{"id":7868,"date":"2025-05-22T10:53:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T02:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/?post_type=faculty&p=7868"},"modified":"2025-09-22T14:03:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T06:03:47","slug":"zhou-yilong","status":"publish","type":"faculty","link":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/","title":{"rendered":"Zhou Yilong"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Affiliation<\/h3>\n

Principal Investigator, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, NUS<\/p>\n

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS<\/p>\n

\n

Honors and Awards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Award<\/strong><\/td>\nYear(s)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Presidential Young Professorship, National University of Singapore<\/td>\n2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
EMBO Long-Term Fellowship<\/td>\n2018<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n

Research Summary<\/h3>\n

RNA is continuously transcribed, processed, exported, translated, and degraded within cells, a dynamic process shaped by various RNA-binding proteins, membrane organelles, and biomolecular condensates\u2014like a river shaped by rocks, banks, and lakes. Our lab investigates the dynamics of RNA flux, focusing on understanding RNA-Protein interactions and RNA- protein phase separation under stress and disease conditions. We aim to uncover RNA-related disease mechanisms and identify therapeutic RNA targets. Our approach spans molecular to animal models, integrating advanced technologies such as deep sequencing, mass spectrometry, phase separation assays, FLASH, and our self-developed “FANCI” method.<\/p>\n

\n

Research Details<\/h3>\n

Our research focuses on understanding how cells respond to dangerous RNA species, including endogenous damaged RNA and exogenous virus RNA, under different stress and pathological conditions.<\/p>\n

We developed a new method called \u201cFANCI\u201d and identified a unique subtype of RNA condensates known as DHX9 stress granules (SGs) in the cells. These DHX9 SGs sequester damaged intron RNA in the cytosol and activate a series of protective stress responses such as inflammation and P62 autophagy as well as protein translation shutdown. Their assembly represents a novel cytoprotective mechanism in cells, safeguarding them from RNA damage (Figure 1, left panel).<\/p>\n

Moreover, we identified two critical but distinct regulators\u2014CSNK1E (a kinase) and PLCB2 (a phospholipase)\u2014that control immune responses to virus dsRNA. Using cell and animal models, along with patient-derived samples, we revealed their physiological roles and underlying molecular mechanisms (Figure 1, right panel).<\/p>\n

In the future, we aim to further investigate the principles and molecular mechanisms underlying \u201ctoxic\u201d RNA response, with the goal of using this knowledge to gain insights into RNA-related disease mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h3>\n
\n

Selected Publications<\/h3>\n

1. Zhou, Y., Panhale, A., Shvedunova, M., Balan, M., Gomez-Auli, A., Holz, H., Seyfferth, J., Helmst\u00e4dter, M., Kayser, S., Zhao, Y., Erdogdu, N. U., Grzadzielewska, I., Mittler, G., Manke, T., & Akhtar, A. (2024). RNA damage compartmentalization by DHX9 stress granules.<\/a> Cell. 187(7):1701-1718.e28.<\/p>\n

2. Wang, F., Zhao, M., Chang, B., Zhou, Y., Wu, X., Ma, M., Liu, S., Cao, Y., Zheng, M., Dang, Y., Xu, J., Chen, L., Liu, T., Tang, F., Ren, Y., Xu, Z., Mao, Z., Huang, K., Luo, M., \u2026 Ge, B. (2022). Cytoplasmic PARP1 links the genome instability to the inhibition of antiviral immunity through PARylating cGAS.<\/a> Molecular Cell, 82(11), 2032\u20132049.e7.<\/p>\n

3. Wang, L., Liu, Z., Wang, J., Liu, H., Wu, J., Tang, T., Li, H., Yang, H., Qin, L., Ma, D., Chen, J., Liu, F., Wang, P., Zheng, R., Song, P., Zhou, Y., Cui, Z., Wu, X., Huang, X., \u2026 Ge, B. (2019). Oxidization of TGF\u03b2-activated kinase by MPT53 is required for immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.<\/a> Nature Microbiology, 4(8), 1378\u20131388.<\/p>\n

4. Wang, L.*, Zhou, Y.*, Chen, Z.*, Sun, L., Wu, J., Li, H., Liu, F., Wang, F., Yang, C., Yang, J., Leng, Q., Zhang, Q., Xu, A., Shen, L., Sun, J., Wu, D., Fang, C., Lu, H., Yan, D., & Ge, B. (2019). PLC\u03b22 negatively regulates the inflammatory response to virus infection by inhibiting phosphoinositide-mediated activation of TAK1.<\/a> Nature Communications, 10(1), 746. (co-first author)<\/p>\n

5. Liu, F., Chen, J., Wang, P., Li, H., Zhou, Y., Liu, H., Liu, Z., Zheng, R., Wang, L., Yang, H., Cui, Z., Wang, F., Huang, X., Wang, J., Sha, W., Xiao, H., & Ge, B. (2018). MicroRNA-27a controls the intracellular survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by regulating calcium-associated autophagy.<\/a> Nature Communications, 9(1), 4295.<\/p>\n

6. Zheng, R., Liu, H., Zhou, Y., Yan, D., Chen, J., Ma, D., Feng, Y., Qin, L., Liu, F., Huang, X., Wang, J., & Ge, B. (2018). Notch4 Negatively Regulates the Inflammatory Response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection by Inhibiting TAK1 Activation.<\/a> The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 218(2), 312\u2013323.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7871,"parent":0,"menu_order":39,"template":"","faculty_category":[12,58],"class_list":["post-7868","faculty","type-faculty","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","faculty_category-academic-faculty","faculty_category-academic-faculty-academic-faculty"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nZhou Yilong - Department of Biochemistry \u2013 School of Medicine, National University of Singapore<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zhou Yilong - Department of Biochemistry \u2013 School of Medicine, National University of Singapore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Affiliation Principal Investigator, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, NUS Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine,...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Department of Biochemistry \u2013 School of Medicine, National University of Singapore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-22T06:03:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/05\/IMG_5389.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"397\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"579\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/\",\"name\":\"Zhou Yilong - Department of Biochemistry \u2013 School of Medicine, National University of Singapore\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/05\/IMG_5389.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-22T02:53:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-22T06:03:47+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/05\/IMG_5389.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/05\/IMG_5389.jpeg\",\"width\":397,\"height\":579},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Zhou Yilong\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/\",\"name\":\"Department of Biochemistry \u2013 School of Medicine, National University of Singapore\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Zhou Yilong - Department of Biochemistry \u2013 School of Medicine, National University of Singapore","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Zhou Yilong - Department of Biochemistry \u2013 School of Medicine, National University of Singapore","og_description":"Affiliation Principal Investigator, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, NUS Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine,...","og_url":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/","og_site_name":"Department of Biochemistry \u2013 School of Medicine, National University of Singapore","article_modified_time":"2025-09-22T06:03:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":397,"height":579,"url":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/05\/IMG_5389.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/","url":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/","name":"Zhou Yilong - Department of Biochemistry \u2013 School of Medicine, National University of Singapore","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/05\/IMG_5389.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-05-22T02:53:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-22T06:03:47+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/05\/IMG_5389.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/05\/IMG_5389.jpeg","width":397,"height":579},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/faculty\/zhou-yilong\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Zhou Yilong"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/#website","url":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/","name":"Department of Biochemistry \u2013 School of Medicine, National University of Singapore","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faculty\/7868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faculty"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/faculty"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"faculty_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/bch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faculty_category?post=7868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}