Professor, Doctoral Advisor

Tel: +86-510-8532-5210

Email: zhmzhou@jiangnan.edu.cn

2009-present           Professor, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University

2007-2009              Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of Life & Environmental   Sciences,

                     University of Tsukuba, Japan   

2006-2007              COE Research Fellow, Faculty of Life &   Environmental

Sciences, University of   Tsukuba, Japan

2002-2006            Postdoctoral Fellow (overseas researcher), JSPS

1998-2003               Ph.D., Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba

The   huge numerous chemical reactions derived from natural environment can be performed   by biological enzymes. Based on the structural data and bioinformatics   approaches, the limited properties of natural enzyme in chemical reactions   could be concurred by protein engineering. Our group is focusing on elucidation   of catalytic mechanisms of dozens of industrial enzymes and engineering the   properties of these biocatalysts, such as the catalytic activity, stability   and so on, upon which these artificially modified bio-macromolecules are able   to exert the diverse functions by design.

Another field we have been focusing on is the development of protein   expression system in Bacillus subtilis, we exploited the promoter resources   and other biological elements to elevate the expression level of heterologous   industrial enzymes, such as amino-peptidase, natto-kinase, and microbial   glutamate transaminase etc.

1.           Cheng Z, Cui W, Xia Y, Peplowski L, Kobayashi   M, Zhou Z^*: Modulation of NHase regioselectivity towards   dinitriles by tailoring the substrate binding pocket residues. ChemCatChem   2017, In press.

2.           Cheng Z, Peplowski L, Cui W, Xia Y, Liu Z,   Zhang J, Kobayashi M, Zhou Z^*: Identification of key residues   modulating the stereoselectivity of nitrile hydratase toward   rac-mandelonitrile by semi-rational engineering. Biotechnol Bioeng 2017.   In press

3.           Zhou L, Cui WJ, Liu ZM, Zhou ZM^*:   Metabolic engineering strategies for D-lactate over production in Escherichia   coli. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology 2016,   91:576-584.

4.           Xia Y, Cui W, Liu Z, Zhou L, Cui Y, Kobayashi   M, Zhou Z^*: Construction of a subunit-fusion nitrile hydratase and   discovery of an innovative metal ion transfer pattern. Sci Rep 2016,   6:19183.

5.           Guan C, Cui W, Cheng J, Zhou L, Liu Z, Zhou Z^*:   Development of an efficient autoinducible expression system by promoter   engineering in Bacillus subtilis. Microb Cell Fact 2016, 15:66.

6.           Cui W, Han L, Cheng J, Liu Z, Zhou L, Guo J,   Zhou Z^*: Engineering an inducible gene expression system for   Bacillus subtilis from a strong constitutive promoter and a   theophylline-activated synthetic riboswitch. Microb Cell Fact 2016,   15:199.

7.           Cheng ZY, Cui WJ, Liu ZM, Zhou L, Wang M,   Kobayashi M, Zhou ZM^*: A switch in a substrate tunnel for   directing regioselectivity of nitrile hydratases towards   alpha,omega-dinitriles. Catalysis Science & Technology 2016,   6:1292-1296.

8.           Guan C, Cui W, Cheng J, Zhou L, Guo J, Hu X,   Xiao G, Zhou Z^*: Construction and development of an   auto-regulatory gene expression system in Bacillus subtilis. Microb Cell   Fact 2015, 14:150.

9.           Cui Y, Cui W, Liu Z, Zhou L, Kobayashi M, Zhou   Z^*: Improvement of stability of nitrile hydratase via protein   fragment swapping. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2014, 450:401-408.

10.       Gao X, Cui W, Ding N, Liu Z, Tian Y, Zhou Z^*:   Structure-based approach to alter the substrate specificity of Bacillus   subtilis aminopeptidase. Prion 2013, 7.

11.       Zhou Z^*, Hashimoto Y, Kobayashi M:   Self-subunit swapping chaperone needed for the maturation of multimeric metalloenzyme   nitrile hydratase by a subunit exchange mechanism also carries out the   oxidation of the metal ligand cysteine residues and insertion of cobalt. J   Biol Chem 2009, 284:14930-14938.

12.       Zhou Z^*, Hashimoto Y, Shiraki K,   Kobayashi M: Discovery of posttranslational maturation by self-subunit   swapping. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008, 105:14849-14854.