Faculty
SELF-INTRODUCTION：
Membrane proteins play diverse and critical roles in living organisms, including metabolism, signaling, and transport. In human, membrane proteins represent the direct target for more than 50% approved drugs. During my PhD and postdoctoral research, I have been focusing on the structural and mechanistic investigation of physiologically and pathophysiologically important membrane proteins, including key regulators for cholesterol metabolism and the heteromeric amino acid transporters, one of which moonlights as the cellular receptor of SARS-CoV-2. I will continue investigating the working mechanism of critical membrane proteins involved in various diseases and tried the structure-based drug discovery.
WOKRING EXPERIENCE:
2024/12 – Present Associate Professor in Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Guangdong Province, China
2021/11 – 2024/11 Assistant Professor in Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Guangdong Province, China
2019/7 –2021/11 Postdoctoral fellow in the School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Zhejiang Province, China.
HONORS AND AWARDS:
2026 Early Career Researcher Speaker Award, Lorne Proteins 2026 (Australia)
2025 Recipient of the Advanced Individual in Recruitment Award, SUSTech
2024 ELSEVIER Most Cited Chinese Researchers
2024 Excellent Communist Party Member, Shenzhen Municipal Education Committee
2024 2023 Elsevier China High Citation Scholars (200 bioscholars were selected nationwide)
2023 Outstanding Communist Party Member of Southern University of Science and Technology, Committee of SUSTech, CPC
2023 2022 Elsevier China High Citation Scholars (200 bioscholars were selected nationwide)
2021 The First Prize of Natural Science Award of Zhejiang Province, People's Government of Zhejiang Province
2021 National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Outstanding Postdoctoral of the First National Postdoctoral Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest
2021 Outstanding Communist Party Member in Colleges and Universities of Zhejiang Province, Committee of Education Department of Zhejiang Province, CPC
2021 Major Advances in Chinese Medicine in 2020, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
2020 One of the 35 Innovators Under 35 of China in 2020, MIT Technology Review China
2020 One of the Ten Innovative Achievements for the National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents of China in 2020, the Post Doctoral Management Office
2020 The Second-class Funding of the 68th Batch of General Program of China Post-doctoral Science Foundation
2020 Major Advances in Chinese medicine in 2019, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
2020 Selected in the 2020 Post-doctoral Innovative Talent Support Program of China Post-doctoral Science Foundation
2020 Outstanding Communist Party Member in Hangzhou Education System in 2019, Committee of Hangzhou Education Bureau of CPC
2019 Distinguished PhD Graduate Award, Tsinghua University
2014 Future Researchers Scholarship for PhD, Tsinghua University
RESEARCH:
Studies on the key molecular mechanisms of various emerging infectious diseases and targeted drug development.
PUBLICATIONS：
1. Xi Zhang*, Ting Zhang*, Cang Wu*, Yuanzhu Gao*, Shuo Zhang*, Zhenglin xk星空官方网站, Linshan Zhong, Chenyu Xia, Liuqing Yang, Fengquan Dong†, Qing Shu6†, Yang Fu1†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2026). Structural basis for the conformational changes of insulin receptor induced by three different hormone ligand. Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors）
2. Haonan Yang*, Haojin Chen*, Wanyan Jiang, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2025). LRP1 Engages Rift Valley Fever Virus Glycoprotein Gn via a Calcium-Dependent Multivalent Electrostatic Mechanism. Biomolecules. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors）
3. Chang Ren*, Ziwei Hu*,Jin Chen, Jiangnan Zheng, Tairan Zhong, Runze xk星空官方网站, Ruijun Tian, Renhong xk星空官方网站†, Liwei Cao†. (2025). Site-specific glycosylation analysis of spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants. Oral Science and Homeostatic Medicine. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors）
4. Ziwei Hu*, Yongjie SunKang*, Zhiheng Liu, Lihong Huang†, Wenbao Qi†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2025). Structural basis for DNA replication by the African Swine Fever Virus polymerase.iScience. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors）
5. Wenting xk星空官方网站*, Songyue Wu*, Qi Gui, Congcong Liu*, Bing Zhou, Hu Yan , Yuehong Sun, Qing Fan, Yuzheng Zhou, Huimin Guo, Shilong Tang, Xiangyang Ge, Bin Ju†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†, Zheng xk星空官方网站†. (2025). Structure and function of a pair of non-competing monoclonal antibodies against Langya henipavirus attachment glycoprotein. Cell Reports. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors）
6. Ting xk星空官方网站*, Qian Zeng*, Chenye Xu, Hao Liang, Shuo xk星空官方网站†, Zilong Wang†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2025). Structural basis of aromatic amino acid recognition by the human ACE2-B0AT1 transporter complex. Oral Science and Homeostatic Medicine. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors）
7. Jing Dong*, Tianhao Shi*, Bingbiao Lin, Xuetong Liu, Waner Wei, Zichi Geng, Mingcheng Liu, Renhong xk星空官方网站†, Jin-Tang Dong†. (2025). Oncogenic role of the SLC7A13-SLC3A1 cystine transporter in human luminal breast cancer and its cryo-EM structure. Protein & Cell. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors)
8. Bin Ju*†, Congcong Liu*, Jingjing zhang*, Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Haonan Yang*, Bing Zhou, Baoying Huang, Jianrong Ma, Jiahan Lu, Lin Cheng, Zhe Cong, Lin Zhu, Tianhao Shi, Yuehong Sun, Na xk星空官方网站, Ting Chen, Miao Wang, Shilong Tang, Xiangyang Ge, Juanjuan zhao, Wen-Jie Tan†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†, Jing Xue†, Zheng xk星空官方网站†. (2025). Structurally conserved human anti-A35 antibodies protect mice and macaques from mpox virus infection. Cell. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors）
9. Haonan Yang*, Tianhao Shi*, Jing Dong*, Ting Zhang*, Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Yingying Guo, Yafei Yuan†, Liuqing Yang†, Jintang Dong†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2025). Structural insights into the substrate transport mechanism of the amino acid transporter complex. Journal of Biological Chemistry. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors）
10. Lu Dai*, Qian Zeng*, Ting Zhang*, Yuanyuan Zhang, Yi Shi, Yaning xk星空官方网站, Jing Huang†, Zilong Wang†, Qiang Zhou†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2025). Structural basis for the substrate recognition and transport mechanism of the human y+ LAT1-4F2hc transporter complex. Science Advances. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors)
11. Yingying Guo*†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2024). A structural snapshot of the multiple working states of the Mpox virus helicase–primase D5. The FEBS Journal. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors)
12. Haonan Yang*, Huimin Guo*, Aojie Wang*, Liwei Cao*, Qing Fan, Jie Jiang, Miao Wang, Lin Lin, Xiangyang Ge, Haiyan Wang, Runze xk星空官方网站, Ming Liao†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†, Bin Ju† & Zheng xk星空官方网站†. (2024). Structural basis for the evolution and antibody evasion of SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 and JN.1 subvariants. Nature Communications. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors)
13. Junyang Xu*, Ziwei Hu*, xk星空官方网站 Dai*, Aditya Yadav*, Yashan Jiang*, Angelika Bröer, Michael G Gardiner, Malcolm McLeod, Renhong xk星空官方网站†, Stefan Bröer†. (2024). Molecular basis of inhibition of the amino acid transporter B0AT1 (SLC6A19). Nature Communications. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors)
14. Angelika Broer*, Ziwei Hu*, Jedrzej Kukutowicz*, Aditya Yadav, Ting xk星空官方网站, Lu Dai, Renhong xk星空官方网站†, Stefan Broer†. (2024). Cryo-EM structure of ACE2-SIT1 incomplex with Tiagabine. Journal of Biological Chemistry. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors )
15. Ziwei Hu*, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2024). Structural basis for the inhibition mechanism of LAT1-4F2hc complex by JPH203. Cell Discovery. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors )
16. Yaning xk星空官方网站*,Yingying Guo*,Angelika Bröer*,Lu Dai*,Stefan Bröer†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2024). Cryo-EM structure of the human Asc-1 transporter complex. Nature Communications.(* indicates co-first authors; † indicates co-corresponding authors)
17. Yaping Shen*, Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2024). Structural basis for the inhibition mechanism of the DNA polymerase holoenzyme from mpox virus. Structure.(* indicates co-first authors; † indicates co-corresponding authors)
18. Ximin Chi*, Yiming Chen*, Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Lu Dai*, Yuanyuan Zhang, Yaping Shen, Yun Chen, Tianhao Shi, Haonan Yan, Zilong Wang†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2024). Cryo-EM structures of the human NaS1 and NaDC1 transporters revealed the elevator transport and allosteric regulation mechanism. Science Advances. (* indicates co-first authors; † indicates co-corresponding authors)
19. Yingying Guo*†; Songyue Wu*; Wenting xk星空官方网站*; Haonan Yang*; Tianhao Shi; Bin Ju†; Zheng Zhang†; Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2024). The cryo-EM structure of homotetrameric attachment glycoprotein from langya henipavirus. Nature Communications. (* indicates co-first authors, †indicates co-corresponding authors )
20. Yaning xk星空官方网站*；Jing Zhu*；Yingying Guo†；Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2024). Structural insight into the assembly and working mechanism of helicase-primase D5 from Mpox Virus. Natural Structural & Molecular Biology. (* indicates co-first authors, †indicates co-corresponding authors )
21. Yaning xk星空官方网站*,Chang Ren*, Yaping Shen*, Yuanyuan Zhang*, Jin Chen, Jiangnan Zheng, Rujun Tian, Liwei Cao†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. ( 2023). Cryo-EM structures of SARS-CoV-2 BA.2-derived subvariants spike in complex with ACE2 recepter. Cell Discovery. (* indicates co-first authors, † indicates co-corresponding authors )
22. Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Yiming Chen*, Yuanyuan Zhang*, Yaping Shen*, Kangtai Xu, Yaqi Liu, ZilongWang†, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2023). Structural insight into the substrate recognition and transport mechanism of amino acid transporter complex ACE2-B0AT1 and ACE2-SIT1. Cell Discovery. (* indicates co-first authors, †indicates co-corresponding authors )
23. Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Yaping Shen*, Yuanyuan Zhang*, Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2023). Structural Basis for the Enhanced Infectivity and Immune Evasion of Omicron Subvariants. Viruses 2023, 15(6). (* indicates co-first authors, †indicates co-corresponding authors )
24. Renhong xk星空官方网站*†, Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Yaping Shen*, Ziwei Hu*. (2023). Structural basis for the assembly of the DNA polymerase holoenzyme from a monkeypox virus variant. Science Advances. (* indicates co-first authors, †indicates co-corresponding authors )
25. Yaping Shen*, Jianhui Wang*, Yaning xk星空官方网站* , Yuanyuan Zhang* , Ruilin Tian† , Renhong xk星空官方网站†. (2022). Structures of ACE2–SIT1 recognized by Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2. Cell Discovery8. (* indicates co-first authors, †indicates co-corresponding authors )
26. Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Qing Fan*, Bing Zhou*, Yaping Shen*, Yuanyuan Zhang*, Lin Cheng*, Furong Qi*, Shuo Song*, Yingying Guo*,Renhong xk星空官方网站†, Bin Ju†, Zheng xk星空官方网站†. (2022). Structural and functional analysis of an inter-Spike bivalent neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2 variants. iScience 25(6): 104431. (* indicates co-first authors; † indicates co-corresponding authors)
27. Yuanyuan xk星空官方网站* , Renhong xk星空官方网站†, Qiang xk星空官方网站†. (2022). ACE2, B(0)AT1, and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein: Structural and functional implications. Curr Opin Struct Biol 74: 102388. (* indicates co-first authors; † indicates co-corresponding authors)
28. Yingying Guo*, Yuanyuan xk星空官方网站*, Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Bangdong Huang, Fangfei Ye, Liushu Wu, Ximin Chi, Yi Shi, Qiang xk星空官方网站†. (2022). Cryo-EM structures of recombinant human sodium-potassium pump determined in three different states. Nature Communications13. (* indicates co-first authors; † indicates co-corresponding authors)
29. Yingying Guo*, Yuanyuan xk星空官方网站*, Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Bangdong Huang, Fangfei Ye, Liushu Wu, Ximin Chi, Qiang xk星空官方网站†. (2021). Cryo-EM structures of the human sodium-potassium pump revealing the gating mechanism on the cytopiasmic side. Nature Communications. (* indicates co-first authors; † indicates co-corresponding authors)
30. RenhongYan*†, Pingping Cao*, Wenqi Song*, Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Tongtong Wang, Hongwu Qian, Chuangye Yan†, Nieng xk星空官方网站†. (2021). Structural basis for sterol sensing by Scap and Insig. Cell Reports. (* indicates co-first authors; † indicates co-corresponding authors)
31. Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Pingping Cao*, Wenqi Song*, Hongwu Qian, Ximing Du, Hudson W. Coates, Xin Zhao, Yaning xk星空官方网站, Shuai Gao, Xin Gong, Ximing Liu, Jianhua Sui, Jianlin Lei, Hongyuan Yang, Andrew J. Brown, Qiang Zhou, Chuangye Yan, Nieng Yan (2021). A structure of human Scap bound to Insig-2 suggests how their interaction is regulated by sterols. Science. (*indicates co-first authors)
32. Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Yaning xk星空官方网站*,Jennifer Müller*, Yuanyuan Zhang*, Simon Singer, Lu Xia, Xinyue Zhong, Jürg Gertsch, Karl-Heinz Altmann, Qiang Zhou. (2021). Mechanism of substrate transport and inhibition of the human LAT1-4F2hc amino acid transporter. Cell Discovery. (* indicates co-first authors)
33. Liang Guo*, Wenwen Bi*, Xinling Wang*, Wei Xu*, Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Yuanyuan Zhang*, Kai Zhao, Yaning xk星空官方网站, Mingfeng Zhang, Xia Cai, Shibo Jiang, Youhua Xie, Qiang Zhou, Lu Lu, Bobo Dang.(2021). Engineered trimeric ACE2 binds viral spike protein and locks it in "Three-up" conformation to potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cell Research31, 98-100. (* indicates co-first authors)
34. Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Ruoke Wang*, Bin Ju*, Jinfang Yu*, Yuanyuan Zhang*, Nan Liu*, Jia Wang, Qi Zhang, Peng Chen, Bing Zhou, Yaning xk星空官方网站, YapingShen, Shuyuan Zhang, Long Tian, Yingying Guo, Lu Xia, Xinyue Zhong, Lin Cheng, Xiangyang Ge, Juanjuan Zhao, Hong-Wei Wang, Xinquan Wang, Zheng Zhang†, Linqi Zhang†, and Qiang Zhou†. (2021) Structural basis for bivalent binding and inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection by human potent neutralizing antibodies. Cell Research. (* indicates co-first authors; † indicates co-corresponding authors)
35. Renhong xk星空官方网站*†, Yuanyuan Zhang*, Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Fangfei Ye, Yingying Guo, Lu Xia, Xinyue Zhong, Ximin Chi, and Qiang Zhou†. (2021) Structural basis for the different states of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in complex with ACE2. Cell Research. (*indicates co-first authors; † indicates co-corresponding authors)
36. Yuning Chen*, Yanan xk星空官方网站*, Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Guifeng Wang, Yuanyuan Zhang, Zhe-Rui Zhang, Yaning xk星空官方网站, Jianxia Ou, Wendi Chu, Zhijuan Liang, Yongmei Wang, Yi-xk星空官方网站 Chen, Ganjun Chen, Qi Wang, Qiang Zhou†, Bo Zhang†, and Chunhe Wang†(2021). ACE2-targeting monoclonal antibody as potent and broad-spectrum coronavirus blocker. Signal Transduct Tar 6, 315. (* indicates co-first authors)
37. Renhong xk星空官方网站, Yuanyuan Zhang, Yaning xk星空官方网站, Lu Xia, Yingying Guo, Qiang Zhou (2020). Structural basis for the recognition of SARS-CoV-2 by full-length human ACE2. Science367, 1444-1448. (First xk星空官方网站)
38. Xiangyang Chi*, Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Jun Zhang*, Guanying Zhang, Yuanyuan Zhang, Meng Hao, Zhe Zhang, Pengfei Fan, Yunzhu Dong, Yilong Yang. Zhengshan Chen, Yingying Guo, Jinlong Zhang, Yaning xk星空官方网站, Xiaohong Song, Yi Chen, Lu Xia, Ling Fu, Lihua Hou, Junjie Xu, Changming Yu, Jianmin xk星空官方网站, Qiang Zhou, Wei Chen (2020). A neutralizing human antibody binds to the N-terminal domain of the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Science369, 650-655. (* indicates co-first authors)
39. Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Yi Shi*, Jiayao Zhou, Jianlin Lei, Jing Huang, Qiang Zhou (2020). Cryo-EM structure of the human heteromeric amino acid transporter b0,+AT-rBAT. Science Advances6, eaay6379. (* indicates co-first authors)
40. Hongwu Qian*, Xin Zhao*, Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Xia Yao, Shuai Gao, Xue Sun, Ximing Du,Hongyuan Yang, Catherine C. L. Wong, Nieng xk星空官方网站. (2020). Structural basis for catalysis and substrate specificity of human ACAT1.Nature 581, 333-338. (* indicates co-first authors)
41. Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Jiayao Zhou*, Yaning xk星空官方网站*, Jianlin Lei, Qiang Zhou. (2020). Structural insight into the substrate recognition and transport mechanism of the human LAT2-4F2hc complex. Cell Discovery6. (* indicates co-first authors)
42. Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Xin Zhao*, Jianlin Lei, Qiang xk星空官方网站. (2019). Structure of the human LAT1-4F2hc heteromeric amino acid transporter complex. Nature568, 127-130. (* indicates co-first authors)
43. Renhong xk星空官方网站*, Hongwu Qian*, Ivan Lukmantara, Mingming Gao,Ximing Du, Nieng xk星空官方网站, Hongyuan Yang. (2018). Human SEIPIN Binds Anionic Phospholipids. Dev Cell47, 248-256 e244. (* indicates co-first authors)