YONG ZHANG

CV

Education & Working background

• 2019- now, Tenure Track Assistant Professor, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

• 2016- 2018, Marie-Curie Research Fellow (N^o 707138), Centre of Bacterial Stress Response and Persistence (BASP), University of Copenhagen, Denmark

• 2014-2016, Research Associate & Visiting Researcher with EMBO Long Term fellowship (721-2013, 2014-2015), Centre of Molecular Bacteriology and Infection (CMBI), Imperial College London, UK

• 2008-2011, Ph.D. program at University of Aix-Marseille II & CNRS, France/ Awardee of China Scholarship Council fellowship (#2008622014)

• 2006-2012, Master-PhD continuous study program in Microbiology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, PR China

• 2002-2006, Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, Shandong University, PR China

Current research

Chronic and recurrent infections are often caused by multidrug tolerant bacteria, also called persisters, which cause a global healthcare crisis to be addressed urgently. The bacterial “alarmone” molecule (p)ppGpp has been shown to play central roles in persister cell formation. Deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms is anticipated to provide valuable insights which could be exploited to counteract persistent bacterial cells. However, the exact mechanisms operating remain largely unknown. We recently used the systems biology tool, DRaCALA, and identified one third more novel (p)ppGpp binding proteins in E. coli (1). Subsequent study (2) of one target protein PpnN deciphered a delicate molecular mechanism that  E. coli, and probably many other bacteria, use to balance bacterial proliferation and persistence. Studies of other identified (p)ppGpp target proteins are undergoing. For further details, visit our webpage.

We are looking for ambitious PhD and Post-Doc candidates in the fields of Microbial Stress Response, enzymology and antibiotic tolerance (persistence). Please refer to our Google homepage above and/or contact Yong directly ([email protected]), and include in the inquiry a motivation letter, short CV.

We are also willing to accept CSC PhD students in 2020. Inquiries are welcome.

1. Yong Zhang*, Eva Zborníková, Dominik Rejman and Kenn Gerdes*. 2018. Novel (p)ppGpp binding and metabolizing proteins of Escherichia coli. mBio 9:e02188-17. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02188-17. (*co-corresponding)

2. Zhang E. Yong#*, Bærentsen L Rene#, Tobias Fuhrer, Uwe Sauer, Kenn Gerdes, Brodersen E. Ditlev*. (p)ppGpp regulates a bacterial nucleosidase by an allosteric two-domain switch. Mol Cell (2019). 74(6):1239-1249.e4 (*co-corresponding author; # equal contribution)