Professor

Tel: 0510-85918122

Email: xzchen@jiangnan.edu.cn

Web: 

2018 - present  Professor, Jiangnan University, School of Biotechnology

2011 – 2018    Associate professor, Jiangnan University, School of Biotechnology

2008 – 2011    Lecture, Jiangnan University, School of Biotechnology

2011 – 2012    Postdoctoral Fellow, Durban University of Technology, South Africa

2002 – 2008    Ph.D, Jiangnan University

1998 – 2002    B.Sc., Anhui Science and Technology University

Our current research centers on two related areas, including metabolic engineering and synthetic biology.

(1) metabolic engineering of industrial microbiology

Research in this area is focused on the improvement of our rationally designed microbial cell factories such as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae for chemical production. Omics technology, protein engineering and the development and application of novel biological devices are predominant methods used for construction microbial cell factories. Also, novel biological designs are intended to control metabolic flux in order to increased pathway throughput or counter competition with endogenous metabolism.

(2) Synthetic biology

Research in this area is focused on the development novel genome editing system for non-conventional yeast such as Candida tropicalis and Starmerella bombicola. In this area, we focus on the creation of efficient tools including CRISPR-Cas technology and expanding its applications in industrial biotechnology.

1. Chen X, Zhou J, Zhang L, Pu Z, Liu L, Shen W, Fan Y. Development of an Escherichia coli-based biocatalytic system for the efficient synthesis of N-acetyl-D-neuraminic acid. Metab Eng. 2018, 47: 374-382.

2. Xue Y, Chen X, Yang C, Chang J, Shen W, Fan, Y. Engineering Eschericha coli for Enhanced Tyrosol Production. J Agric Food Chem, 2017, 65(23): 4708-4714

3. Chen XZ. Yeast cell surface display: An efficient strategy for improvement of bioethanol fermentation performance. Bioengineered, 2017, 8(2): 115-119.

4. Chen XZ, Xiao Y, Shen W, Algasan G, Zhang L, Fan Y, Wang ZX. Display of phytase on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to degrade phytate phosphorus and improve bioethanol production. Applied Microbiology Biotechnology, 2016, 100(5): 2449-2458.

5. Zhang Lihu, Chen Xianzhong, Chen Zhen, Wang Zezheng, Jiang Shan, Li Li, Markus Pötter, Shen Wei, Fan You. Development of an efficient genetic manipulation strategy for sequential gene disruption and expression of different heterologous GFP genes in Candida tropicalis. Applied Microbiology Biotechnology, 2016, 100(22): 9567-9580.

6. Zhou Junbo, Chen Xianzhong, Lu Liping, Govender Algasan, Yang Haiquan, Shen Wei. Enhanced production of N-acetyl-d-neuraminic acid by whole-cell bio-catalysis of Escherichia coli. Journal of Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic, 2016, 125: 42–48.

7. Guo Wenwen, Yang Haiquan. Qiang Shumin. Fan You. Shen Wei, Chen Xianzhong. Overproduction, purification, and property analysis of an extracellular recombinant fructosyltransferase. European Food Research and Technology, 2016, 242(7): 1159–1168

8. Ma Y, Shen W, Chen X, Liu L, Zhou Z, Xu F, Yang H. Significantly enhancing recombinant alkaline amylase production in Bacillus subtilis by integration of a novel mutagenesis-screening strategy with systems-level fermentation optimization. Journal of Biological Engineering, 2016, 10(1):13.

9. Ma Y, Yang H, Chen X, Sun Bo, Du G, Zhou Z, Song J, Fan Y, Shen W. Significantly improving the yield of recombinant proteins in Bacillus subtilis by a novel powerful mutagenesis tool (ARTP): Alkaline α-amylase as a case study. Protein expression and purification, 2015, 114: 82-88.

10. Chen XZ, Tian KM, Niu DD, Shen W, Algasan G, Singh S, Wang ZX. Efficient bioconversion of crude glycerol from biodiesel to optically pure D-lactate by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli. Green Chem. 2014;16(1):342-50.

11. Chen XZ, Li MM, Zhou L, Shen W, Algasan G, Fan Y et al. Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for improving shikimate synthesis from glucose. Bioresource Technol. 2014;166:64-71.

12. Chen XZ, Xia Y, Shen W, Fan Y, Govender A, Wang ZX. Engineering glycolysis branch pathways of Escherichia coli to improve heterologous protein expression. Process Biochem. 2014;49(12):2063-70.

13. Yang HQ, Ma YF, Wang YT, Yang HX, Shen W, Chen XZ. Transcription regulation mechanisms of bacteriophages Recent advances and future prospects. Bioengineered. 2014;5(5):300-4.

14. Chen XZ, Zhou L, Tian KM, Kumar A, Singh S, Prior BA, Wang ZX. Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli: A sustainable industrial platform for bio-based chemical production. Biotechnol Adv. 2013;31(8):1200-23.

15. Chen XZ, Fang HY, Zhuge, B, Wang ZX, Govender A, Zhuge J. Heterologous expression of the osmotolerant yeast Candida glycerolgenesis glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (CgGPD) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking the HOG pathway. Process Biochem. 2013;48(10):1469-75.

16. Zhou L, Niu DD, Tian KM, Chen XZ, Prior BA, Shen W et al. Genetically switched D-lactate production in Escherichia coli. Metab Eng. 2012;14(5):560-8.

17. Huang Wen-Jing, Zuo Zhi-Rui, Shen Wei, Singh Suren, Chen Xianzhong, Fan You, WangZheng-Xiang. High-level expression of alkaline protease using recombinant Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. African Journal of Biotechnology. 2012;11(14): 3358-3362.

18.  Tian Kangming, Chen Xianzhong, Shen Wei, Prior Bernard A, Shi Guiyang, Singh Suren, Wang Zhengxiang. High-efficiency conversion of glycerol to D-lactic acid with metabolically engineered Escherichia coli. African Journal of Biotechnology, 2012; 11(21): 4860-4867.

19. Zhou L, Zuo ZR, Chen XZ, Niu DD, Tian KM, Prior BA et al. Evaluation of genetic manipulation strategies on D-lactate production by Escherichia coli. Curr Microbiol. 2011; 62(3): 981-9.

20. Chen XZ, Fang HY, Rao ZM, Shen W, Zhuge B, Wang ZX et al. Comparative characterization of genes encoding glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Candida glycerinogenes and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Prog Biochem Biophys. 2009;36(2):198-205.

21. Chen XZ, Fang HY, Rao ZM, Shen W, Zhuge B, Wang ZX et al. An efficient genetic transformation method for glycerol producer Candida glycerinogenes. Microbiol Res. 2008;163(5):531-7.

22. Chen XZ, Fang HY, Rao ZM, Shen W, Zhuge B, Wang ZX et al. Cloning and characterization of a NAD⁺-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene from Candida glycerinogenes, an industrial glycerol producer. FEMS Yeast Res. 2008;8(5):725-34.