Dr. Zhenlin Yang received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, under the supervision of Professor Jiamu Du. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Professor Eva Nogales at the University of California, Berkeley and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), where he worked on cutting-edge projects related to eukaryotic transcription regulation and chromatin modification. In June 2025, he joined the Department of Biochemistry at the School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), as an Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator. Dr. Yang’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms governing chromatin structure and function, particularly in the context of gene regulation and cell fate determination. By integrating molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, and genomics, his work has elucidated the functions of several key regulatory factors. He has published multiple high-impact studies as first or corresponding author in leading journals such as Science, Cell, Nature Genetics, and The Plant Cell. His contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the Special Prize of the President Award and the Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

RESEARCH:

The Yang lab investigates chromatin regulatory mechanisms that influence cell fate decisions and disease development. Research interests include epigenetic modifications and chromatin state transitions, the structure and function of chromatin-associated protein complexes, and the roles of epigenetic regulators in major human diseases such as cancer. By combining in vitro biochemical reconstitution with in vivo functional validation, the lab aims to uncover the molecular basis of chromatin regulation and provide mechanistic insights for targeted disease interventions.

EDUCATION:

2013/09–2018/06 Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2009/09–2013/06 B.S. in Biology, Northwest A&F University

WOKRING EXPERIENCE:

2020/11–2025/05 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley
2020/02–2020/10 Research Assistant, Southern University of Science and Technology
2018/07–2020/01 Postdoctoral Fellow, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences              

HONORS AND AWARDS:

2019 Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2018 Special Prize of the President Award, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2018 Outstanding Graduate, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2018 Outstanding Graduate in Beijing

PUBLICATIONS：

(# Equal Contribution, †Corresponding)

1. Z. Yang*, A. Mameri*, C. Cattoglio, C. Lachance, A. J. Florez Ariza, J. Luo, J. Humbert, D. Sudarshan, A. Banerjea, M. Galloy, A. Fradet-Turcotte, J.-P. Lambert, J. A. Ranish, J. Côté, E†. Nogales†, Structural insights into the human NuA4/TIP60 acetyltransferase and chromatin remodeling complex. Science (2024). Vol 385, Issue 6711, DOI: 10.1126/science.adl5816

2. F. Liu*, Z. Yang*†, C. Wang, Z. You, R. Martin, W. Qiao, J. Huang, P. Jacob, J. L. Dangl, J. E. Carette, S. Luan, E. Nogales, B. J. Staskawicz†, Activation of the helper NRC4 immune receptor forms a hexameric resistosome. Cell (2024). 187, 4877-4889.e15

3. Z. Yang*, S. Qian*, R. N. Scheid, L. Lu, X. Chen, R. Liu, X. Du, X. Lv, M. D. Boersma, M. Scalf, L. M. Smith, J. M. Denu, J. Du†, X. Zhong†, EBS is a bivalent histone reader that regulates floral phase transition in Arabidopsis. Nat Genet (2018) 50, 1247–1253.

4. Z. Yang*, Q. Qiu, W. Chen, B. Jia, X. Chen, H. Hu, K. He, X. Deng, S. Li, W. A. Tao, X. Cao†, J. Du†, Structure of the Arabidopsis JMJ14-H3K4me3 Complex Provides Insight into the Substrate Specificity of KDM5 Subfamily Histone Demethylases. The Plant Cell (2018). 30, 167–177

5. X. Du*, Z. Yang*, A. J. F. Ariza, Q. Wang, G. Xie, S. Li, J. Du†, Structure of plant RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE 2, an enzyme involved in small interfering RNA production. The Plant Cell (2022). 34, 2140–2149

6. Q. Wang*, Y. Xue*, L. Zhang*, Z. Zhong, S. Feng, C. Wang, L. Xiao, Z. Yang, C. J. Harris, Z. Wu, J. Zhai, M. Yang, S. Li, S. E. Jacobsen†, J. Du†, Mechanism of siRNA production by a plant Dicer-RNA complex in dicing-competent conformation. Science (2021). 374, 1152–1157

7. C. Zhang*, X. Du*, K. Tang*, Z. Yang, L. Pan, P. Zhu, J. Luo, Y. Jiang, H. Zhang, H. Wan, X. Wang, F. Wu, W. A. Tao, X.-J. He, H. Zhang, R. A. Bressan, J. Du†, J.-K. Zhu†, Arabidopsis AGDP1 links H3K9me2 to DNA methylation in heterochromatin. Nat Commun (2018). 9, 4547

8. S. Qian*, X. Lv*, R. N. Scheid*, L. Lu, Z. Yang, W. Chen, R. Liu, M. D. Boersma, J. M. Denu, X. Zhong†, J. Du†, Dual recognition of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 by a plant histone reader SHL. Nat Commun (2018). 9, 2425

9. S. Zheng*, H. Hu*, H. Ren, Z. Yang, Q. Qiu, W. Qi, X. Liu, X. Chen, X. Cui, S. Li, B. Zhou, D. Sun†, X. Cao†, J. Du†, The Arabidopsis H3K27me3 demethylase JUMONJI 13 is a temperature and photoperiod dependent flowering repressor. Nat Commun (2019). 10, 1303

10. S. Li*, Z. Yang, X. Du, R. Liu, A. W. Wilkinson, O. Gozani, S. E. Jacobsen, D. J. Patel, J. Du†, Structural Basis for the Unique Multivalent Readout of Unmodified H3 Tail by Arabidopsis ORC1b BAH-PHD Cassette. Structure (2016). 24, 486–494