Q. Xiong

Engineering customized viral receptors for various coronaviruses

This paper develops a method to engineer customized viral receptors (CVRs) for various coronaviruses, enabling infection models for viruses lacking known receptors.

Sarbecovirus RBD indels and specific residues dictating ACE2 multi-species adaptiveness

This study identifies RBM indel types in sarbecoviruses and their impact on ACE2 receptor usage across species, revealing how specific residues and structural features influence tropism and adaptiveness.

DNA origami vaccine (DoriVac) nanoparticles improve both humoral and cellular immune responses to infectious diseases

This study demonstrates that DNA origami vaccine nanoparticles enhance both humoral and cellular immune responses against infectious diseases like SARS-CoV-2, HIV, and Ebola.

Multiple independent acquisitions of ACE2 usage in MERS-related coronaviruses

The paper identifies two European bat MERS-related coronaviruses that use ACE2 as their receptor, revealing a distinct binding mode and host tropism determinants.

Duckweed evolution: from land back to water

This study investigates the reverse evolution of duckweed from land back to water, showing gradual degeneration in root structure, stomatal function, and lignocellulose content, along with gene pathway changes.

Genomic Analysis of Blomia tropicalis Identifies Novel Allergens for Component-Resolved Diagnosis of Mite Allergy

This study identifies a comprehensive allergen profile of Blomia tropicalis and validates novel allergens for component-resolved diagnosis of mite allergy.

Multi-Omic Analysis of Tyrophagus putrescentiae Reveals Insights into the Allergen Complexity of Storage Mites

This study reveals a comprehensive allergen profile of Tyrophagus putrescentiae using multi-omic approaches, identifying 37 allergen groups and five novel allergens.

Broad host tropism of ACE2-using MERS-related coronaviruses and determinants restricting viral recognition

The paper identifies host range determinants of ACE2-using MERS-related coronaviruses by analyzing receptor recognition across mammals.

Endogenous Plasmids and Reductive Genome Evolution in Host-Associated Bacteria

This study investigates reductive genome evolution in Cardinium endosymbionts, identifying endogenous plasmids and their enzymes as drivers of genome reduction.

Gene Novelties in Amphioxus Illuminate the Early Evolution of Cephalochordates

This study identifies gene novelties in Amphioxus genomes that contribute to adaptive traits like immunity, glycolysis, and calcium regulation, offering insights into early deuterostome evolution.

Omicron-specific mRNA vaccination alone and as a heterologous booster against SARS-CoV-2

This study evaluates an Omicron-specific mRNA vaccine, showing it elicits strong antibody responses and outperforms WT boosters against Omicron and Delta variants.

Close relatives of MERS-CoV in bats use ACE2 as their functional receptors

This study identifies ACE2 as the receptor for NeoCoV and PDF-2180-CoV, two close MERS-CoV relatives in bats, showing they can use bat ACE2 and, with mutation, human ACE2.

Systems immune profiling of variant-specific vaccination against SARS-CoV-2

This study evaluates variant-specific LNP-mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, showing differential neutralization and immune responses in animal models.

Quorum sensing signal autoinducer-2 inhibits sporulation of Bacillus by interacting with RapC and functions across species

This study identifies AI-2 as a quorum sensing signal that inhibits sporulation in Bacillus velezensis SQR9 by interacting with RapC and ComA, revealing a population-level regulatory mechanism.

The beneficial rhizobacterium Bacillus velezensis acquires iron from roots via a type VII secretion system for colonization

This study shows that Bacillus velezensis SQR9 uses a type VII secretion system to acquire iron from plant roots, enhancing its colonization.

Subcellular dynamics studies reveal how tissue-specific distribution patterns of iron are established in developing wheat grains

The paper tracks iron translocation in wheat grains using isotope labeling and imaging, revealing symplastic transport and new iron storage structures.

A DNA-origami nuclear pore mimic reveals nuclear entry mechanisms of HIV-1 capsid

This study uses DNA-origami NPC mimics to show HIV-1 capsid uses a trimeric interface and RRR motif to pass through nuclear pores, bypassing the FG motif of NUP153.

Sorting liposomes of distinct sizes by DNA-brick assisted centrifugation

This paper introduces a DNA-brick assisted centrifugation method to sort liposomes by size, enabling the study of membrane curvature effects on protein activity.

Split-miniSOG for detecting and localizing intracellular protein-protein interactions: application to correlated light and electron microscopy

The paper introduces Split-miniSOG, a PCA method to detect and localize PPIs using correlated light and electron microscopy.