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Name:
 ZHU Shunyi
Subject:
 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Tel/Fax:
 +86-10-64807112  / 
E-mail:
 zhusy@ioz.ac.cn
Address:
 The State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P.R.China
More:
 Group of Peptide Biology Evolution      
Resume:

Dr. Zhu received his Ph.D. degree in Department of Biotechnology of Wuhan University, China, and then went to work in Prof. Jan Tytgat's Laboratory of Toxicology, Leuven University, Belgium, as a postdoctoral fellow. He came back to China in 2004 as a scholar of 'Bairen plan' of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). His current research interests focus on biology and evolution of bioactive peptides involved in animal immunity and defense. Dr. Zhu is the reviewers of some international journals including Gene, Protein Sci, Genetica, Genomics, IUBMB-Life, Chin Sci Bull, Peptides, Comp Biochem Phys, Process Biochem, Protein & Peptide Lett, Science in China, Recent Patents on DNA & Gene Sequences. He is also the members of Editorial Board of two international journals (Bioinformatics & Biology Insights and The Open Toxinology Journal). Dr. Zhu has published more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Research Interests:

Awards and Honors:

Professional Activities:

Research Grants:
  • The Bairen Plan from the Chinese Academy of Sciences 
  • Probing the Functional Site of Spatzle, a Key Component of Drosophila Toll Signaling Pathway (The National Natural Science Foundation of China, 30570381) 
  • Computational Genomics-Based Approaches to the Research of Antimicrobial Peptides from Three Model Insects (The National Natural Science Foundation of China, 90608009) 
  • Plant--Phytophagous Insect--Parasitoid Interactions: Evolutionary Consequence: Molecular Mechanism of Immunity and Immune Inhibition between Host Insects and Parasitoids (The National Natural Science Foundation of China, 30621003) 
  • Laboratory Simulation of the Origin of Animal Neurotoxins (The National Natural Science Foundation of China, 30730015) 
  • Elucidation of Drug Leads Present in the Venom of the Scorpion Mesobuthus eupeus for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain (Bilateral Cooperation for the 16th session of the Sino-Belgian S&T Mixed Commission) 
  • The 973 Program from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2010CB945304)

Selected Publications:
  1. Gao B, Zhu S* (2024) The evolutionary novelty of insect defensins: from bacterial killing to toxin neutralization. Cell Mol Life Sci 81:230.
  2. Gao B, Li P, Zhu S* (2024) Single deletion unmasks hidden anti-Gram-negative bacterial activity of an insect defensin-derived peptide. J Med Chem 67:2512–2528.
  3. Gao B, Zhu S* (2023) Enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain activity by two microbial defensins. Front Microbiol 14:1195156.
  4. Gao B, Zhu S* (2023) Mutation-driven parallel evolution in emergence of ACE2-utilizing sarbecoviruses. Front Microbiol 14:1118025.
  5. Gu J, Isozumi N, Gao B, Ohki S, Zhu S* (2022) Mutation-driven evolution of antibacterial function in an ancestral antifungal scaffold: Significance for peptide engineering. Front Microbiol 13:1053078.
  6. Qi S, Gao B, Zhu S* (2022) A Fungal Defensin Inhibiting Bacterial Cell-Wall Biosynthesis with Non-Hemolysis and Serum Stability. J Fungi 8:174.
  7. Zhu S*, Gao B, Umetsu Y, Peigneur S, Li P, Ohki S, Tytgat J (2022) Adaptively evolved human oral actinomyces-sourced defensins showtherapeutic potential. EMBO Mol Med 14:e14499.
  8. Gu J, Isozumi N, Yuan S, Jin L, Gao B, Ohki S, Zhu S* (2021) Evolution-based protein engineering for antifungal peptide improvement. Mol Biol Evol 38: 5175–5189.
  9. Gao B, Zhu S* (2021) A fungal defensin targets the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain. J Fungi 7:553.
  10. Qi S, Gao B, Zhu S*(2021) Molecular diversity and evolution of antimicrobial peptides inMusca domestica. Diversity 13:107.
  11. Zhang S, Gao B, Zhu S* (2015) Independent origins of scorpion toxins affecting potassium and sodium channels. Evolution of Venomous Animals and Their Toxins. DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-6727-0_12-1. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
  12. Wang X, Umetsu Y, Gao B, Ohki S, Zhu S* (2015) Mesomartoxin, a new Kv1.2-selective scorpion toxin interacting with the channel selectivity filter. Biochem Pharmacol 93:232-239.
  13. Zhu S*, Peigneur S, Gao B,Umetsu Y, Ohki S, Jan Tytgat (2014) Experimental conversion of a defensin into a neurotoxin: Implications for origin of toxic function. Mol Biol Evol 31:546-559.
  14. Zhu S*, Gao B (2014) Nematode-derived drosomycin-type antifungal peptides provide evidence for plant-to-ecdysozoan horizontal transfer of a disease resistance gene. Nat Commun 4:3154.
  15. Gao B，Zhu S* (2014) An insect defensin-derived β-hairpin peptide with enhanced antibacterial activity. ACS Chem Biol 9:405-413.
  16. Zhu S*, Gao B, Harvey P, Craik D (2012) Dermatophytic defensin with antiinfective potential. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109:8495-8500.
  17. Zhu S*, Peigneur S, Gao B, Lu X, Cao C, Tytgat J (2012) Evolutionary diversification of Mesobuthus α-scorpion toxins affecting sodium channels. Mol Cell Proteomics 11(1):M111.012054.
  18. Zhu S*, Aumelas A, Gao B (2011) Convergent evolution-guided design of antimicrobial peptides derived from influenza A virus hemagglutinin. J Med Chem 54:1091-1095.
  19. Zhu S*, Peigneur S, Gao B, Luo L, Jin D, Zhao Y, Tytgat J (2011) Molecular diversity and functional evolution of scorpion potassium channel toxins. Mol Cell Proteomics 10(2):M110.002832.
  20. Gao B, Sherman P, Luo L, Bowie J, Zhu S* (2009) Structural and functional characterization of two genetically related meucin peptides highlights evolutionary divergence and convergence in antimicrobial peptides. FASEB J 23:1230-1245.
  21. Zhu S*, Gao B (2009) A fossil antibacterial peptide gives clues to structural diversity of cathelicidin-derived host defense peptides. FASEB J 23:13-20.
  22. Zhu S* (2008) Did cathelicidins, a family of multifunctional host-defense peptides, arise from a cysteine protease inhibitor? Trends Microbiol 16:353-360.
  23. Zhu S, Tytgat J (2004) Evolutionary epitopes of Hsp90 and p23: implications for their interaction. FASEB J 18:940-947.
  24. Zhu S, Darbon H, Dyason K, Verdonck F, Tytgat J (2003) Evolutionary origin of inhibitor cystine knot peptides. FASEB J 17:1765-1767.
  25. Xu C, Zhu S, Chi C, Tytgat J (2003) Turret and pore block of K+ channels: what is the difference? Trends Pharmacol Sci 24:446-448.