My study mainly focus on uncovering the biosynthetic pathway of certain plant specialized metabolites (PSMs) in Chinese medicinal plants using many molecular biology and bioinformatic approaches. Based on these candidate genes identified in our lab, we also try our best to produce these PSMs in microbes and native plants such as hairy roots and suspention cells using metabolic engineering and/or synthetic biology methods.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4018-7933

2005/9-2010/1,Chinese Academy of Science

2002/9-2005/7,Huazhong Agriculture University

1998/9-2002/7, Huazhong Agriculture University

2010/7-, South China Botanical Garden, CAS/South China National Botanical Garden

21.Shi, Dingding#; Wei, Jinrong#; Wang, Zhiqiang; Charagh, Sidra; Wang, Ying*; Zeng, Shaohua*, Schaftoside as a Multifunctional Food Ingredient: Resources, Bioactivities, Disposition and Applications Enabled by Synthetic Biology and Precision Delivery, Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2026, 175:105897

20.Dingding Shi; Ying Wang*; Shaohua Zeng*. A breakthrough in synthetic biology: Industrial scaling-up flavonoid C-glycoside production in yeast. SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences, 2026, 10.1007/s11427-026-3333-2

19.Li, Zhigang#; Jiang, Rong#; Wang, Zhiqiang; Mi, Juanjuan; Zhao, Juanhong; Liu, Zhanfei; Liu, Yuan*; Zheng, Guoqi*; Zeng, Shaohua*. Uncovering the effect of drying process on aquaporin proteins and fruit quality of goji berry (Lycium barbarum), a worldwide popular functional food, Food Chemistry, 2026, 519: 149698

18.Liu, Tongjian#; Wang, Xinfeng#; Shi, Dingding#; Wang, Zhiqiang; Bi, Guiqi; Lin, Zheli; Huang, Huirun; Ge, Xuejun; Li, Linfeng; Yan, Haifei*; Zeng, Shaohua*; Ning, Zulin* Haplotype-resolved telomere-to-telomere genome of the jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) provides novel insights into the turquoise flower coloration, Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 2026, 68(3): 565–567.（Cover story）

17. Peiyan Ai*, Zhiqiang Wang, Yan Li, Rong Yang, A Biao, Yixin Jia, Yuan Zong, Ying Wang, Shaohua Zeng#. Overexpression of anthocyanin activator LrAN2 improving black goji berry (Lycium ruthenicum) tolerant to cadmium stress, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2025, 494:138686

16. Jiang Rong, Wang Zhiqiang, Jia Yixin, A Biao, Yuan Zong, Yang Chao, Li Minglin, Wang Hongjiao, Zhao Yuling, Wang Ying#, Zeng Shaohua#. Exogenous melatonin enhancing the accumulation of flavonoids and carotenoids in Wolfberry fruit at cold storage, Food Research International, 2025, 209: 116320

15. Zeng Shaohua#, Lin Shuang, Jiang Rong, Wei Jinrong, Wang Ying, Biotechnology advances in natural food colorant acylated anthocyanin production. Food Frontiers, 2025, 6(2):698-715

14. Ai Peiyan*, Wei Guo*, A Biao, Yang Chao, Wang Ying#, Zeng Shaohua#, Multi-omics reveal the molecular basis of LrAN2 overexpression in black goji callus promoting the excessive accumulation of petanin, a promising food blue colorant, Food Frontiers, 2024, 5(4):2221-2234

13. Zeng Shaohua*,#, Wang Zhiqiang*, Shi Dingding*, Yu Fangqin, Liu Ting, Peng Ting, Bi Guiqi, Yan Jianbin Ying Wang#. The near complete genome of Grona styracifolia uncover the genomic mechanism of high level of schaftoside, a promising drug candidate for treatment of COVID-19, Horticulture Research, 2024, DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae089

12. Yang Xiaoman*, Yang Meizhen*, Ye Peng, Li Hanxiang, Li Zhongxi, Zeng Shaohua#, Wang Ying#. Characterization of dicaffeoylspermidine derivatives related glucosyltransferases during fruit development of goji berry, Food Chemistry, 2024, 442: 138432

11. Guoqi Zheng*,#, Zhiqiang Wang*, Jinrong We, Juanhong Zhao, Chen Zhang, Juanjuan Mi, Yuan Zong, Genhong Liu, Ying Wang, Xing Xu, Shaohua Zeng#. Fruit development and ripening orchestrating the biosynthesis and regulation of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides in goji berry, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024, 254: 127970

10. Shaohua Zeng#, Shuang Lin, Zhiqiang Wang, Yuan Zong, Ying Wang. The health-promoting anthocyanin petanin in Lycium ruthenicum fruit: A promising natural colorant, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2023, DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2023.2225192

9. Jinrong Wei*, Chahel A*, Yuan Ni, Xiaoyi Wei, Yuling Zhao, Ying Wang#, Shaohua Zeng#. Lycium RIN negatively modulate the biosynthesis of kukoamine A in hairy roots through decreasing thermospermine synthase expression, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2023, 252: 126246

8. Zhiqiang Wang, Wenyang Zhang, Wenjie Huang, A Biao,.Shuang Lin, Ying Wang, Shijuan Yan#, Shaohua Zeng#, (2023) Salt stress affects the fruit quality of Lycium ruthenicum Murr, Industrial Crops and Products 193: 116240

7. Peiyan Ai*, Dinglei Xue*, Ying Wang, Shaohua Zeng# (2023) An efficient improved CRISPR mediated gene function analysis system established in Lycium ruthenicum Murr. Industrial Crops and Products 192:116142

6. Suqi Mo*，Biao A*, Wang Zhiqiang, Shuang Lin, Tianshun Yang, Lizhu Pan, Ying Wang, Shaohua Zeng# (2022) Spatio transcriptome uncover novel insight into the Lycium ruthenicum seedling tolerant to salt stress, Industrial Crops and Products, 177:114502.

5. Lin Shuang, Zeng Shaohua#, A Biao, Yang Xiaoman, Yang Tianshun, Zheng Guoqi, Mao Guilian, Wang Ying#(2021) Integrative analysis of transcriptome and metabolome reveals salt stress orchestrating the accumulation of specialized metabolites in Lycium barbarum L. fruit International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22 (9), 4414

4. Wang Zhiqiang*, Gong Haiguang*, Xu Xiaoyong, Wei Xiaoqun, Wang Ying, Zeng Shaohua# (2020). Transcriptome and small RNAome facilitate to study schaftoside in Desmodium styracifolium Merr. Industrial Crops and Products, 149, 112352

3. Shaohua Zeng#, Shanshan Huang, Tianshun Yang, Peiyan Ai, Li Li, Ying Wang#, (2020) Comparative proteomic and ultrastructural analysis shed light on fruit pigmentation distinct in two Lycium species, Industrial Crops and Products, 147, 112267

2.Wang Q*, Zeng S*, Wu X, Lei H, Wang Y and Tang H# (2018) Interspecies developmental differences in Metabonomic phenotypes of Lycium ruthenicum and L. barbarum Fruits. Journal of Proteome Research 17(9):3223-3236 (IF=3.95)

1. Yazdani M, Sun Z, Yuan H, Zeng S, Thannhauser TW, Vrebalov J, Ma Q, Xu Y, Fei Z, Van Eck J, Tian S, Tadmor Y, Giovannoni JJ, Li L. (2019) Ectopic expression of ORANGE promotes carotenoid accumulation and fruit development in tomato  Plant Biotechnology Journal. 17(1):33-49

Bioinformatics,

Biosynthesis and regulation of plant specialized metabolites

Metabolic engineering

Synthetic biology

已指导学生

房路遥  硕士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

黄金涛  硕士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

林爽  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

莫素祺  硕士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

艾培炎  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

阿彪  硕士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

王志强  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

贾一鑫  硕士研究生  086000-生物与医药  

魏瑾瑢  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

韦国  硕士研究生  086000-生物与医药  

现指导学生

邹浩  硕士研究生  086000-生物与医药  

王晶  硕士研究生  086000-生物与医药  

刘琪  硕士研究生  090200-园艺学  

阿曼古丽·努斯热提  博士研究生  090200-园艺学  

陈婷  博士研究生  090200-园艺学