1. Research Areas  

Microbiology, genetics, cell biology and synthetic biology 

2. Research Interest  

Using model cyanobacteria to investigate the molecular mechanisms of cell growth, division and development; Using synthetic biology methods to understand the biosynthesis mechanism of cyanobacterial toxins, to develop the techniques to prevent harmful cyanobacterial bloom. 

3. Honors and Awards 

2014 Chevalier dans l’Ordre Académique, France 

2002 The National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, China 

2024

1)        Su-Juan Liu, Gui-Ming Lin, Yu-Qi Yuan, Wenli Chen, Ju-Yuan Zhang* and Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2024) A protein inhibitor brings under check the activity of RNase E in cyanobacteria. Nucl. Acids Res. 52:404-419.

2)         Ye-Jun Peng, Yuxing Chen, Cong-Zhao Zhou, Wei Miao, Yong-Liang Jiang*, Xiaoli Zeng* and Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2024) Modular catalytic activity of nonribosomal peptide synthetases depends on the dynamic interaction between adenylation and condensation domains. Structure. 32(1-13):e1-e4

2023

1)         Qin-Xue Sun, Min Huang, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Xiaoli Zeng*, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2023) Control of Cell Size by c-di-GMP Requires a Two-Component Signaling System in the Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120. Microbiology Spectrum. 10.1128

2)         Xiaoli Zeng, Min Huang, Qing-Xue Sun, Ye-Jun Peng, Xiaomei Xu, Yun-Bin Tang, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Yiling Yang, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2023) A c-di-GMP binding effector controls cell size in a cyanobacterium. PNAS. 120(13):e2221874120

3)         Zi-Qian Wang, Yiling Yang, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Xiaoli Zeng, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2023) Global translational control by the transcriptional repressor TrcR in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Communications Biology. 6:643

4)         Wei-Yue Xing, Jing Liu, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2023) HetF defines a transition point from commitment to morphogenesis during heterocyst differentiation in the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Molecular Microbiology. 00:740-753.

5)         Jing Liu, Wei-Yue Xing, Bowen Liu, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2023) Three-dimensional coordination of cell-division site positioning in a filamentous cyanobacterium. PNAS nexus. 10.1093

6)         Ziqian Wang, Suqin Wang, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Gui-Ming Lin, Nanqin Gan, Lirong Song, Xiaoli Zeng, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2023) Investigation on cyanobacterial production of the proposed neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). Water Biol. Security. P 100208.

2022 

1)         Wei-Yue Xing, Jing Liu, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Xiaoli Zeng, Cheng-Cai Zhang*. (2022) A proteolytic pathway coordinates cell division and heterocyst differentiation in the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120.PNAS. 119 (36) e2207963119 

2)         Xiaoli Zeng*, Cheng-Cai Zhang*. (2022) The making of a heterocyst in cyanobacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol. 76:597-618. 

3)         JuYuan Zhang, Wolfgang R. Hess*, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2022). “Life is short, and art is long”: RNA degradation in cyanobacteria and model bacteria. mLife. 00(00):1-19 

4)         Zi-Qian Wang, Cheng-CaiZhang*. (2022) A tRNA t6A modification system contributes to the sensitivity towards the toxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) in the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Aquatic Toxicology. 245: 106121 

5)         Ju-Yuan Zhang, Tian-Cai Niu, Gui-Ming Lin, Cheng-Cai Zhang. (2022). A CRISPR-Based Method for Constructing Conditional Mutations of Essential Genes in Cyanobacteria. Essential Genes and Genomes. Part of the Methods in Molecular Biology book series (MIMB, volume 2377). pp 143-157. 

2021  

1)         Wei-Yue Xing, Jing Liu, Zi-Qian Wang, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Xiaoli Zeng, Yiling Yang and Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2021) HetF protein is a new divisome component in a filamentous and developmental cyanobacterium. mBio. 12:e01382-21.  

2)         Li Wang, Tian-Cai Niu, Ana Valladares, Gui-Ming Lin, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Antonia Herrero*, Wenli Chen*, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2021) The developmental regulator PatD modulates assembly of the cell-division protein FtsZ in the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Environmental Microbiology. 23(8):4823-4837. 

3)         Jing Liu, Wei-Yue Xing, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Xiaoli Zeng, Yiling Yang and Cheng-Cai Zhang*. (2021) Functions of the Essential GenemraY in Cellular Morphogenesis and Development of the Filamentous Cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120. Frontiers in Microbiology. 12:765878. 

4)         Min Huang, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Xiaoli Zeng* and Cheng-Cai Zhang. (2021) c-di-GMP Homeostasis Is Critical for Heterocyst Development in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Frontiers in Microbiology. 12:793336  

2020   

1)         Zi-Qian Wang, Suqin Wang, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Gui-Ming Lin, Nanqin Gan , Lirong Song, Xiaoli Zeng* & Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2020). The proposed neurotoxin β-n-methylamino-l-alanine (bmaa) is taken up through amino-acid transport systems in the cyanobacterium anabaena pcc 7120. Toxins. 12(8): 518.  

2)         Xing, W. Y. , Xie, L. R. , Zeng, X. , Yang, Y. *, & Zhang, C. C. * (2020) Functional dissection of genes encoding dna polymerases based on conditional mutants in the heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium anabaena pcc 7120. Frontiers in Microbiology. 11:1108. 

2019   

1)         Li Wang, Tian-Cai Niu, Gui-Ming Lin, Shao-Ran Zhang, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Guo-Fang Tang, Wenli Chen*, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2019) patD, a gene regulated by NtcA, is involved in the optimization of heterocyst frequency in the cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120. J. Bacteriol. 201(21). pii: e00457-19.   

2)         Wei-Yue Xing, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2019) Preventing accidental heterocyst development in cyanobacteria. J. Bacteriol. 201 (17) e00349-19.  

3)         Tian-Cai Niu, Gui-Ming Lin, Li-Rui Xie, Zi-Qian Wang, Wei-Yue Xing, Ju-Yuan Zhang*, Cheng-Cai Zhang (2019) Expanding the potential of CRISPR-Cpf1 based genome editing technology in the cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120. ACS Synth. Biol. 8:170-180. 

2018   

1)         Cheng-Cai Zhang*, Cong-Zhao Zhou, Robert L. Burnap, Ling Peng (2018) Carbon/Nitrogen Metabolic Balance: Lessons from Cyanobacteria. Trends in Plant Sci. 23:1116-1130.  

2)         Hai-Lin Chen, Amel Latifi, Cheng-Cai Zhang and Christophe Sébastien Bernard* (2018) Biosensors-Based In Vivo Quantification of 2-Oxoglutarate in Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria. Life. 8:51.  

3)         Yali Wang, Yuan Gao, Chao Li, Hong Gao, Cheng-Cai Zhang and Xudong Xu* (2018) Three substrains of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 display divergence in genomic sequences and hetC function. J. Bacteriol. 200 (13):e00076-18.  

4)         Ju-Yuan Zhang, Gui-Min Lin, Wei-Yue Xin, Cheng-Cai Zhang* (2018) Diversity of the growth patterns probed in live cyanobacterial cells using a fluorescent analog of a peptidoglycan precursor. Front. Microbiol. 9:791.  

5)         Yong-Liang Jiang, Xue-Ping Wang, Hui Sun, Shu-Jing Han, Wei-Fang Li, Ning Cui, Gui-Ming Lin, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Wang Cheng, Dong-Dong Cao, Zhi-Yong Zhang, Cheng-Cai Zhang*, Yuxing Chen*, Cong-Zhao Zhou* (2018) Coordinating carbon and nitrogen metabolic signaling through the cyanobacterial global repressor NdhR. PNAS. 115:403-408.   

2017  

1)         Cheng, Y., Schorey, JS., Zhang, C-C., and Tan X. (2017) Protein kinase inhibitors as potential antimicrobial drugs against Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV. Curr. Pharm. Des. 23:4369-4389.    

2015   

1)         Hu, S.; Wang, J.; Wang, L.; Zhang, C.-C.; Chen, W. (2015) Dynamics and cell-type specificity of the DNA double-strand break repair protein RecN in the developmental cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. PLoS One.10(10):e0139362.  

2)         Fan Y, Lemeille, S., González, A., Risoul, V., Denis, Y., Richaud, P., Lamrabet, O., Fillat, M., Zhang, C.-C., Latifi A. (2015) The Pkn22 Ser/Thr kinase in Nostoc PCC 7120: role of FurA and NtcA regulators and transcript profiling under nitrogen starvation and oxidative stress. BMC Genomics. 16:557.  

3)         Hu, H-X., Jiang, Y-L., Zhao, M-X., Cai K., Liu, S., Wen, B., Lv, P., Zhang, Y., Peng, J., Yu, H.-M., Ren, Y.-M., Zhang, Z., Wu, Q., Oliveberg, M., Zhang, C.-C*., Chen, Y*., Zhou, C.Z.* (2015) Structural insights into HetR PatS interaction involved in cyanobacterial pattern formation. Sci. Rep. 5:16470.