Researchers working with Tong Zhang are doing enormously important work. These advanced methods are helping them unravel the complex molecular messaging systems that exist beyond the complexity of DNA structures. Zhang is part of the Predictive Phenomics Initiative, a collaborative effort aimed at deciphering the processes that determine traits in people, plants, and all forms of life. This effort aims to rein in these processes, increasing the prospect for a wide variety of applications from industry to medicine that utilize tech advances.
Zhang’s team has pioneered new imaging techniques for preserving, then measuring molecular events. This new innovation provides an unprecedented set of powerful tools for scientists to investigate the complex world of molecular modifications. These advancements allow for a deeper investigation into how organisms respond to various stimuli, such as nutrient limitations and viral infections. The impacts of this work are deep and broad – from informing the changing nature of industrial production all the way to the health sciences.
Innovations in Molecular Measurement
To address this challenge, Zhang’s research pioneered CRISPR-based approaches that allow for the detection of dozens of molecular modifications at once. His team is able to identify tens of thousands of edits in only a single experiment on a genome scale. This is no small accomplishment, given just how small these molecular modifications are. As a result, they can now study phosphorylation and redox modifications in the same study. Combining spatial transcriptomics and single-cell sequencing provides an unprecedented look into the multicellular response.
“This is crucial because a typical molecular modification weighs far less than one trillionth of one billionth of a single gram,” Zhang explained. These methods are ridiculously finicky. They track transient molecular interactions that govern the rules behind how life operates on a cellular scale.
Through their studies, Zhang and his colleagues have identified significant shifts in two types of modifications: redox modifications and phosphorylation across various protein pathways. Gaining a holistic understanding of these shifts will help researchers suss out how various proteins evolve to thrive and do their work in dramatically different environments.
Applications in Biotechnology and Health
Like many of Zhang’s research efforts, Zhang’s work goes beyond fundamental science. It has practical applications in biotechnology and health. In a tremendous scientific feat, the team made Rhodotorula toruloides noteworthy. This red yeast is key to producing oleochemicals that are important in skincare products, food production, and bioplastics. Their discoveries landed them in the journal Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts. This study provides some possible solutions to increase yield in bioproducts.
Zhang’s group investigated the impacts of molecular modifications on the body’s response to viral infections. Their recent review paper in Frontiers in Immunology highlights a new and crucial role of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in protecting us from viral incursions. “The role of PTMs in viral attack is an emerging field,” Zhang stated, underscoring the potential for developing new therapeutic strategies.
Zhang’s work brings new efficiencies to manufacturing. Alongside its era-defining interventions to stimulate innovation, it commits to historic advances in the science of how the body utilizes its resources to combat viral infection. “Perhaps there is something we can do on the PTM level so that the organism channels more of its energy into what you want the cells to make,” he suggested.
Understanding Molecular Signaling Networks
A key aspect of Zhang’s work is understanding how molecular signals are linked together. He is figuring out which signals are most influential on cellular activity. Zhang has pioneered cool new ways to “eavesdrop” on these signaling frameworks. To date, he has documented more than 600 unique types of improvements and is still adding to this list.
Zhang continues, DNA contains the instructions for about 20,000 different genes, and each gene can be translated into an entirely different protein. Further, he believes, the body has a miraculous capacity to adapt and control these proteins. “A person has roughly 20,000 genes that may code for 20,000 proteins, but with many ways to accessorize and modify that protein, there are millions of possible protein forms and functions,” he noted. This complexity gives the body extraordinary adaptability to dynamic and new surroundings.
Zhang’s breakthrough makes an important contribution to scientific knowledge and it creates new opportunities to engineer and manipulate these molecular processes to positive ends. His methods have come a long way since then in terms of both precision and sensitivity. This great leap forward allows scientists to pursue new and unfamiliar frontiers in molecular biology.