Professor

Tel: 86-510-85197760

Email: rzzhang@jiangnan.edu.cn

Web:http://web.jiangnan.edu.cn/rzzhang/

2016 – present          Professor, Jiangnan University, School of Biotechnology

2010 – 2016             Associate Professor, Jiangnan University, School of Biotechnology

2011 – 2012             Postdoctoral Fellow, New York University

2004 – 2009             Doctor Candidate, Jiangnan University

2005 – 2007             Doctor Candidate, Institute of Biophysics,   Chinese Academy of Sciences

Redesigning   enzymes for more efficient biosynthesis represents one of the major   challenges for industrial catalysis application. The Zhang’s group is focused   on in-depth study of rational mutation of oxidoreductases that leads to   discovery of the novel or stronger enzymatic functions for highly efficient   biosynthesis. Oxidoreductases   predominantly catalyze the asymmetric biosynthesis of optically pure   stereoisomers because of their unique chiral constitutions. The enantioselectivities of oxidoreductases are substrate- and   cofactor-dependent, and therefore they usually catalyze specific reactions   with high enantioselectivity under physiological conditions; this may not be   suitable for asymmetric biosynthesis with non-natural substrates or   non-natural cofactors, and under nonphysiological conditions. It is therefore   necessary to modify oxidoreductases using various redesigning   tools such as directed evolution and rational design, and their combinations,   as well as engineering enzyme modules for more efficient production of   ‘‘non-natural’’ products.   Our goal is to provide straightforward access to rational redesign of enzymes   that will find industrial application to the biosynthesis of more important   unnatural product, which wild-type enzyme can not perform the catalysis.

(1)    Rongzhen   Zhang, Yan Xu et al., Redesigning alcohol   dehydrogenases/reductases for more efficient biosynthesis of enantiopure   isomers, Biotechnology Advances, 2015, 33(8): 1671–1684.

(2)    Rongzhen   Zhang et al., Efficient   one-step preparation of γ-aminobutyric acid from glucose without exogenous   cofactor by the designed Corynebacterium glutamicum, Green Chemistry,   2014, 16, 4190–4197.

(3)   Xian   Zhang#, Rongzhen Zhang#, et al., The rebalanced pathway   significantly enhances acetoin production by disruption of acetoin reductase   gene and moderate-expression of a new water-forming NADH oxidase in Bacillus   subtilis, Metabolic Engineering, 2014, 23: 34-41.

(4) Shanshan Wang, Yao Nie, Yan   Xu*, Rongzhen   Zhang et al., Unconserved substrate-binding sites direct the   stereoselectivity of medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenase, Chemical   Communication, 2014, 50(58):7770-7772.

(5)   Rongzhen Zhang, Yawei Geng, Yan Xu et al., Carbonyl reductase SCRⅡ from Candida   parapsilosis catalyzes anti-Prelog reaction to   (S)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol with absolute stereochemical selectivity, Bioresource   Technology, 2011, 102(2):   483-489.

(6)   Rongzhen   Zhang,   Yan Xu et al., Ser67Asp/His68Asp substitution in carbonyl reductase   from Candida parapsilosis switchs the coenzyme specificity and the   enantioselectivity of ketone reduction, Applied and Environment Microbiology,   2009, 75: 2176-2183.

(7)   Kunpeng Li, Rongzhen Zhang*, Yan Xu et al., Sortase   A-mediated crosslinked short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases as novel   biocatalysts with improved thermostability and catalytic efficiency,   Scientific Reports, 2017, 7: 3081.

(8)   Rongzhen Zhang, Yan   Xu   et al.,   Crystal structure of a carbonyl reductase from Candida parapsilosis   with anti-Prelog stereospecificity, Protein Science, 2008, 17(8): 1412-1423.

(9)   Rongzhen Zhang, Yan Xu et al., Improved production of the   chiral alcohol from 2-hydroxyacetophenone with R-specfic carbonyl   reductase from Candida parapsilosis in Escherichia coli by   codon optimization, Journal of Biotechnology, 2008   (136S): S620-S632.

(10) Rongzhen   Zhang, Yan Xu et al., Efficient one-step production of (S)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol from   (R)-enatiomer plus   NAD⁺-NADPH in-situ regeneration using engineered   Escherichia coli, Microbial Cell Factories, 2012, 11:167-175.

(11)   Rongzhen Zhang, Botao Zhang, Yan Xu et al., Efficicent (R)-phenylethanol   production with enantioselectivity-alerted (S)-carbonyl reductase II   and NADPH regeneration, PLoS ONE, 2013, 8(12): e83586-83595.

(12)   Teng Bao, Xian Zhang, Zhiming Rao*, Xiaojing Zhao, Rongzhen   Zhang et al.,   Eficient whole-cll bocatalyst for aetoin poduction with NAD(+) rgeneration   system through hmologous co-epression of 2,3-btanediol dhydrogenase and NADH   oidase in egineered Bacillus subtilis, PLoS One, 2014, 9(7):e102951.

(13)   Rongzhen   Zhang, Lei Wang, Yan Xu et al., In situ   expression of (R)‑carbonyl reductase rebalancing an asymmetric pathway   improves stereoconversion efficiency of racemic mixture to (S)‑phenyl‑1,2‑ethanediol in Candida   parapsilosis CCTCC M203011, Microbial Cell Factory, 2016, 15:143.

(14)   Rongzhen Zhang, Yawei Geng, Yan Xu et al.,   Improved production of (R)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol by a codon   optimized R-specific carbonyl reductase from Candida parapsilosis   in Escherichia coli, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology,   2010, 160: 868–878.

(15)   Rongzhen Zhang, Yan Xu, X. Cai Zhang, Zihe Rao et al.,   Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a carbonyl   reductase from Candida parapsilosis, Acta Crystallographica, 2008   (F64): 252-254.

(16)   Rongzhen Zhang, Yan Xu et al., Improved   production of (R)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol using Candida   parapsilosis (R)-carbonyl reductase expressed   in Pichia pastoris, Process Biochemistry, 2011, 46: 709–713.

(17)   Rongzhen Zhang, Yan Xu et al., Optimized expression of (S)-carbonyl   reductase in Pichia pastoris for efficient production of (S)-1-phenyl-1,   2-ethanediol, Journal of Basic Microbiology, 2014,   54(8): 873-879.

(18) Xian Zhang,   Rongzhen   Zhang* et al., Mutation   breeding of acetoin high producing Bacillus subtilis blocked in   2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase, World Journal of Microbiology and   Biotechnology, 2013, 29(10): 1783-1789.

(19)   Xian Zhang, Rongzhen Zhang et al., Moderate expression   of the transcriptional regulator ALsR enhances acetoin production by Bacillus   subtilis, Journal of Industrial Microbiology   & Biotechnology, 2013, 40:1067–1076.

(20)   Meijuan Xu, Rongzhen Zhang et al., Improving   the acidic stability of a <beta>-mannanase from Bacillus subtilis   by site-directed mutagenesis, Process Biochemistry, 2013, 48(8): 1166–1173.

(21) Xiaotian   Zhou, Rongzhen Zhang et al., Coupled (R)-carbonyl   reductase and glucose dehydrogenase catalyzes (R)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol   biosynthesis with excellent stereochemical selectivity, Process Biochemistry, 2015, 50(11): 1807–1813.

(22) Jing Li, Rongzhen   Zhang et al., Ala258Phe substitution in Bacillus sp. YX-1   glucose dehydrogenase improves its substrate preference for xylose, Process   Biochemistry, 2017, 56: 124-131.

(23) Yawei Geng, Rongzhen   Zhang, Yan Xu et al., Coexpression of a carbonyl reductase and   glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in Pichia pastoris improves the   production of (S)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol, Biocatalysis and Biotransformation, 2011; 29(5):   172–178.

(24)   Shanshan Wang, Yan Xu, Rongzhen   Zhang et al., Improvement of (R)-carbonyl   reductase-mediated biosynthesis of (R)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol by a   novel dual-cosubstrate-coupled system for NADH recycling,   Process Biochemistry, 2012, 47(7): 1060-1065.

(25)   Yaohui   Li, Rongzhen Zhang, Yan Xu et al., Efficient   bioreduction of 2-hydroxyacetophenone to (S)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol   through homologous expression of (S)-carbonylreductase II in Candida   parapsilosis CCTCC M203011, Process Biochemistry 2016, 51: 1175–1182.

(26)  Jieyu   Zhou; Guochao Xu; Ruizhi Han; Jinjun Dong; Weiguo Zhang; Rongzhen   Zhang; Ye Ni*, Carbonyl group-dependent high-throughput screening and   enzymatic characterization of diaromatic ketone reductase, Catalysis Science   & Technology, 2016, 6(16): 6320-6327.

(27) Ming   Li, Yao Nie, Xiao Qing Mu, Rongzhen Zhang, Yan Xu. Highly selective   anti-Prelog synthesis of optically active aryl alcohols by recombinant Escherichia   coli expressing stereospecific alcohol dehydrogenase. Preparative   Biochemistry & Biotechnology, 2016, 46(5): 429-433.

(28) 张荣珍，徐岩等，(R)-与(S)-羰基还原酶偶联一步法制备(S)-苯乙二醇的研究，微生物学报，2009，49(2)：204-209。

(29) 张荣珍，徐岩等，羰基还原酶与甲酸脱氢酶偶联生物催化(R)-苯基乙二醇的研究，过程工程学报，2009，9(4): 801-805。

(30) 张荣珍，徐岩等，(R)-、(S)-羰基还原酶在酿酒酵母中的表达和亚细胞定位，微生物学报，2011，51（6）：789-795。

(31) 张波涛，张荣珍等，Bacillus sp. YX-1耐有机溶剂葡萄糖脱氢酶的基因克隆与酶学性质，微生物学报，2013，53(6)：561-568。

(32) 孙莹，张荣珍，徐岩*，(R)-专一性羰基还原酶与甲酸脱氢酶基因在大肠杆菌中的共表达，微生物学报，2008，48(12)：1629~1633。

(33) 耿亚维，张荣珍等，一种新型(S)-羰基还原酶的克隆及其功能表达，微生物学报，2010，50(1)：60-66。

(34)   王珊珊，张荣珍等，mRNA翻译起始区二级结构优化提高(R)-羰基还原酶的表达及催化效率，生物工程学报，2009，25(12): 1907-1913。

(35)   张波涛，张荣珍等，定点突变改变近平滑假丝酵母SCRⅡ催化苯乙酮衍生物底物谱的研究，微生物学报，2011，51（6）：783-788。

(36)梁宏博，张荣珍等，(S)-羰基还原酶II于酿酒酵母孢子中表达与功能，微生物学报，2015，55(12)：1593-1599。

(37)   姜佳伟，张荣珍等，(S)-羰基还原酶II与葡萄糖脱氢酶共催化高效合成(S)-苯乙二醇，微生物学报，2016(10)：1647-1655。

(38)   李坤鹏，张荣珍等，Sortase   A介导的(S)-羰基还原酶II寡聚体高效立体选择性转化(S)-苯基乙二醇，微生物学报，2017，已录用。