PI: Prof. XU Zhen, PhD

Team Members:

Assistant Professor and Dr., KONG Weiguang

Senior Engineer and Dr., HUANG Yu

Assistant Researcher and Dr., ZHANG Huanyu

Senior Experimentalist, ZHANG Qianqian

Postdoctors: LI Zeyu, CHENG Gaofeng, XU Yang

Ph.D students: YANG peng, LI Yuqing, CAI Chang, DING Guangyi, WANG Xinyou, YAN Runkun, ZHANG Qiushi, WEN Yuqin

MSc students: LI Shun, MENG Yuan, ZHANG Yihan, HU Bing, NIU Luyao, WANG Shuo, YAN Mengxin

Projects Assistants: XIE Ziyu, ZHU Yuchao, HU Chao,

Visiting Students: HUO Yu, MENG Yuan, SUN Qingqing, HE Huan, LIU Yunni, WU Xiaoqian, SU Hang

Contact:

Tel: 86-27-68780203

E-mail: zhenxu@ihb.ac.cn

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、Science Bulletin、Cell Discovery、Nature Communications、PNAS、Microbiome、eLife, 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. The research group achieved a breakthrough in the construction of GCRV-II-sensitive cell lines and developed the first inactivated vaccine against grass carp GCRV-II, achieving an immune protection rate of 80% and a technology transfer value of RMB 80 million.

Selected publications (*Corresponding author, ^#Equal contribution)

1. Weiguang Kong^#, Peng Yang^#, Guangyi Ding^#, Baosheng Wu, Jianhua Zhao, Yong Shi, Chang Cai, Gaofeng Cheng, Zhen Xu^*. Gut-associated germinal center-like structures in teleosts reveal early origin of mucosal adaptive immunity. Science Bulletin, 2026, ISSN 2095-9273.

2. Peng Yang, Guangyi Ding, Gaofeng Cheng ,Xinyou Wang, Chang Cai, Qianqian Zhang, Ming Duan, Weiguang Kong, Zhen Xu^*. A non-neuronal mechanism of reovirus-induced behavioral abnormalities via targeting astrocytes in teleost fish. Science China Life Sciences, 2026, 2026-09-29.

3. Weiguang Kong, Peng Yang, Guangyi Ding, Chang Cai, Yong Shi, Gaofeng Cheng, Yang Ding, Zhen Xu^*. Ancestral germinal centers-like niches in teleost head kidney reveal early evolution of adaptive immunity. Fundamental Research, 2026, ISSN 2667-3258.

4. Weiguang Kong, Xinyou Wang, Guangyi Ding, Peng Yang, Yong Shi, Chang Cai, Xinyi Yang, Gaofeng Cheng, Fumio Takizawa, Zhen Xu^*. Newly discovered and conserved role of IgM against viral infection in an early vertebrate. eLife, 2025, 14:RP104465.

5. Gaofeng Cheng^#, Weiguang Kong^#, Ruiqi Lin, Zhihao Jiang, Xinyou Wang, Xueying Qin, Yong Shi, Peng Yang, Xiaoyun Chen, Lu Xia, Zhen Xu^*. Multi-omics analysis reveals that Bacillus spp. enhances mucosal antiviral immunity in teleost fish by mediating diglyceride production through lipid metabolism. Microbiome, 2025,13(1):123.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

Representative Patent

1. Xu Zhen; Kong Weiguang; Zhu Yuchao; Zhang Huanyu; Zhang Qiushi; Ding Guangyi. A Grass Carp Cerebrovascular Smooth Muscle Cell Line and Its Application. China, Invention Patent, ZL202610062377.2.

2. Xu Zhen; Cai Chang; Kong Weiguang; Huo Yu. Application of Tie1 as a Receptor for Grass Carp Reovirus Type II. China, Invention Patent, ZL 2026 1 0588483.4.

3. Xu Zhen; Kong Weiguang; Yuan Xinjie; Cheng Gaofeng. A Rabbit-Derived Recombinant Monoclonal Antibody Specifically Recognizing the VP4 Protein of Grass Carp Reovirus Type II, Its Eukaryotic Expression Method and Application. China, Invention Patent, ZL 2025 1 0468867.8.

4. Xu Zhen; Kong Weiguang; Yuan Xinjie; Cheng Gaofeng. A Recombinant Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody Specifically Recognizing the VP56 Protein of Grass Carp Reovirus Type II and Its Application. China, Invention Patent, ZL 2025 1 0780585.1.

5. Xu Zhen; Cheng Gaofeng; Kong Weiguang; Wang Xinyou. An Immunoenhancer for Aquatic Animals and Its Application. China, Invention Patent, ZL 2023 1 0530476.5.