PI: Prof. XU Zhen, PhD

E-mail: zhenxu@ihb.ac.cn    

Team Members: 

Assistant Professor and Dr., KONG Weiguang  

Senior Engineer and Dr., HUANG Yu  

Experimentalist, ZHANG Qianqian  

Postdoctors: CHEN Xiaoyun, LI Zeyu,  

LI Yangyang, SHI Yong  

Ph.D students: XU Haoyue, CHENG Gaofeng,                   

YANG peng, LI Yuqing, CAI Chang,   

DING Guangyi 

MSc students: WANG Xinyou, YU Jiaqian, 

WANG Zixuan, LIN Ruiqi,  

JIANG Zhihao, 

Projects Assistants: QIN Xueying, YUAN Xinjie, ZHU Zongchao, ZHANG Qiushi, MA Liyuan 

Visiting Students: YANG Xinyi, LI Shuai, ZHANG Lei   

General Introduction: 

The research group of fish mucosal immunity and disease prevention & control is dedicated to the basic and applied research of fish disease prevention and control as well as disease-resistant breeding. Our work mainly focuses on two aspects: Firstly, we aim to clarify the mechanism of virus invasion and replication, reveal the mucosal immune response pattern of the host against viral infection, and develop and reserve fish mucosal vaccines and diagnostic technologies. Secondly, we strive to analyze the molecular regulation mechanism of fish disease resistance traits, establish efficient and accurate fish genome editing breeding technologies, and cultivate fast-growing and disease-resistant elite breeds. Related research achievements have been published in Science Immunology, Cell Discovery, Nature Communications, PNAS, Microbiome, PLOS Pathogens, etc. We have received support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, major agricultural biobreeding projects, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Pilot B Project.   

Selective publications for the past five years (*Corresponding author; ^#Equal contribution) 

1. Weiguang Kong^#, Gaofeng Cheng^#, Jiafeng Cao^#, Jiaqian Yu, Xinyou Wang, Zhen Xu*. Ocular mucosal homeostasis of teleost fish provides insight into the coevolution between microbiome and mucosal immunity. Microbiome. 2024, 12, 10. 

2. Weiguang Kong, Jiafeng Cao, Gaofeng Cheng, Yongyao Yu, Zhen Xu*. Research progress and prospect in mucosal B cells and immunoglobulins of teleost fish. Chinese Science Bulletin. 2023, 15: 1869-1883. 

3. Yongyao Yu^#, Zhenyu Huang^#, Weiguang Kong^#, Fen Dong^#, Xiaoting Zhang, Xue Zhai, Gaofeng Cheng, Mengting Zhan, Jiafeng Cao, Liguo Ding, Guangkun Han, Fumio Takizawa, Yang Ding, J. Oriol Sunyer *, Zhen Xu*. Teleost swim bladder, an ancient air-filled organ that elicits mucosal immune responses. Cell Discovery. 2022, 8:31. 

4. Jiafeng Cao^#, Liguo Ding^#, Qingchao Wang^#, Guangkun Han, Dacheng Qin, Gaofeng Cheng, Zhaoran Dong, Qingjiang Mu, Weiguang Kong, Xia Liu, Yongyao Yu, Zhen Xu*. Conserved role of mTORC1 signaling in B cell immunity in teleost fish. Journal of Immunology. 2022, 209(6):1095-1107. 

5. Yongyao Yu^#, Liguo Ding^#, Zhenyu Huang^#, Haoyue Xu^#, Zhen Xu*. Commensal bacteria-immunity crosstalk shapes mucosal homeostasis in teleost fish. Reviews in Aquaculture. 2021, 13: 2322-2343. 

6. Xiaoting Zhang^#, Yongyao Yu^#, Haoyue Xu^#, Zhenyu Huang, Xia Liu, Jiafeng Cao, Kaifeng Meng, Zhengben Wu, Guangkun Han, Mengting Zhan, Liguo Ding, Weiguang Kong, Nan Li, Fumio Takizawa, J. Oriol Sunyer, Zhen Xu*. Prevailing role of mucosal Igs and B cells in teleost skin immune responses to bacterial infection. Journal of Immunology. 2021, 206 (5): 1088-1101. 

7. Zhen Xu^#, Fumio Takizawa^#, Elisa Casadei, Yasuhiro Shibasaki, Yang Ding, Thomas J. C. Sauters, Yongyao Yu, Irene Salinas*, J. Oriol Sunyer*. Specialization of mucosal immunoglobulins in pathogen control and microbiota homeostasis occurred early in vertebrate evolution. Science Immunology. 2020, 5(44): eaay3254. 

8. Yongyao Yu^#, Weiguang Kong^#, Haoyue Xu, Zhenyu Huang, Xiaoting Zhang, Liguo Ding, Shuai Dong, Guangmei Yin, Fen Dong, Wei Yu, Jiafeng Cao, Kaifeng Meng, Xia Liu, Yu Fu, Xuezhen Zhang, Yongan Zhang, J. Oriol Sunyer, Zhen Xu*. Convergent evolution of mucosal immune responses at the buccal cavity of teleost fish. iScience. 2019, 19: 821-835. 

9. Weiguang Kong^#, Yongyao Yu^#, Shuai Dong, Zhenyu Huang, Liguo Ding, Jiafeng Cao, Fen Dong, Xiaoting Zhang, Xia Liu, Haoyue Xu, Kaifeng Meng, Jianguo Su, Zhen Xu*. Pharyngeal immunity in early vertebrates provides functional and evolutionary insight into mucosal homeostasis. Journal of Immunology. 2019, 203(11): 3054-3067. 

10. Yongyao Yu^#, Weiguang Kong^#, Yaxing Yin, Fen Dong, Zhenyu Huang, Guangmei Yin, Shuai Dong, Irene Salinas, Yongan Zhang, Zhen Xu*. Mucosal immunoglobulins protect the olfactory organ of teleost fish against parasitic infection. PLOS Pathogens. 2018, 14(11): e1007251 

11. Zhen Xu, Fumio Takizawa, David Parra, Daniela Gomez, Louise von Gersdorff Jorgensen, Scott E. LaPatra, J. Oriol Sunyer*. Mucosal immunoglobulins at respiratory surfaces mark an ancient association that predates the emergence of tetrapods. Nature Communications. 2016, 7: 10728. 

12. Zhen Xu^#, David Parra^#, Daniela Gomez^#, Irene Salinas, Yong-an Zhang, Louise von Gersdorff Jorgensen, Rasmus Demuth Heinecke, Kurt Buchmann, Scott LaPatra, J. Oriol Sunyer*. Teleost skin, an ancient mucosal surface that elicits gut-like immune responses. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2013, 110(32): 13097-13102.