Team Members: Zhao Min, Feng Fujuan, Yang Hongyi, Liu Chengwei, Zhang Jie, Liu Changli, Wang Chunlei, Lu Lei, Wang Hongwei, Yang Hongyan, Wang Pengchao, Li Xiaoyan, Cui Daizong

1. Creation of Critical Enzymes and Construction of Universal High-Efficiency Expression Systems

To address the demand for efficient and large-scale production of high-value compounds—including industrially significant chemicals, novel compounds with application potential, and complex molecules—in agriculture/forestry, environmental protection, fine chemical engineering, and pharmaceutical manufacturing, we integrate interdisciplinary approaches spanning biology, physics, chemistry, informatics, and mathematics. Leveraging computational biology, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data technologies, we decipher structure-function relationships of enzyme proteins and develop core algorithms and toolkits for enzyme molecular design.

Key objectives include:

Designing and engineering industrial enzyme catalysts with high activity, stability, and operational robustness to enhance catalytic performance and industrial applicability, thereby providing novel, practical biocatalysts for new products and processes.

Developing eukaryotic and prokaryotic host systems with well-defined intellectual property rights. We investigate molecular mechanisms underlying high-efficiency enzyme protein expression and cellular secretion in agroforestry-derived microbes, creating molecular toolkits for optimized expression of enzymes critical to agriculture/forestry, environmental remediation, and chemical industries.

Establishing high-efficiency synthetic system platforms to achieve proprietary, large-scale secretory expression systems for bulk enzymes. Pilot-scale fermentation processes will be optimized and scaled up to resolve bottleneck challenges in enzyme supply for agriculture/forestry, environmental protection, and chemical sectors.

We explore the ecological significance of ubiquitous enzyme structure synthesis in modern bacterial cells and validate the hypothesis of widespread semiconductor-based photosynthesis. We develop microbially synthesized enzyme structures for applications in medical diagnostics, imaging, and biosensing technologies.

2. Mechanistic Research on High-Efficiency Degradation and Saccharification of Lignocellulose

Enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulose is a critical step for converting lignocellulosic biomass into liquid fuels via sugar platforms. During the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose, lignin acts as a natural physical barrier, hindering the accessibility of cellulose and hemicellulose to enzymes, thereby reducing saccharification efficiency and increasing costs. Laccase-mediated pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass represents an auspicious approach. Building upon our acquired high-performance lignin-degrading laccases, we focus on elucidating the interaction mechanisms between laccase catalytic activity and substrates.

Key methodologies include:

Characterizing diverse substrates (e.g., alkaline lignin, hydrolyzed lignin) pre- and post-degradation using Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR) and chromatographic techniques.

Analyzing lignin degradation dynamics by monitoring changes in key functional groups, molecular morphology, size distribution, and dispersity to clarify the mechanistic basis of high-efficiency lignin-degrading laccases.

Investigating cellulase performance bottlenecks using microcrystalline cellulose, filter paper cellulose, and lignocellulose as substrates. Chromatographic and spectroscopic analyses track enzymatic hydrolysis processes, while microscale examination of glucose and xylose release kinetics elucidates fundamental cellulase action mechanisms. This work establishes a molecular foundation for enhancing cellulase activity and production through targeted regulation.

3. Research on Microbe-Plant Interactions

This research direction employs molecular ecology theories to analyze energy flow, material cycling, and informational exchange within agroforestry microecosystems, emphasizing interdisciplinary integration to address critical scientific questions in microbe-plant interactions. We prioritize upgrading traditional agroforestry production systems through microbial ecology and molecular biology principles. Leveraging regional resource advantages and forestry characteristics, we focus on elucidating interaction mechanisms and applications between plants and symbiotic fungi, such as mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi.

Key research components:

Using Northeast China’s characteristic plants (e.g., Vaccinium spp. [blueberries], Rubus spp. [raspberries]) and microbes (e.g., mycorrhizal/endophytic fungi) as study models, combined with modern microbiomics technologies, we characterize the structural composition and functional diversity of symbiotic microbiomes in economically valuable forest plants. This includes identifying key genes, proteins, microRNAs, and target genes involved in plant-microbe interactions, and deciphering microbial colonization mechanisms.

Employing fluorescent protein labeling and other technologies, we investigate the establishment of fungal-plant symbiotic systems and their functional interplay with different microorganisms and environmental factors. This reveals the roles of symbiotic microbes in plant growth, environmental adaptation, and evolutionary processes, while providing theoretical guidance for the efficient cultivation of economically valuable forest species.

Exploring root ecosystem stability and critical factors influencing plant development in economic forest systems.

Developing practical technologies such as mycorrhizal cultivation techniques and microbial inoculants for agroforestry applications.

4. Biodiversity Conservation Mechanisms and Long-term Protection Strategy Research

Our research team prioritizes biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization as core objectives, conducting studies on conservation mechanisms and long-term protection strategies.

(1) Foundational Research on Biodiversity Conservation in Forest Ecosystems

We perform biodiversity surveys, assessments, and monitoring in Northeast China’s forest ecosystems, completing baseline resource inventories for multiple protected areas and compiling scientific expedition reports. Leveraging multi-year datasets, we will provide a critical scientific evaluation of conservation efficacy within China’s protected area management framework. A key focus involves analyzing climate change impacts on forest biodiversity, particularly soil microbial diversity response mechanisms under global climate change scenarios, including temperature rise and precipitation pattern shifts.

(2) Sustainable Resource Utilization Under Biodiversity Conservation Frameworks

Addressing the strategic demand for understory economic development in state-owned forest regions, we investigate key scientific questions regarding Northeast forests’ characteristics, potential, and integrated utilization prospects of economic plant resources. We have established extensive baseline data on plant germplasm resource reserves and habitat conditions, systematically collecting and preserving priority species resources.

5. Biosynthetic Pathway Elucidation and High-efficiency Production of Natural Products

Microbial-derived natural products (secondary metabolites) are vital pharmaceutical resources, significantly contributing to human health. We investigate bioactive natural products synthesized by forest-understory microbial communities, elucidating their biosynthetic pathways and enzymatic reaction mechanisms. We also explore and activate latent functional genes to discover novel natural products.

Key approaches include:

Functional analysis of enzymes within metabolic pathways to identify or engineer high-efficiency catalytic enzymes. Genes encoding these enzymes are introduced into heterologous expression hosts, enabling synthetic pathway construction for high-value compounds through gene integration across taxa.

Rational design of microbial metabolic pathways to enhance target metabolite flux. Gene expression regulation tools are developed to achieve dynamic and precise control of gene expression levels across synthetic pathways.

Application of cofactor engineering, biosensors, and protein scaffolding to elevate target metabolite synthesis efficiency.