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Xinghua Zhang, PhD
Professor
College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University
Wuhan 430072, China
Email: zhxh@whu.edu.cn
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Education
2004.9 – 2009.7 Ph.D.
Biophysics and Soft Matter, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2000.9 – 2004.7 B.S.
Physics, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
Work Experience
2015 – Present: Professor, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
2010 – 2015: Research Scientist, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore
2009 – 2010: Patent examiner, State Intellectual Property Office of China, Beijing, China
Research Interests
Single-molecule techniques, DNA and RNA structural dynamics, DNA probe applications
Selected Publications
As the corresponding author:
1. Chen Zhang#, Fu-Jia Tian#, Hong-Wei Zuo#, Wei Wei, Qi-Yuan Qiu, Zhi-Jie Tan, Yan Zhang*, Wen-Qiang Wu*, Liang Dai* and Xing-Hua Zhang*, "Counterintuitive DNA destabilization by monovalent salt at high concentrations", Nature Communications 16: 113 (2025)
2. Xiao-Cong Zhao#, Bin Wu#, Ya-Jun Yang#, Ying Li#, Qi-Yuan Qiu#, Liu Wang, Ya-Peng Xu, Han Gong, Lun Song, Xue-Jie Wang, Jing-Yao Shi, Xue-Feng Chen, Shao-Ran Zhang, Qi Zong, Liang Dai, Shi-Shen Du*, Yan Zhang*, Wen-Qiang Wu*, and Xing-Hua Zhang*, “N6-methyladenine modification of DNA enhances RecA-mediated homologous recombination”, PNAS, in press (2025)
3. Bin Wu#, Fujia Tian*#, Yajun Yang, Liang Dai, Xing-Hua Zhang*. “High Bendability of Short RNA-DNA Hybrid Duplex Revealed by Single-Molecule Cyclization and Molecular Dynamics Simulations”, Biomolecules, 15, 724 (2025)
4. Hai-Long Dong, Chen-Chen Zheng, Liang Dai, Xing-Hua Zhang*, Zhi-Jie Tan*. “Effect of protein binding on the twist-stretch coupling of double-stranded RNA”, The Journal of Chemical Physics,162, 145101 (2025)
5. Yuru Hu#, Hongyun Li#*, Chen Zhang#, Jingjing Feng#, Wenxu Wang, Wei Chen, Miao Yu, Xinghua Zhang*, Zheng Liu*, "DNA-based ForceChrono Probes for Deciphering Single-Molecule Force Dynamics in Living Cells", Cell, 187(13), 1-15 (2024)
6. Er-Chi Zhou#, Hang Fu#, Hao-Ze Wang, Ya-Jun Yang, Xing-Hua Zhang*, "Converting multiple to single DNA-tethered beads and removing one-end-tethered only DNA in high-throughput stretching", ACS Sensors, 9(11): 6292−6298 (2024)
7. Yun-Long Chen* and Xing-Hua Zhang*, "Effects of imidazolium-based ionic liquids on the elasticity of DNA revealed by magnetic tweezers", Journal of Molecular Liquids, 410: 125646 (2024)
8. Peng Chen#, Jin Zhou#, Huan Liu#, Erchi Zhou#, Boxiao He, Yankang Wu, Hongjian Wang, Zaiqiao Sun, Chonil Paek, Jun Lei, Yongshun Chen*, Xinghua Zhang*, Lei Yin*, “Engineering of Cas12a nuclease variants with enhanced genome-editing specificity”, PLoS Biology, 22(3): e3002514 (2024)
9. Hai-Long Dong#, Chen Zhang#, Liang Dai, Yan Zhang*, Xing-Hua Zhang*, and Zhi-Jie Tan*, “The origin of different bending stiffness between double-stranded RNA and DNA revealed by magnetic tweezers and simulations.”, Nucleic Acids Research, 52(5):2519-2529 (2024)
10. Chen-Chen Zheng#, Yun-Long Chen#, Hai-Long Dong, Xing-Hua Zhang*, Zhi-Jie Tan*, "Effect of ethanol on the elasticities of double-stranded RNA and DNA revealed by magnetic tweezers and simulations", The Journal of Chemical Physics 161: 075101 (2024)
11. Bohua Yin, Shaoxi Fang, Bin Wu, Wenhao Ma, Daming Zhou, Yajie Yin, Rong Tian, Shixuan He, Wanyi Xie*, Xinghua Zhang*, Zuobin Wang*, Deqiang Wang*, "Directly Characterizing the Capture Radius of Tethered Double-Stranded DNA by Single-Molecule Nanopipette Manipulation", ACS Nano 18(40): 27962−27973 (2024)
12. Ya-Jun Yang, Hang Fu, Xiao-Lu Li, Hong-Yu Yang, Er-Chi Zhou, Cheng-Yu Xie, Shu-Wen Wu, Fan He*, Yan Zhang* and Xing-Hua Zhang*, “A mutation-sensitive, multiplexed and amplification-free detection of nucleic acids by stretching single-molecule tandem hairpin probes.”, Nucleic Acids Research, 51(17): e90 (2023)
13. Fu-Jia Tian#, Chen Zhang #, Erchi Zhou#, Hai-Long Dong, Zhi-Jie Tan, Xing-Hua Zhang* and Liang Dai*， “Universality in RNA and DNA deformations induced by salt, temperature change, stretching force, and protein binding.” PNAS, 120 (20) e2218425120 (2023)
14. Xiao-Cong Zhao#, Hai-Long Dong#, Xiao-Lu Li, Hong-Yu Yang, Xue-Feng Chen, Liang Dai, Wen-Qiang Wu, Zhi-Jie Tan* and Xing-Hua Zhang*, “5-methyl-cytosine stabilizes DNA but hinders DNA hybridization revealed by magnetic tweezers and simulations.” Nucleic Acids Research, 50 (21): 12344-12354 (2022)
15. Chen Zhang#, Fujia Tian#, Ying Lu, Bing Yuan, Zhi-Jie Tan, Xing-Hua Zhang* and Liang Dai*, “Twist-diameter coupling drives DNA twist changes with salt and temperature.” Science Advances, 8(12), abn1384 (2022)
16. Xiao-Wei Qiang#, Chen Zhang#, Hai-Long Dong#, Fu-Jia Tian, Hang Fu, Ya-Jun Yang, Liang Dai, Xing-Hua Zhang*, Zhi-Jie Tan*, “Multivalent cations reverse the twist-stretch coupling of RNA.” Physical Review Letters, 126, 108103 (2022)
17. Xuejie Wang#, Yang Dong#, Xiaocong Zhao#, Jinbao Li, Jordan Lee, Zhenxin Yan, Shuangshuang Yang, Wenqiang Wu, Ximiao Hou, Guangxue Liu, Yueyue Zhang, Lun Song, Gang Cai, Qing Li, Grzegorz Ira, Xinghua Zhang*, Xuefeng Chen*, “Rtt105 promotes high-fidelity DNA replication and repair by regulating the single-stranded DNA binding factor RPA.” PNAS, 118 (25): e2106393118 (2021)
18. Ya-Jun Yang, Hai-Long Dong, Xiao-Wei Qiang, Hang Fu, Er-Chi Zhou, Chen Zhang, Lei Yin, Xue-Feng Chen, Fu-Chao Jia, Liang Dai, Zhi-Jie Tan, and Xing-Hua Zhang*. “Cytosine methylation enhances DNA condensation revealed by equilibrium measurements using magnetic tweezers”. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 142 (20): 9203-9209 (2020)
19. Hang Fu#, Chen Zhang#, Xiao-Wei Qiang#, Ya-Jun Yang, Zhi-Jie Tan* and Xing-Hua Zhang*. “Opposite effects of high-valent cations on the elasticities of DNA and RNA duplexes revealed by magnetic tweezers.” Physical Review Letters. 124(5): 058101 (2020)
20. Chen Zhang#, Hang Fu#, Yajun Yang#, Erchi Zhou, Zhijie Tan, Huijuan You, Xinghua Zhang*. “The Mechanical Properties of RNA-DNA Hybrid Duplex Stretched by Magnetic Tweezers”. Biophysical Journal. 116 (2): 196-204 (2019) (Selected as the best paper of 2019)
21. Ya-Jun Yang#, Lun Song, Xiao-Cong Zhao, Chen Zhang, Wen-Qiang Wu, Hui-Juan You, Hang Fu, Er-Chi Zhou, Xing-Hua Zhang*. “A Universal Assay for Making DNA, RNA, and RNA-DNA Hybrid Configurations for Single-Molecule Manipulation in Two or Three Steps without Ligation”. ACS synthetic biology. 8(7): 1663-1672 (2019)
22. Ju-Hui Liu #, Kun Xi #, Xi Zhang, Lei Bao, Xing-Hua Zhang*, Zhi-Jie Tan*. “Structural Flexibility of DNA-RNA Hybrid Duplex: Stretching and Twist-Stretch Coupling”. Biophysical Journal. 117 (1): 74-86 (2019)
23. Xiao-Cong Zhao #, Hang Fu, Lun Song, Ya-Jun Yang, Er-Chi Zhou, Guang-Xue Liu, Xue-Feng Chen, Zhuo Li, Wen-Qiang Wu, Xing-Hua Zhang*, “S‑DNA and RecA/RAD51-Mediated Strand Exchange in Vitro”. Biochemistry. 58 (15): 2009-2016 (2019)
As the first author:
1. Xinghua Zhang, Yuanyuan Qu, Hu Chen, Ioulia Rouzina, Shengli Zhang, Patrick S. Doyle*, and Jie Yan*, “Interconversion between three overstretched DNA structures.” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 136 (45): 16073-16080 (2014)
2. Xinghua Zhang, Hu Chen, Shimin Le, Ioulia Rouzina, Patrick S. Doyle*, and Jie Yan*, “Revealing the competition between peeled ssDNA, melting bubbles and S-DNA during DNA overstretching by single-molecule calorimetry”, PNAS, 110 (10): 3865-3870 (2013)
3. Xinghua Zhang, Hu Chen, Hongixa Fu, Patrick S. Doyle*, and Jie Yan*, "Two distinct overstretched DNA structures revealed by single-molecule thermodynamics measurements", PNAS, 109 (21): 8103-8108 (2012)
4. Xinghua Zhang, Bin Xiao, Ximiao Hou, Chunhua Xu, Pengye Wang and Ming Li*, “Study of Cisplatin-Induced DNA Compaction Using Single Molecule Magnetic-tweezers” Acta Physica Sinica, 58, 4301-4306 (2009)
5. Xinghua Zhang, Ximiao Hou, Chao Ji, Ming Li and Pengye Wang*, “Spermidine-Induced Two Dimensional DNA Condensation on Mica Surface: A Different Pathway from the Condensation in Solution” Chinese Science Bulletin, 54, 2425-2433 (2009)
