Publications

Wu J, Li H, Lovato AR, Symasek A, Lin Z, Zheng Q*. Regioselective rapid ene-type reaction (RRER) enables bioconjugation of histone serotonylation. RSC Chem. Biol., 2025, 6, 1278-1283.

Lovato AR, Lin Z, Zheng Q*. Biocompatible chemistry: A plug-and-play toolbox for chemical biology research. ChemBioChem, 2025, under review.

Ritsema Y, Li H, Zheng Q*. Protein ligases: Nature's gift for protein/peptide synthesis. BioChem, 2025, 5, 11. (Featured in: Aureliano M, Ma B. Feature Papers in BioChem. BioChem, 2025, 5, 17.)

Li H, Leaman AA, Zheng Q*. The cancer microbiome. Adv. Clin. Chem., 2025, 127, 1-61. (Highlighted as the Book Cover)

Zheng Q, Weekley BH, Vinson DA, Zhao S, Bastle RM, Thompson RE, Stransky S, Ramakrishnan A, Cunningham AM, Dutta S, Chan JC, Di Salvo G, Chen M, Zhang N, Wu J, Fulton SL, Kong L, Wang H, Zhang B, Vostal L, Upad A, Dierdorff L, Shen L, Molina H, Sidoli S, Muir TW, Li H, David Y, Maze I. Bidirectional histone monoaminylation dynamics regulate neural rhythmicity. Nature, 2025, 637, 974-982. (Highlighted in: Sardar D, Kutateladze TG. Circadian rhythms are set by epigenetic marks in neurons. Nature, 2025, 637, 795-796.)

Zhang N, Wu J, Hossain F, Peng H, Li H, Gibson C, Chen M, Zhang H, Gao S, Zheng X, Wang Y, Zhu J, Wang JJ, Maze I, Zheng Q*. Bioorthogonal labeling and enrichment of histone monoaminylation reveal its accumulation and regulatory function in cancer cell chromatin. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 24, 16714-16720.

Zhang N, Gao S, Peng H, Wu J, Li H, Gibson C, Wu S, Zhu J, Zheng Q*. Chemical proteomic profiling of protein dopaminylation in colorectal cancer cells. J. Proteome Res., 2024, 23, 2651-2660.

Zhang N, Wu J, Gao S, Peng H, Li H, Gibson C, Wu S, Zhu J, Zheng Q*. pH-Controlled chemoselective rapid azo-coupling reaction (CRACR) enables global profiling of serotonylation proteome in cancer cells. J. Proteome Res., 2024, 23, 4457-4466.

Wu J, Li H, Zhang N, Zheng Q*. Micelle-containing hydrogels and their applications in biomedical research. Gels, 2024, 10, 471.

Zhang N, Wu J, Zheng Q*. Chemical proteomics approaches for protein post-translational modification studies. Biochim. Biophys. Acta Proteins Proteom., 2024, 1872, 141017. (Part of the Special Issue of BBA Proteins and Proteomics Rising Star Award).

Pihl R, Zheng Q*, David Y*. Nature inspired protein ligation and its applications. Nat. Rev. Chem., 2023, 7, 234-255. (Highlighted as the Cover Story) 

Zhou X, Zhang N, Kandalai S, Hossain F, Zhang S, Zhu J, Zhang J, Cui J, Zheng Q*. Dynamic and wearable electro-responsive hydrogel with robust mechanical properties for drug release. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces., 2023, 15, 17113-17122. 

Zhou X, Kandalai S, Hossain F, Nan Zhang, Huapeng Li, Zheng Q*. pH-Responsive and recyclable hydrogels for gas releasing and scavenging. Macromol. Rapid Commun., 2023, 44, e2300008.

Sun ME, Zheng Q*. The tale of DJ-1 (PARK7): A Swiss army knife in biomedical and psychological research. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2023, 24, 7409. (Part of the Special Issue of Novel Molecular Mechanisms and Innovative Therapeutic Approaches for Age-Associated Diseases)

Kandalai S, Li H, Zhang N, Peng H, Zheng Q*. The human microbiome and cancer: A diagnostic and therapeutic perspective. Cancer Biol. Ther., 2023, 24, 2240084.

Scumaci D, Zheng Q*. Epigenetic meets metabolism: Novel vulnerabilities to fight cancer. Cell Commun. Signal., 2023, 21, 249. 

Zhang N, Kandalai S, Zhou X, Hossain F, Zheng Q*. Applying multi-omics toward tumor microbiome research. iMeta, 2023, 2, e73. (Selected as the Best Review of iMeta in 2023)

Ray DM, Jennings EQ, Maksimovic I, Chai X, Galligan JJ, David Y, Zheng Q*. Chemical labeling and enrichment of histone glyoxal adducts. ACS Chem. Biol., 2022, 17, 756-761. (Part of the Special Issue of Epigenetics 2022)

Cai M, Kandalai S, Tang X, Zheng Q*. Contributions of human-associated archaeal metabolites to tumor microenvironment and carcinogenesis. Microbiol. Spectr., 2022, 10, e0236721.

Zhou X, Zhang N, Hossain F, Kandalai S, Haiyan Tian, Zheng Q*. Biosynthesis of D/L-lactate from methylglyoxal. Tetrahedron, 2022, 127, 133087. (Part of the Special Issue of Frontiers in Biosynthesis)

Ye G, Huang W, Chen Z, Zhong H, Zhong J, Guo X, Huang Y, Kandalai S, Zhou X, Zhang N, Zhou Y, Zheng Q*, Tian H*. Tunable toxicity of bufadienolides is regulated through a configuration inversion catalyzed by a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase. ChemBioChem, 2022, 23, e202200473.

Zhou X, Kandalai S, Hossain F, Zheng Q*. Tumor microbiome metabolism: A game changer in cancer development and therapy. Front. Oncol., 2022, 12, 933407. (Part of the Special Issue of Rising Stars in Cancer Metabolism 2022)

Hossain F, Kandalai S, Zhou X, Zhang N, Zheng Q*. Chemical and synthetic biology approaches for cancer vaccine development. Molecules, 2022, 27, 6933. (Part of the Special Issue of Chemical and Synthetic Biology Approaches in Cancer Immunotherapy)  

Zheng Q, Omans ND, Leicher R, Osunsade A, Agustinus AS, Finkin-Groner E, D’Ambrosio H, Liu B, Chandarlapaty S, Liu S, David Y. Reversible histone glycation drives disease-associated changes in chromatin architecture. Nat. Commun., 2019, 10, 1289. (Selected by Nat. Commun. Editors’ Highlights; Selected to 10 Remarkable Basic Science Breakthroughs of MSKCC in 2019; Highlighted in: Diao X. Histone glycation: Linking metabolic perturbation with epigenetic misregulation in cancer. AIMS Genet., 2019, 6, 14-16.)

Zheng Q, Osunsade A, David Y. Protein arginine deiminase 4 antagonizes methylglyoxal-induced histone glycation. Nat. Commun., 2020, 11, 3241.

Zheng Q, Maksimovic I, Upad A, Guber D, David Y. Synthesis of an alkynyl methylglyoxal probe to investigate non-enzymatic histone glycation. J. Org. Chem., 2020, 85, 1691-1697. (Part of the Special Issue of Modern Peptide and Protein Chemistry)

Zheng Q, Prescott NA, Maksimovic I, David Y. (De)Toxifying the epigenetic code. Chem. Res. Toxicol., 2019, 32, 796-807. (Part of the Special Issue of Epigenetics in Toxicology) 

Zheng Q, Maksimovic I, Upad A, David Y. Non-enzymatic covalent modification: A new link between metabolism and epigenetics. Protein Cell, 2020, 11, 401-416. (Highlighted as the Cover Story; Featured in Today's Science Sparks of MSKCC)

Zheng Q, Wang S, Duan P, Liao R, Chen D, Liu W. An α/β-hydrolase fold protein in the biosynthesis of thiostrepton exhibits a dual activity for endopeptidyl hydrolysis and epoxide ring opening/macrocyclization. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 2016, 113, 14318-14323.

Zheng Q, Gong Y, Guo Y, Zhao Z, Wu Z, Zhou Z, Chen D, Pan L, Liu W. Structural insights into a flavin-dependent [4+2] cyclase that catalyzes trans-decalin formation in pyrroindomycin biosynthesis. Cell Chem. Biol., 2018, 25, 718-727.

Zheng Q, Guo Y, Yang L, Zhao Z, Wu Z, Zhang H, Liu J, Cheng X, Wu J, Yang H, Jiang H, Pan L, Liu W. Enzyme-dependent [4+2] cycloaddition depends on lid-like interaction of the N-terminal sequence with the catalytic core in PyrI4. Cell Chem. Biol., 2016, 23, 352-360. (Featured article; Highlighted in: Oikawa H. Nature’s strategy for catalyzing Diels-Alder reaction. Cell Chem. Biol., 2016, 23, 429-430.)

Zheng Q, Wang Q, Wang S, Wu J, Gao Q, Liu W. Thiopeptide antibiotics exhibit a dual mode of action against intracellular pathogens by affecting both host and microbe. Cell Chem. Biol., 2015, 22, 1002-1007. (Featured article; Paper recommended by Faculty of 1000)

Zheng Q, Wang S, Liao R, Liu W. Precursor-directed mutational biosynthesis facilitates the functional assignment of two cytochromes P450 in thiostrepton biosynthesis. ACS Chem. Biol., 2016, 11, 2673-2678. (Featured in: Bozzella N. Introducing our authors. ACS Chem. Biol., 2016, 11, 2657-2660.)

Zheng Q, Hui Fang, Liu W. Post-translational modifications involved in the biosynthesis of thiopeptide antibiotics. Org. Biomol. Chem., 2017, 15, 3376-3390.

Zheng Q, Wu Z, Sun P, Chen D, Tian Z, Liu W. A linear hydroxymethyl tetramate undergoes an acetylation-elimination process for exocyclic methylene formation in the biosynthetic pathway of pyrroindomycins. Org. Biomol. Chem., 2017, 15, 88-91. (Part of themed collection: 2016 Hot Articles in Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry)

Zheng Q, Wang S, Liu W. Discovery and efficient synthesis of a biologically active alkaloid inspired by thiostrepton biosynthesis. Tetrahedron, 2014, 70, 7686-7690.

Zheng Q, Tian Z, Liu W. Recent advances in understanding the enzymatic reactions of [4+2] cycloaddition and spiroketalization. Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol., 2016, 31, 95-102.

Zheng Q*, Liu W*. Thiopeptide antibiotics act on both host and microbe to deliver double punch on mycobacterial infection. Mycobac. Dis., 2016, 6, 203.

Li X#, Zheng Q#, Yin J, Liu W, Gao S. Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of equisetin. Chem. Commun., 2017, 53, 4695-4697. (Highlighted in: Hill RA, Sutherland A. Hot off the Press. Nat. Prod. Rep., 2017, 34, 940-944.)

Zhou S#, Zheng Q#, Huang X, Wang Y, Luo S, Wang L, Ye W, Tian H. Isolation and identification of L/D-lactate-conjugated bufadienolides from toad eggs revealing lactate racemization in amphibians. Org. Biomol. Chem., 2017, 15, 5609-5615.

Wang S#, Zheng Q#, Wang J, Chen D, Yu Y, Liu W. Concurrent modifications of the C-terminus and side ring of thiostrepton and their synergistic effects with respect to improving antibacterial activities. Org. Chem. Front., 2016, 3, 496-500.

Wang S#, Zheng Q#, Wang J, Zhao Z, Li Q, Yu Y, Wang R, Liu W. Target-oriented design and biosynthesis of thiostrepton-derived thiopeptide antibiotics with improved pharmaceutical properties. Org. Chem. Front., 2015, 2, 106-109. (Highlighted as the Cover Story)

Zhang H, Kandalai S, Peng H, Xu R, Geiman M, Gao S, Zhang S, Yadav P, Puri S, Yadav M, Jacob NK, Zheng Q, Zhu J. Discovery of noninvasive biomarkers for radiation exposure via LC–MS-based hair metabolomics. J. Proteome Res., 2025, 24, 1285-1295.

Rish AD, Shen Z, Chen Z, Zhang N, Zheng Q, Fu TM. Molecular mechanisms of Holliday junction branch migration catalyzed by an asymmetric RuvB hexamer. Nat. Commun., 2023, 4, 3549. 

Cai M, Yin X, Tang X, Zhang C, Zheng Q*, Li M*. Metatranscriptomics reveals different features of methanogenic archaea among global vegetated coastal ecosystems. Sci. Total Environ., 2022, 802, 149848.

Complete List of Publications