研究简介
本课题组主要运用分子生物学、细胞生物学、三维基因组学并结合基因编辑等研究手段，采用干实验和湿实验相结合的方式，研究干细胞命运决定、胚胎发育以及人类疾病发生发展的表观遗传调控机制。主要研究内容包括：1）研究“染色质环”等染色质高级结构形成的分子机制；2）开发表观新技术，并解析干细胞命运决定和早期胚胎发育中不同维度染色质交互调控的机理；3）运用基因编辑方式，构建肺癌发生模型，研究肺癌发生发展的表观遗传调控机制；4）筛选调控肺癌发展的表观遗传新靶标，并进行药物干预。
荣誉奖励
1. 国家杰出青年科学基金获得者
2. 国务院政府特殊津贴专家
3. 国家重点研发计划项目首席科学家
4. 广东省自然科学一等奖（第一完成人）
5. 广州市科技创新杰出人才
代表性成果
1. Yaoyi Li#, Qing Li#, Xinxiu Wang#, Chao Di, Yingliang Sheng, Ying Ma, Junzhi Liao, Qingqing Cai, Sainan Huang, Jiayu Chen, Guangming Wu, Lingling Zhang, Guangjin Pan, Shaorong Gao, Hongjie Yao*. R-loops orchestrate RNAPII transcriptional reprogramming for the maternal-to-zygotic transition. Cell Research. 2026. 36(3):181-196. (Cover story)
2. Yaoyi Li#, Yingliang Sheng#, Chao Di, Hongjie Yao*. Base-pair resolution reveals clustered R-loops and DNA damage-susceptible R-loops. Molecular Cell. 2025. 85(8):1686-1702.e5. (Featured Article)
3. Xiuqin Wang, Gongcheng Hu, Lisha Wang, Yuli Lu, Yanjiang Liu, Shengxiong Yang, Junzhi Liao, Qian Zhao, Qiuling Huang, Wentao Wang, Wenjing Guo, Heying Li, Yu Fu, Yawei Song, Qingqing Cai, Xiaofei Zhang, Xiangting Wang, Yue-Qin Chen, Xiaorong Zhang, Hongjie Yao*. DEAD-box RNA helicase 10 is required for 18S rRNA maturation by controlling the release of U3 snoRNA from pre-rRNA in embryonic stem cells. Nature Communications. 2024. 15(1):10303. (Highlighted by Nature Communications Editor).
4. Rong Guo#, Xiaotao Dong#, Feng Chen, Tianrong Ji, Qiannan He, Jie Zhang, Yingliang Sheng, Yanjiang Liu, Shengxiong Yang, Weifang Liang, Yawei Song, Ke Fang, Lingling Zhang, Gongcheng Hu, Hongjie Yao*. TEAD2 initiates the ground-state pluripotency by mediating chromatin looping. The EMBO Journal. 2024. 43(10):1965-1989.
5. Jie Zhang#, Gongcheng Hu#, Yuli Lu#, Huawei Ren#, Yin Huang, Yulin Wen, Binrui Ji, Diyang Wang, Haidong Wang, Huisheng Liu, Ning Ma, Lingling Zhang, Guangjin Pan, Yibo Qu, Hua Wang, Wei Zhang, Zhichao Miao, Hongjie Yao*. CTCF mutation at R567 causes developmental disorders by 3D genome rearrangement and abnormal neurodevelopment. Nature Communications. 2024. 15(1):5524.
6. Yanjiang Liu#, Gongcheng Hu#, Shengxiong Yang, Mingze Yao, Zicong Liu, Chenghong Yan, Yulin Wen, Wangfang Ping, Juehan Wang, Yawei Song, Xiaotao Dong, Guangjin Pan, Hongjie Yao*. Functional dissection of PRC1 subunits RYBP and YAF2 during neural differentiation of embryonic stem cells. Nature Communications. 2023. 14(1):7164.
7. Xiaotao Dong#, Rong Guo#, Tianrong Ji, Jie Zhang, Jun Xu, Yaoyi Li, Yingliang Sheng, Yuxiang Wang, Ke Fang, Yulin Wen, Bei Liu, Gongcheng Hu, Hongkui Deng, Hongjie Yao*. 2022. YY1 safeguard multidimensional epigenetic landscape associated with extended pluripotency. Nucleic Acids Research. 2022. 50(21):12019-12038. (Breakthrough article)
8. Yaoyi Li#, Yawei Song#, Wei Xu#, Qin Li#, Xinxiu Wang, Kuan Li, Juehan Wang, Zicong Liu, Sergiy Velychko, Rong Ye, Qing Xia, Lei Wang, Rong Guo, Xiaotao Dong, Zhikai Zheng, Yushuang Dai, Haojie Li, Mingze Yao, Yuanchao Xue, Hans R Schöler, Qianwen Sun, Hongjie Yao. R-Loops coordinate with SOX2 in regulating reprogramming to pluripotency. Science Advances 2020. 6, Eaba0777.
9. Jiao Li#, Kaimeng Huang#, Gongcheng Hu#, Isaac A Babarinde, Yaoyi Li, Xiaotao Dong, Yu-Sheng Chen, Liping Shang, Wenjing Guo, Junwei Wang, Zhaoming Chen, Andrew P Hutchins, Yun-Gui Yang, Hongjie Yao. An alternative CTCF isoform antagonizes canonical CTCF occupancy and changes chromatin architecture to promote apoptosis. Nature Communications. 2019. 10(1): 1535. (Featured article)
10. Huanhuan Li#, Ping Lai#, Jinping Jia#, Yawei Song, Qing Xia, Kaimeng Huang, Na He, Wangfang Ping, Jiayu Chen, Zhongzhou Yang, Jiao Li, Mingze Yao, Xiaotao Dong, Jicheng Zhao, Chunhui Hou, Miguel A. Esteban, Shaorong Gao, Duanqing Pei, Andrew P. Hutchins, Hongjie Yao*. RNA Helicase DDX5 Inhibits Reprogramming to Pluripotency by miRNA-based Repression of RYBP and its PRC1-dependent and -independent Functions. Cell Stem Cell. 2017. 20(4):462-477. (Previewed by Cell Stem Cell)
