Research

• Structural and molecular studies of GPCRs activation and signal transduction

• Structure guided novel drug screening and design

• Structural determination of the small trans-membrane proteins with protein engineering

• AI-driven protein design

Publications

2025:

1. Xiaohong Sang*, Haizhan Jiao*, Qian Meng, Xiong Fang, Qi Pan, Jiao Zhou, Tingli Qian, Wanqin Zhang, Yan Xu, Jing An#, Ziwei Huang#, Hongli Hu#, Structural Mechanisms Underlying the Modulation of CXCR4 by Diverse Small Molecule Antagonists. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2025, 122(11): e2425795122.

2. Risheng Wei*, Qiang Chen*, Lei Zhang, Congcong Liu, Chuang Liu#, Chang-Cheng Yin# & Hongli Hu#, Structural insights into transmembrane helix S0 facilitated RyR1 channel gating by Ca2+/ATP. Nature Communications 16,1936 (2025)

3. Yixuan Zhong*, Huihui Tao*, Yu Zhang, Binbin He, Haizhan Jiao, Dandan Wang, Maikun Teng, Hongli Hu#, Qiong Guo#, Yuyong Tao#. Structure-guided engineering of snake toxins for selective modulation of adrenergic and muscarinic receptors. Nature Communications 16, 6478 (2025).

4. Meijun Si*, Jingpeng Fu*, Mengting Fang, Yunfei Lu, Junxuan Huang, Haojie Li, Peiyi Wang, Maofu Liao, Jian Zhu, Peiyao Li, Wenzhao Zhong, Zhifei Guo, Wei Yang, Zhiming Ye, Hongli Hu #& Xueqing Yu#, Lysosome-mediated aggregation of galactose-deficient IgA1 with transferrin receptor 1 links to IgA nephropathy. Nature Communications 16, 5536 (2025).

5. Yiming Li, Haizhan Jiao, Hongli Hu, Yuyong Tao#, Qiong Guo#, Inhibition Molecular Mechanism of α2 Adrenergic Receptor Activation by Antagonist. The FASEB Journal 39 (11), e70624.

6. Zhiheng Shangguan, Kaiqiang Yang, Qi Pan, Hongli Hu, Pan Wang#,Dye intermediates N-phenyl-2-naphthylamine and o-tolidine are novel environmental androgens with reproductive toxicity in male rats, Reproductive Toxicology,Volume 136,2025,108955.

2024:

7. Qi Pan*, Haizhan Jiao*, Wanqin Zhang*, Qiang Chen, Geshu Zhang, Jianhai Yu, Wei Zhao, Hongli Hu#, The step-by-step assembly mechanism of secreted flavivirus NS1 tetramer and hexamer captured at atomic resolution. Science Advance, 10 (18), eadm8275 (2024).

8. Haizhan Jiao*, Bin Pang*, Aijun Liu, Qiang Chen, Qi Pan, Xiankun Wang, Yunong Xu, Ying-Chih Chiang#, Ruobing Ren#, Hongli Hu#. Structural insights into the activation and inhibition of CXC chemokine receptor 3. Nat Struct Mol Biol, 31: 610–620 (2024).

9. Qiong Guo*, Binbin He*, Yixuan Zhong*, Haizhan Jiao*, Yinhang Ren, Qinggong Wang, Qiangqiang Ge, Yongxiang Gao, Xiangyu Liu, Yang Du, Hongli Hu#, Yuyong Tao#. A method for structure determination of GPCRs in various states. Nat Chem Biol, 20 (1), 74-82 (2024).

10. Qi Pan*, Xiaomin Xing*, Jianhai Yu*, Qiang Chen*, Haizhan Jiao, Wanqin Zhang, Yingfen Wen, Ming Gao, Wei Zhao#, Lei Yu#, Hongli Hu#, Structural insights into the distinct protective mechanisms of human antibodies targeting ZIKV NS1. hLife, (2024).

11. Bing Liang Alvin Chew#, Qi Pan#, Hongli Hu#, Dahai Luo#, Structural Biology of Flavivirus NS1 Protein and Its Antibody Complexes. Antiviral Research, 105915 (2024).

12. Qi Pan, Qiang Chen, Wanqin Zhang, Haizhan Jiao, Lei Yu#, Hongli Hu#. Structural Insights into the Dynamic Assembly of a YFV sNS1 Tetramer. Viruses, 16, 1212 (2024) .

13. Zhuo Han*, Rui Wang*, Pengliang Chi*, Zihan Zhang*, Ling Min*, Haizhan Jiao, Guojin Ou, Dan Zhou, Dandan Qin, Chengpeng Xu, Zheng Gao, Qianqian Qi, Jialu Li, Yuechao Lu, Xiang Wang, Jing Chen, Xingjiang Yu, Hongli Hu, Lei Li#, Dong Deng#. The subcortical maternal complex modulates the cell cycle during early mammalian embryogenesis via 14-3-3. Nature Communications 15, 8887 (2024).

 2023:

14. Jiao, Haizhan*, Bin Pang*, Ying-Chih Chiang, Qiang Chen, Qi Pan, Ruobing Ren#, and Hongli Hu#. "Structure basis for the modulation of CXC chemokine receptor 3 by antagonist AMG487." Cell discovery 9:119 (2023).

15. Pang, Bin*, Leiye Yu*, Tong Li*, Haizhan Jiao, Xiaomei Wu, Jinxin Wang, Ruiping He, Yurou Zhang, Juan Wang, Hongli Hu, Wei Dai#, Li Chen#, Ruobing Ren#. "Molecular basis of Spns2-facilitated sphingosine-1-phosphate transport." Cell Research. 34 (2), 173-176 (2024).

16. Bing Gan*, Leiye Yu*, Haifeng Yang*, Haizhan Jiao, Bin Pang, Yian Chen, Chen Wang, Rui Lv, Hongli Hu, Zhijian Cao#, Ruobing Ren#. Mechanism of agonist-induced activation of the human itch receptor MRGPRX1. PLoS Biol, 2023. 21(6): p. e3001975.

2022:

17. Chen, G.*, X. Wang*, Q. Liao*, Y. Ge*, H. Jiao, Q. Chen, Y. Liu, W. Lyu, L. Zhu, G. C. P. van Zundert, M. J. Robertson, G. Skiniotis, Y. Du#, H. Hu#, and R. D. Ye#. Structural Basis for Recognition of N-Formyl Peptides as Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns. Nat Commun. 2022. 119(16): p. e2117716119.

18. Leiye Yu*, Licong He*, Bing Gan*, Rujuan Ti, Qingjie Xiao, Hongi Hu, Lizhe Zhu, Sheng Wang, Ruobing Ren. Structural Insights into sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor activation. PNAS. (2022). 119 (16) e2117716119.

2020:

19. Chen, G., X. Wang, Y. Ge, L. Ma, Q. Chen, H. Liu, Y. Du, R. D. Ye#, H. Hu# and R. Ren#. (2020). Cryo-EM structure of activated bile acids receptor TGR5 in complex with stimulatory G protein. Signal Transduct Target Ther 5(1): 142.

20. Staus, D.P.*, Hu, H.*, Robertson, M.J.*, Kleinhenz, A.L.W., Wingler, L.M., Capel, W.D., Latorraca, N.R., Lefkowitz, R.J., and Skiniotis, G. (2020). Structure of the M2 muscarinic receptor-beta-arrestin complex in a lipid nanodisc. Nature 579, 297-302.

21. Hilger, D.*, Kumar, K.K.*, Hu, H.*, Pedersen, M.F., O’Brien, E.S., Giehm, L., Jennings, C., Eskici, G., Inoue, A., and Lerch, M. (2020). Structural insights into differences in G protein activation by family A and family B GPCRs. Science 369(6503).

22. Liu, D.M., Chen, Q., Zhang, L., Hu,H., Yin, C.C. AgsA oligomer acts as a functional unit. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2020. 530(1): p. 22-28.

2019:

23. Gao, Y.*, Hu, H.*, Ramachandran, S.*, Erickson, J.W., Cerione, R.A., and Skiniotis, G. (2019). Structures of the Rhodopsin-Transducin Complex: Insights into G-Protein Activation. Mol Cell 75, 781-790 e783.

24. Koehl, A.*, Hu, H.*, Feng, D.*, Sun, B., Zhang, Y., Robertson, M.J., Chu, M., Kobilka, T.S., Laeremans, T., Steyaert, J., et al. (2019). Structural insights into the activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors. Nature 566, 79-84.

25. Kato, H.E.*, Zhang, Y.*, Hu, H., Suomivuori, C.M., Kadji, F.M.N., Aoki, J., Krishna Kumar, K., Fonseca, R., Hilger, D., Huang, W., et al. (2019). Conformational transitions of a neurotensin receptor 1-Gi1 complex. Nature 572, 80-85.