Research interest:
Metabolism not only provides cells with energy and biosynthetic building blocks but also functions as a critical regulatory system that shapes cellular behaviors through diverse mechanisms, thereby connecting metabolism to virtually all aspects of life processes. Our research team is dedicated to uncovering how metabolic signals regulate fundamental cellular activities through complex molecular mechanisms, enabling cells to adapt to dynamic environments.
We further investigate how dysregulated metabolic pathways contribute to the initiation and progression of major human diseases. By integrating classical biochemical, cellular, and molecular biology approaches with advanced multi-omics technologies, we have identified and characterized a series of metabolite-driven protein modifications, including lysine lactylation (mediated by lactate) and lysine β-hydroxybutyrylation (mediated by ketone bodies), revealing new mechanisms by which metabolism directly regulates cellular functions.
Our current research is concentrated on three pivotal areas:
1. Signal-regulatory functions of metabolites— including metabolite-driven post-translational modifications and metabolite-mediated allosteric regulation
2. Regulatory functions of metabolic enzymes beyond metabolism— exploring how metabolic enzymes act as signaling molecules to control cellular behaviors.
3. Metabolic adaptation and novel mechanisms of metabolic regulation— elucidating how cells adapt to metabolic changes and how these regulatory mechanisms contribute to physiology and disease.
Metabolism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_pathway; From wiki
Lactylation
Nature (2019)
Nat Chem Biol (2024)
Nat Metab (2025)
Professor
Di Zhang
Professional Experience
2021.03 – present Assistant Professor,
Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
2021.03 – present Principal Investigator,
Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
2013.09 – 2021.01 Postdoc,
Ben May Department for Cancer Research,
The University of Chicago, USA
HONORS AND AWARDS
2021, Bayer Investigator
2021, Yi Fang Investigator
2022, Peking University Boya Young Fellow
2023, The 22nd Peking University Young Teachers’ Basic Teaching Skills Compet ition, First Prize, Excellent Teaching Plan Award, Best Teaching Demonstration Award, Most Popular Teacher Award, and Ideological and Political Education Award
2023, Peking University School of Life Sciences Dongbao Education Fund Teaching Award
CONTACT
Email: zhangdi@pku.edu.cn
Office Phone: +86-10-62750430
Office Address: Jinguang Life Science Building, Peking University, No.5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, P.R.China 100871
Peking University homepage:
http://www.bio.pku.edu.cn/homes/Index/news_cont_jl/17/1080.html
Personal Homepage:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vU5Sz28AAAAJ&hI=en