Dr Chengzhang Fu
About
Chengzhang Fu studied biotechnology from 2002 to 2006 at Zhejiang University, China. He received his PhD degree in biochemistry and molecular biology at Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011. In 2012, he became Alexander von Humboldt fellow in the group of Professor Rolf Müller at Saarland University, Germany. He continued to work with Professor Müller as a postdoc scientist at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS). In 2019, he joined the “Helmholtz International Labs” programme at HIPS as a junior group leader. His group works on exploring and engineering biosynthetic gene pathways from bacteria and environmental DNA.
2024
Elucidation of unusual biosynthesis and DnaN-targeting mode of action of potent anti-tuberculosis antibiotics Mycoplanecins
Fu C, Liu Y, Walt C, Rasheed S, Bader C, Lukat P, Neuber M, Haeckl F, Blankenfeldt W, Kalinina O, Müller R (2024)
Nat Commun 15 (1)DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44953-5
2023
Discovery and Characterization of a Myxobacterial Lanthipeptide with Unique Biosynthetic Features and Anti-inflammatory Activity
Wang X, Chen X, Wang Z, Zhuang M, Zhong L, Fu C, Garcia R, Müller R, Zhang Y, Yan J, Wu D, Huo L (2023)
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145 (30): 16924-16937DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c06014
The Disorazole Z Family of Highly Potent Anticancer Natural Products from Sorangium cellulosum: Structure, Bioactivity, Biosynthesis, and Heterologous Expression
Gao Y, Birkelbach J, Fu C, Herrmann J, Irschik H, Morgenstern B, Hirschfelder K, Li R, Zhang Y, Jansen R, Müller R (2023)
Microbiology SpectrumDOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00730-23
Insights into the biosynthesis of icumazole, unveiling a distinctive family of crotonyl-CoA carboxylase/reductase
Xie F, Kiefer A, Hirsch A, Kalinina O, Fu C, Müller R (2023)
Cell Reports Physical Science 4 (5)DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101394
2022
Stereoselective Syntheses of Deuterated Pipecolic Acids as Tools to Investigate the Stereoselectivity of the Hydroxylase GetF
Neis N, Xie F, Krug D, Zhao H, Siebert A, Binz T, Fu C, Müller R, Kazmaier U (2022)
Liebigs Ann. 2022 (13)DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202200162
Bursts in biosynthetic gene cluster transcription are accompanied by surges of natural compound production in the myxobacterium Sorangium sp
Boldt J, Lukoševiciute L, Fu C, Steglich M, Bunk B, Junker V, Gollasch A, Trunkwalter B, Mohr K, Beckstette M, …, Müller R, Nübel U (2022)
BookDOI: 10.1101/2022.11.24.517636
Persicamidines-Unprecedented Sesquarterpenoids with Potent Antiviral Bioactivity against Coronaviruses
Keller L, Oueis E, Kaur A, Safaei N, Kirsch S, Gunesch A, Haid S, Rand U, Cicin-Šain L, Fu C, …, Pietschmann T, Müller R (2022)
Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)DOI: 10.1002/anie.202214595
2020
Dual-function chromogenic screening-based CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system for actinomycetes
Wang Q, Xie F, Tong Y, Habisch R, Yang B, Zhang L, Müller R, Fu C (2020)
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 104 (1): 225-239DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-10223-4
2019
Armeniaspirol Antibiotic Biosynthesis: Chlorination and Oxidative Dechlorination Steps Affording Spiro4.4non-8-ene
Fu C, Xie F, Hoffmann J, Wang Q, Bauer A, Brönstrup M, Mahmud T, Müller R (2019)
ChemBioChem 20 (6): 764-769DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800791
Heterologous expression of bacterial natural product biosynthetic pathways
Huo L, Hug J, Fu C, Bian X, Zhang Y, Müller R (2019)
Nat. Prod. Rep. 36: 1412-1436DOI: 10.1039/C8NP00091C
2017
The natural product carolacton inhibits folate-dependent C1 metabolism by targeting FolD/MTHFD
Fu C, Sikandar A, Donner J, Zaburannyi N, Herrmann J, Reck M, Wagner-Döbler I, Koehnke J, Müller R (2017)
Nat Commun 8 (1)DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01671-5
Solving the puzzle of the one-carbon loss in ripostatin biosynthesis
Fu C, Auerbach D, Li Y, Scheid U, Luxenburger E, Garcia R, Irschik H, Müller R (2017)
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 56 (8): 2192-2197DOI: 10.1002/anie.201609950
2016
Isolation, structure elucidation, and (bio)synthesis of Haprolid, a cell-type-specific myxobacterial cytotoxin
Steinmetz H, Li J, Fu C, Zaburannyi N, Kunze B, Harmrolfs K, Schmitt V, Herrmann J, Reichenbach H, Hofle G, Kalesse M, Müller R (2016)
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 55 (34): 10113-7DOI: 10.1002/anie.201603288
2015
Biosynthetic studies of telomycin reveal new lipopeptides with enhanced activity
Fu C, Keller L, Bauer A, Brönstrup M, Froidbise A, Hammann P, Herrmann J, Mondesert G, Kurz M, Schiell M, …, Wink J, Müller R (2015)
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 137 (24): 7692-7705DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b01794