Education

09/2006-12/2011  PhD, Microbiology, Shandong University

09/2002-07/2006  Bachelor, Biotechnology, Shandong University

Experience

Date	Affiliation	Position
Sep. 2022-present	State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology,   Shandong University	Professor
Jun. 2018-Aug. 2022	State Key Laboratory   of Microbial Technology, Shandong University	Associate Professor
Jul. 2016-May 2018	Institute of Marine   Science and Technology, Shandong University	Associate Professor
Feb. 2012-Dec. 2015	School of Chemistry   and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University	Post doctor

Research Interests

1. Research on the microbial degradation process of high molecular weight organic matter and underlying mechanism

2. Structural and functional analyses of new enzymes involved in marine organic carbon degradation

3. Bioutilization and bioconversion of marine biomass resources

Research Projects

1. National Natural Science Foundation of China, 42376106, Jan. 2024-Dec. 2027, principal investigator.

2. National Key R&D Program of China, 2024YFC2816005-2, Jan. 2025-Dec. 2027, principal investigator.

3. National Natural Science Foundation of China, 42176229, Jan. 2022-Dec. 2025, principal investigator.

4. National Natural Science Foundation of China, 91751101, Jan. 2018-Dec. 2020, principal investigator.

5. National Natural Science Foundation of China, 41676180, Jan. 2017-Dec. 2020, principal investigator.

6. Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), QNLM2016ORP0310, Apr. 2017-Mar. 2020, principal investigator.

7. Young Scholars Program of Shandong University, 2017WLJH57, Jul. 2017-Jun. 2022, principal investigator.

Representative Publications

1. Zhang YZ^#*, Jiang WX^#, Zhao XM, Hao J, Lu Y, Gao C, Li CY, Qin QL, Chen XL, Chen Y*, Li PY*. The dual-function enzyme PpLipO protects polar marine bacteria from phospholipid peroxidation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2026, 123:e2527470123

2. Wang JP, Zhao XM, Liu XL, Jiang WX, Gao C, Cao HY, Ding HT, Qin QL, Chen XL, Zhang YZ*, Li PY*. Carbohydrate deacetylase, a key enzyme in oxidative chitin degradation, is evolutionarily linked to amino acid deacetylase. J Biol Chem, 2025, 301:108420 (Editors’ Pick)

3. Zhang YS, Zhang YQ, Zhao XM, Liu XL, Qin QL, Liu NH, Xu F, Chen XL, Zhang YZ, Li PY*. Metagenomic insights into the dynamic degradation of brown algal polysaccharides by kelp-associated microbiota. Appl Environ Microbiol, 2024, 90:e0202523

4. Jiang WX^#, Li PY^#*, Chen XL, Zhang YS, Wang JP, Wang YJ, Sheng Q, Sun ZZ, Qin QL, Ren XB, Wang P, Song XY, Chen Y, Zhang YZ*. A pathway for chitin oxidation in marine bacteria. Nat Commun, 2022, 13:5899 (Editors’ Highlights in “Microbiology and infectious diseases”)

5. Qin QL^#, Wang ZB^#, Cha QQ, Liu SS, Ren XB, Fu HH, Sun ML, Zhao DL, McMinn A, Chen Y, Chen XL, Zhang YZ*, Li PY*. Biogeography of culturable marine bacteria from both poles reveals that ‘everything is not everywhere’ at the genomic level. Environ Microbiol, 2022, 24:98-109

6. Zhang Y^#, Ding HT^#, Jiang WX, Zhang X, Cao HY, Wang JP, Li CY, Huang F, Zhang XY, Chen XL, Zhang YZ*, Li PY*. Active site architecture of an acetyl xylan esterase indicates a novel cold adaptation strategy. J Biol Chem, 2021, 297:100841

7. Ren XB, Dang YR, Liu SS, Huang KX, Qin QL, Chen XL, Zhang YZ, Wang YJ*, Li PY*. Identification and characterization of three chitinases with potential in direct conversion of crystalline chitin into N,N’-diacetylchitobiose. Mar Drugs, 2022, 20:165

8. Wang Y^#, Li PY^#, Zhang Y, Cao HY, Wang YJ, Li CY, Wang P, Su HN, Chen Y, Chen XL*, Zhang YZ*. 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose dehydrogenase VvAHGD is a member of a new aldehyde dehydrogenase family and catalyzes by a novel mechanism with conformational switch of two catalytic residues cysteine 282 and glutamate 248. J Mol Biol, 2020, 432:2186-2203

9. Wang YJ, Jiang WX, Zhang YS, Cao HY, Zhang Y, Chen XL, Li CY, Wang P, Zhang YZ, Song XY*, Li PY*. Structural insight into chitin degradation and thermostability of a novel endochitinase from the glycoside hydrolase Family 18. Front Microbiol, 2019, 10:2457

10. Chen XL^#, Zhao F^#, Yue YS, Zhang XY, Zhang YZ, Li PY*. A new group of modular xylanases in glycoside hydrolase family 8 from marine bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol, 2018, 84: e01785-18

11. Li PY^#, Zhang Y^#, Xie BB*, Zhang YQ, Hao J, Wang Y, Wang P, Li CY, Qin QL, Zhang XY, Su HN, Shi M, Zhang YZ, Chen XL*. Structural and mechanistic insights into the improvement of the halotolerance of a marine microbial esterase by increasing intra- and interdomain hydrophobic interactions. Appl Environ Microbiol, 2017, 83: e01286~17

12. Li PY^#, Yao QQ^#, Wang P, Zhang Y, Li Y, Zhang YQ, Hao J, Zhou BC, Chen XL*, Shi M, Zhang YZ, Zhang XY*. A novel subfamily esterase with a homoserine transacetylase-like fold but no transferase activity. Appl Environ Microbiol, 2017, 83：e00131~17

13. Li PY, Chen XL, Ji P, Li CY, Wang P, Zhang Y, Xie BB, Qin QL, Su HN, Zhou BC, Zhang YZ, Zhang XY*. Interdomain hydrophobic interactions modulate the thermostability of microbial esterases from the hormone-sensitive lipase family. J Biol Chem, 2015, 290: 11188~11198

14. Li PY, Ji P, Li CY, Zhang Y, Wang GL, Zhang XY, Xie BB, Qin QL, Chen XL, Zhou BC, Zhang YZ*. Structural basis for dimerization and catalysis of a novel esterase from the GTSAG motif subfamily of the bacterial hormone-sensitive lipase family. J Biol Chem, 2014, 289: 19031~19041

15. Li PY, Xie BB*, Zhang XY, Qin QL, Dang HY, Wang XM, Chen XL, Yu J, Zhang YZ*. Genetic structure of three fosmid-fragments encoding 16S rRNA genes of the Miscellaneous Crenarchaeotic Group (MCG): implications for physiology and evolution of marine sedimentary archaea. Environ Microbiol, 2012, 14: 467~479

Honors and Awards

Young Scholars Program of Shandong University (2017WLJH57)

Patents

1. 一种海洋适冷酯酶及其编码基因E40与应用，第二位。

2. 一种海洋酯酶及其编码基因E32与应用，第二位。