zheng, J. S.*; Tang, S.* Chemical synthesis of a 28 kDa full-length PET degrading enzyme ICCG by the removable backbone modification strategy. Bioorg. Chem. 2024, 143, 107047.
8. Ding, R. C.; Shi, W. W.; Zheng, J. S., Chemically Synthetic D-Sortase Enables Enzymatic Ligation of D-Peptides. Org Lett 2023,25 (26), 4857-4861.
9. Han, D. Y.; Ren, Y. X.; Yang, Z. Y.; Huang, H.; Zheng, J. S.*, Split Intein: a Versatile Tool for Traceless Peptide Segment Ligation. Chem J Chinese U 2023,44 (10), 20230188.
10. Shi, W. W.; Shi, C.; Wang, T. Y.; Li, Y. L.; Zhou, Y. K.; Zhang, X. H.; Bierer, D.; Zheng, J. S.*; Liu, L.*, Total Chemical Synthesis of Correctly Folded Disulfide-Rich Proteins Using a Removable O-Linked beta-N-Acetylglucosamine Strategy. J Am Chem Soc 2022,144 (1), 349-357.
11. Li, Y.; Heng, J.; Sun, D.; Zhang, B.; Zhang, X.; Zheng, Y.; Shi, W. W.; Wang, T. Y.; Li, J. Y.; Sun, X.; Liu, X.; Zheng, J. S.*; Kobilka, B. K.; Liu, L.*, Chemical Synthesis of a Full-Length G-Protein-Coupled Receptor beta2-Adrenergic Receptor with Defined Modification Patterns at the C-Terminus. J Am Chem Soc 2021,143 (42), 17566-17576.
12. Li, Y.; Cao, X.; Tian, C.; Zheng, J. S.*, Chemical protein synthesis-assisted high-throughput screening strategies for d-peptides in drug discovery. Chin. Chem. Lett. 2020,31 (9), 2365-2374.
13. Huang, D.-L.; Li, Y.; Liang, J.; Yu, L.; Xue, M.; Cao, X.-X.; Xiao, B.; Tian, C.-L.; Liu, L.; Zheng, J. S.*, The New Salcylaldehyde S,S-Propanedithioacetal Ester Enables N-to-C Sequential Native Chemical Ligation and Ser/Thr Ligation for Chemical Protein Synthesis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020,142 (19), 8790-8799.
14. Huang, D. L.; Montigny, C.; Zheng, Y.; Beswick, V.; Li, Y.; Cao, X. X.; Barbot, T.; Jaxel, C.; Liang, J.; Tian, C. L.; Jamin, N.; Zheng, J. S.*. Chemical Synthesis of Native S-palmitoylated Membrane Proteins through Reversible Backbone Modification Assisted Ser/Thr Ligation. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020,59 (13), 5178-5184.
15. Qu, Q.; Gao, S.; Wu, F. M.; Zhang, M. G.; Li, Y; Zhang, L. H., Donald Bierer, Tian, C. L.*, Zheng, J. S.*; Liu, L.*, Synthesis of disulfide surrogate peptides incorporating large-span surrogate bridges through a native chemical ligation-assisted diaminodiacid strategy. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59 (15), 6037-6045.
16. Zhang, B.; Deng, Q.; Zuo, C.; Yan, B.; Zuo, C.; Cao, X. X.; Zhu, T. F.; Zheng, J. S.*; Liu, L.*, Ligation of Soluble but Unreactive Peptide Segments in the Chemical Synthesis of Haemophilus Influenzae DNA Ligase. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 12231-12237.
17. Qi, Y.-K.*; Si, Y.-Y.; Du, S.-S.; Liang, J.; Wang, K.-W.*; Zheng, J. S.*, Recent advances in the chemical synthesis and semi-synthesis of poly-ubiquitin-based proteins and probes. Sci. China Chem.2019,62 (3), 299-312.
18. Guo, Q. Y.; Zhang, L. H.; Zuo, C.; Huang, D. L.; Wang, Z. A.; Zheng, J. S.*; Tian, C. L.*, Channel activity of mirror-image M2 proton channel of influenza A virus is blocked by achiral or chiral inhibitors. Protein Cell 2019, 10, 211-216.
Research Projects
1. National Natural Science Foundation of China, General Project: A biomimetic enzymatic removable glycolysation modification new strategy for chemical protein synthesis, 2024-2027.
2. Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, General Project: Peptide drug development targeting posttranslational modification of pathological agglomerates in neurodegenerative diseases, 2024-2026.
3. National Natural Science Foundation of China, General Project: Chemical synthesis and regulatory mechanism of post-translational modification of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), 2022-2025.
4. Collaborative Innovation Program of Hefei Science Center, CAS, General Project: Mirror-image-protein-modified graphene quantum dots for tumor-specific diagnosis and treatment, 2022-2024.
2. National Key R&D Program of China: Key technologies for efficient biodegradation of synthetic plastics - Project 2: Analysis of the crystal structure and catalytic mechanism of synthetic plastic degrading enzymes, 2019-2024.
3. National Natural Science Foundation of China, Excellent Young Scholars: Chemical synthesis and regulation of hydrophobic proteins, 2020-2023.
Contact Information
Address: Annex Building, Life Sciences Building, West Campus, USTC
Email: jszheng@ustc.edu.cn; Phone: 0551-63607782