Haitao Yang, Ph.D.

Executive Director of SIAIS

Principal Investigator

Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies (SIAIS)

Professor

School of Life Science and Technology (SLST)

Email: yanght@@shanghaitech.edu.cn


Education and Working Experience

1997-2001, Sichuan University, B.S.

2001-2006, Tsinghua University, Ph. D.

2006-2011, Yale University, Postdoctoral Fellow

2011-2013, Yale University, Associate Research Scientist

2013-2017, Tianjin University, Full Professor & Vice Dean of School of Life Sciences

2018-present, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies (SIAIS), Research Professor/Deputy Director/Executive Director

2018-2022/11, ShanghaiTech University, School of Life Science and Technology, Associate Professor

2022/11-Present, ShanghaiTech University, School of Life Science and Technology, Professor (TENURED)

Research Interests

Viruses are significant pathogens involved in human diseases throughout human history. Many of these virus-related human diseases have zoonotic origins, such as AIDS, bird flu, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). We focus on the essential stages of the viral life cycle: cellular entry, replication and transcription of the viral genome, and virion assembly and release to identify the pivotal targets for drug development.

To study the underlying mechanisms of interplay between viruses and their hosts will also help reveal new drug targets. Innate host immunity is the first line of defense against pathogen infection, playing a critical role in host resistance to pathogenic microorganisms. Interestingly, the viruses have evolved a variety of strategies to antagonize host restriction and escape the innate immune response. The interaction between host antiviral proteins and viral antagonizing proteins constitutes a dynamic and sophisticated network. Thus, strategies that boost the roles of host restriction while diminishing viral antagonism may lead to new therapies against viral infection.

Selected Publications

  1. Yao Zhao#*; Yan Zhu*; Xiang Liu*; Zhenming Jin; Yinkai Duan; Qi Zhang; Chengyao Wu; Lu Feng; Xiaoyu Du; Jinyi Zhao; Maolin Shao; Bing Zhang; Xiuna Yang; Lijie Wu; Xiaoyun Ji; Luke W. Guddat; Kailin Yang; Zihe Rao#; Haitao Yang#.Structural basis for replicase polyprotein cleavage and substrate specificity of main protease from SARS-CoV-2.PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 05 Apr 2022. 119(16):e2117142119.

  2. Haofeng Wang*; Yunjie Xiao*; Xia Chen*; Mengwen Zhang; Guangxin Sun; Feng Wang; Lin Wang; Hanxiao Zhang; Xiaoyu Zhang; Xin Yang; Wenling Li; Cheng Chen; Wei Shen; Dan Su; Fang Bai; Jinhai Huang; Sheng Ye; Lei Zhang; Xiaoyun Ji; Wei Wang#; Zefang Wang#; Mark Hochstrasser#; Haitao Yang#.Crystal Structures of Wolbachia CidA and CidB Reveal Determinants of Bacteria-induced Cytoplasmic Incompatibility and Rescue.NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 25 Mar 2022. 13(1):1608.

  3. Hangtian Guo*, Yan Gao, Tinghan Li, Tingting Li, Yuchi Lu, Le Zheng, Yue Liu, Tingting Yang, Feiyang Luo, Shuyi Song, Wei Wang, Xiuna Yang, Henry C. Nguyen, Hongkai Zhang, Ailong Huang#, Aishun Jin#, Haitao Yang#, Zihe Rao#, Xiaoyun Ji#Structures of Omicron Spike complexes and implications for neutralizing antibody development, Cell Reports, 15 April 2022, 110770. 

  4. Wei Wang#*; Wen Cui*; Haitao Yang#.Toward an accurate mechanistic understanding of Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility (Invited Review).ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY. 20 Jul 2022.

  5. Lu Lu*; Su Shan; Yang Haitao#; Jiang Shibo#.Antivirals with common targets against highly pathogenic viruses. CELL. 18 Mar 2021. 184(6):1604-1620.

  6. Cui,Wen*; Braun,Elisabeth*; Wang,Wei*; Tang,Jinhong*; Zheng,Yanyan*; Slater,Benjamin; Li,Na; Chen,Cheng; Liu,Qingxiang; Wang,Bin; Li,Xiu; Duan,Yinkai; Xiao,Yunjie; Ti,Rujiao; Hotter,Dominik; Ji,Xiaoyun; Zhang,Lei; Cui,Jun; Xiong,Yong; Sauter,Daniel#; Wang,Zefang#; Kirchhoff,Frank#; Yang,Haitao#.Structural basis for GTP-induced dimerization and antiviral functioin of guanylate-binding proteins. PNAS. 13 Apr 2021. 118(15).             

  7. Jin, Zhenming*; Du, Xiaoyu*; Xu, Yechun*; Deng, Yongqiang*; Liu, Meiqin*; Zhao, Yao; Zhang, Bing; Li, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Leike; Peng, Chao; Duan, Yinkai; Yu, Jing; Wang, Lin; Yang, Kailin; Liu, Fengjiang; Jiang, Rendi; Yang, Xinglou; You, Tian; Liu, Xiaoce; Yang, Xiuna; Bai, Fang; Liu, Hong; Liu, Xiang; Guddat, Luke W.; Xu, Wenqing; Xiao, Gengfu; Qin, Chengfeng; Shi, Zhengli; Jiang, Hualiang#; Rao, Zihe#; Yang, Haitao#.Structure of M-pro from SARS-CoV-2 and discovery of its inhibitors.NATURE. 09 Apr 2020.

  8. Dai, Wenhao*; Zhang, Bing*; Jiang, Xia-Ming*; Su, Haixia*; Li, Jian; Zhao, Yao; Xie, Xiong; Jin, Zhenming; Peng, Jingjing; Liu, Fengjiang; Li, Chunpu; Li, You; Bai, Fang; Wang, Haofeng; Cheng, Xi; Cen, Xiaobo; Hu, Shulei; Yang, Xiuna; Wang, Jiang; Liu, Xiang; Xiao, Gengfu; Jiang, Hualiang; Rao, Zihe; Zhang, Lei-Ke#; Xu, Yechun#; Yang, Haitao#; Liu, Hong#.Structure-based design of antiviral drug candidates targeting the SARS-CoV-2 main protease.SCIENCE. 19 Jun 2020. 368(6497):1331-1335.

  9. Wang, Quan#*; Wu, Jiqin*; Wang, Haofeng*; Gao, Yan*; Liu, Qiaojie*; Mu, An; Ji, Wenxin; Yan, Liming; Zhu, Yan; Zhu, Chen; Fang, Xiang; Yang, Xiaobao; Huang, Yucen; Gao, Hailong; Liu, Fengjiang; Ge, Ji; Sun, Qianqian; Yang, Xiuna; Xu, Wenqing; Liu, Zhijie; Yang, Haitao; Lou, Zhiyong; Jiang, Biao; Guddat, Luke W.; Gong, Peng#; Rao, Zihe#.Structural Basis for RNA Replication by the SARS-CoV-2 Polymerase.CELL. 23 Jul 2020. 182(2):417.

  10. Jin, Zhenming*; Zhao, Yao*; Sun, Yuan*; Zhang, Bing; Wang, Haofeng; Wu, Yan; Zhu, Yan; Zhu, Chen; Hu, Tianyu; Du, Xiaoyu; Duan, Yinkai; Yu, Jing; Yang, Xiaobao; Yang, Xiuna; Yang, Kailin; Liu, Xiang; Guddat, Luke W.; Xiao, Gengfu; Zhang, Leike#; Yang, Haitao#; Rao, Zihe.Structural basis for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 main protease by antineoplastic drug carmofur.NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY. 07 May 2020.

  11. Gao, Yan*; Yan, Liming*; Huang, Yucen*; Liu, Fengjiang*; Zhao, Yao; Cao, Lin; Wang, Tao; Sun, Qianqian; Ming, Zhenhua; Zhang, Lianqi; Ge, Ji; Zheng, Litao; Zhang, Ying; Wang, Haofeng; Zhu, Yan; Zhu, Chen; Hu, Tianyu; Hua, Tian; Zhang, Bing; Yang, Xiuna; Li, Jun; Yang, Haitao; Liu, Zhijie; Xu, Wenqing; Guddat, Luke W.; Wang, Quan#; Lou, Zhiyong#; Rao, Zihe#.Structure of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from COVID-19 virus.SCIENCE. 15 May 2020. 368(6492):779-+.

  12. Zhang, Lu*; Zhao, Yao*; Gao, Yan; Wu, Lijie; Gao, Ruogu; Zhang, Qi; Wang, Yinan; Wu, Chengyao; Wu, Fangyu; Gurcha, Sudagar S.; Veerapen, Natacha; Batt, Sarah M.; Zhao, Wei; Qin, Ling; Yang, Xiuna; Wang, Manfu; Zhu, Yan; Zhang, Bing; Bi, Lijun; Zhang, Xian'en; Yang, Haitao; Guddat, Luke W.; Xu, Wenqing; Wang, Quan#; Li, Jun#; Besra, Gurdyal S.#; Rao, Zihe#.Structures of cell wall arabinosyltransferases with the anti-tuberculosis drug ethambutol.SCIENCE. 12 Jun 2020. 368(6496):1211.

  13. Liu, Fengjiang*; Liang, Jingxi*; Zhang, Bing#*; Gao, Yan*; Yang, Xiuna; Hu, Tianyu; Yang, Haitao; Xu, Wenqing; Guddat, Luke W.; Rao, Zihe#.Structural basis of trehalose recycling by the ABC transporter LpqY-SugABC.SCIENCE ADVANCES. Oct 2020. 6(44).

  14. Zhang, Bing*; Li, Jun#; Yang, Xiaolin; Wu, Lijie; Zhang, Jia; Yang, Yang; Zhao, Yao; Zhang, Lu; Yang, Xiuna; Yang, Xiaobao; Cheng, Xi; Liu, Zhijie; Jiang, Biao; Jiang, Hualiang; Guddat, Luke W.; Yang, Haitao#; Rao, Zihe#.Crystal Structures of Membrane Transporter MmpL3, an Anti-TB Drug Target.CELL. 24 Jan 2019. 176(3):636-+.