
Changsheng Zhang, Prof. Dr.
Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology,
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica,
RNAM Center for Marine Microbiology,
South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Email: czhang@scsio.ac.cn, czhang2006@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2349-3138
TEL. & FAX: (86)-20-8902 3038
Address: 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou, 510301 China
Research Areas
Prof. Zhang’s researches focus on the discovery, biosynthesis, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology of marine microbial natural products, and their development as medicines for human health, industrial and agricultural applications. He has published more than 170 original papers, including Science, Nat Biotechnol, Nat Chem Biol, Nat Commun, Mol Cell, J Am Chem Soc, Angew Chem Int Ed, Chem Sci, Org Lett, etc. He has received numerous awards for his research.
1. Discovery of novel bioactive natural products
1) Developing new methods to facilitate the discovery of novel bioactive natural products from marine microorganisms upon big data mining
2) Evaluating their bioactivity for drug-lead development
2. Biosynthesis and enzyme biocatalysis
1) Elucidating the biosynthetic pathway of novel drug-like molecules
2) Unveiling the unique catalytic mechanisms and structural features of biosynthetic enzymes
3) Enzyme engineering for industrial and agricultural applications
3. Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology
1) Structure-activity optimization and yield improvement of drug-like molecules via metabolic engineering
2) Rational design of artificial pathways and cell factories via synthetic biology for biomanufacturing
Selected Key Publications
Fang et al Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2024, 146 (24): 16478–16489. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c02841.
Li et al Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2024, 63 (22): e202403365. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202403365.
Liu et al Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2023, 145 (50): 27886–27899. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c11772.
Jiang et al Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62 (51): e202310728. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202310728.
Tan et al Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62 (27): e202302043. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202302043.
Yang et al Nature Communications, 2022, 13: 5386. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33131-0.
De et al Nature Communications, 2022, 13: 4896. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32641-1.
Zhang et al Science China Chemistry, 2021, 64 (10): 1736–1742. DOI: 10.1007/s11426-021-1072-6.
Zhu et al Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2020, 59 (33): 14065-14069. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202004978.
Huang et al Nature Communications, 2018, 9 (1): 2088. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04487-z.
Zhang et al Science, 2006, 313(5791): 1291-1294. DOI: 10.1126/science.1130028.
Education and Experience
Education
1994, B.E. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
1997, M.S. East China University of Science & Technology, China
under the supervision of Prof. Huizhan Zhang,
2002, Ph.D. Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany
under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Piepersberg,
Working Experience
2003-2008, Postdoctoral research associate and assistant scientist under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Jon Thorson, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Recruiting Students
Majors
070321-Chemical Biology
071005-Microbiology
Welcome students (including international students) interested in these areas to join in our group!
Honors & Distinctions
2024: Editor, Marine Life Science & Technology
2023:"Top 10 Scientific and Technological Advances in Oceanology and Limnology in China" in 2022
2022: Associate Editor, Microbiome
2022: Associate Editor, Environmental Microbiome
2021: "Outstanding Teacher Award in SCSIO (2021)", SCSIO
2021: Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)
2020: Editorial board, Molecules (Natural Products Chemistry Section)
2020: "Outstanding Teacher Award in SCSIO (2020)", SCSIO
2019: Editorial board member, Natural Product Reports
2018: "Outstanding Teacher Award in 2018", Chinese Academy of Sciences
2018: "Outstanding Teacher Award in SCSIO (2018)", SCSIO
2017: Winner of "Special Government Allowance"
2016: "National Leading Innovative Scientist in S&T"
2016: "Youth Prize of the Fourth Zeng Cheng Kui Award in Marine Science and Technology", Chinese Society for Oceanology and Limnology, CSOL
2015: "Outstanding Scholar" of "Guangdong Specialist Supporting Plan"
2014: "Young Scientists with Special contributions"
2014: "Mid-Aged Leading Innovative Scientist in S&T"
2013: "Excellence" in the final evaluation of BR, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2012: "Outstanding S&T Worker of China", China Association for Science and Technology
2011: "National Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China", National Natural Science Foundation of China
2005: "Anatrace Best Poster Award" , the First Midwest Carbohydrate Symposium, Toledo, Ohio, USA
Publications
# (co-first author), * (corresponding author)
2025
187. Ruijie Chen, Qingbo Zhang, Liping Zhang, Chunyan Fang, Hanning Zhu, Weiming Zhu,* Changsheng Zhang, Yiguang Zhu.* Biochemical and structural insights of the N-methyltransferase CyaF in cyanogramide biosynthesis. Journal of Natural Products, 2025, 2025, 88 (3): 715–722. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.4c01391. Published online March 7, 2025; in issue March 28, 2025.
186. Tianyu, Zhou,# Yulei Qiao,# Lu Wang, Zifeng Li, Haibo Zhang, Liping Zhang, Shengrong Liao, Minhui Li,* Changsheng Zhang,* Wenjun Zhang.* Discover of MK8383s with antifungal activity from mangrove endophytic fungus Medicopsis sp. SCSIO 40440 against Fusarium Wilt of Banana. Marine Drugs, 2025, 23 (2): 88. DOI: 10.3390/md23020088. Published: 18 February 2025.
185. Peng Jiang, Hongbo Jin, Wenjun Zhang, Wei Tang, Xiaodong Jiang, Yiguang Zhu, Ying Wang, Liping Zhang,* and Changsheng Zhang.* Deciphering the biosynthetic logic for C14 oxidative modifications of polycyclic tetramate macrolactams. Chinese Journal of Chemistry, 2025, 43 (5): 483-490. DOI: 10.1002/cjoc.202400982. (selected as the front cover article) Version of Record online: 21 November 2024; Issue Online: 01 February 2025.
2024
184. Zoltán Czenke, Attila Mándi, Sándor Balázs Király, Attila Kiss-Szikszai, Anita Kónya-Ábrahám, Anna Szabados, Krisztián Cserepes, Attila Bényei, Changsheng Zhang, Máté Kicsák,* and Tibor Kurtán.* VCD analysis of axial chirality in synthetic stereoisomeric biaryl-type bis-Isochroman heterodimers with isolated blocks of central and axial chirality. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024, 25 (17): 9657. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25179657. Published: 6 September 2024.
183. Liping Zhang, Peng Jiang, Hongbo Jin, Changsheng Zhang.* Achieving regioselectivity for remote C–H activation by substructure conformations: an approach of paralogous cytochrome P450 enzymes. Chemistry - A European Journal, 2024, 30 (66): e202402635. DOI: 10.1002/chem.202402635 (invited review). Accepted manuscript online: 28 August 2024; Version of Record online: 23 October 2024; Issue Online: 26 November 2024.
182. Mengran Zhao,# Wenjun Zhang,# Chunfang Yang,* Liping Zhang, Huarong Huang, Yiguang Zhu, Disna Ratnasekera, and Changsheng Zhang.* Discovery of kebanmycins with antibacterial and cytotoxic activities from the mangrove-derived Streptomyces sp. SCSIO 40068. Journal of Natural Products, 2024, 87 (6): 1591–1600. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.4c00232. Published online 11 June 2024; Published in issue 28 June 2024.
181. Chunyan Fang,# Liping Zhang,# Yongchao Wang,# Weiliang Xiong, Zier Yan, Wenjun Zhang, Qingbo Zhang, Bijun Wang,* Yiguang Zhu,* and Changsheng Zhang.* Discovery and biosynthesis of cihanmycins reveal cytochrome P450-catalyzed intramolecular C–O phenol coupling reactions. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2024, 146 (24): 16478–16489. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c02841. Published online 6 June 2024; Published in issue 19 June 2024.
180. Liangliang Bai,# Linping Wu,# Changsheng Zhang, Zhiwen Liu, Liang Ma, Jing Ni, Dezhen He, Mingxuan Zhu, Shaoyong Peng, Xiaoxia Liu, Huichuan Yu, Yuhe Lei, Yanxin Luo, Yu Zhang, Xiaolin Wang,* Gang Wei,* Yingjie Li.* Replenishment of mitochondrial Na+ and H+ by ionophores potentiates cutaneous wound healing in diabetes. Materials Today Bio, 2024, DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2024.101056. Available online 16 April 2024;
179. Yanqin Li,# Mengjing Cong,# Xiufeng Zhang, Yiguang Zhu, Wenjun Zhang, Yonghong Liu, Changsheng Zhang,* Junfeng Wang,* and Yan Yan.* An enzymatic carbon-carbon bond cleavage and Aldol reaction cascade converts an angular scaffold into the linear tetracyclic core of ochraceopones. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2024, 63 (22): e202403365. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202403365; Angewandte Chemie, 2024, 136 (22): e202403365. DOI: 10.1002/ange.202403365. Accepted manuscript online: 07 March 2024; Version of Record online: 26 March 2024; Issue Online: 17 May 2024. (