Peng CHEN

Email: pengchen(at)pku(dot)edu(dot)cn；

Telephone: +86-10-62755773；

Lab Homepage: www.chem.pku.edu.cn/chenpeng/

Research Area:

Develop protein-based biosensors and specific labeling/manipulation strategies on proteins in living cells. Create effective chemical biology tools to study fundamental questions in life sciences.  The research is mainly focused on the following two directions: (1) The infectious and defense mechanisms of bacterial pathogens, including developing protein labeling and manipulation tools to trap protein-protein interactions upon bacterial infection of host cells; identify the host targets of bacterial toxic proteins; understand the antibiotic resistance mechanisms and the escaping strategy of bacteria from host immune responses; study the pH-mediated endocytosis pathway of bacterial pathogens and virulent toxins upon entry into host cells.  (2) Investigate the virulence effects and the regulation mechanisms of reactive oxidative species (ROS) and transition metal ions. Develop biosensors for ROS and transition metal ions (e.g. copper and zinc) in living mammalian cells; study the virulent mechanism of organic hydroperoxides in neuronal cellsl; verify the beneficial effects of ROS on mammalian cells; examine the physiological and pathological roles of transition metal ions in neuronal cells; understand the consequence of misregulated ROS and heavy metal ions on human aging diseases.

Selected Publications:

1. Li J, Chen P* “Development and application of bond-cleavage reactions in bioorthogonal chemistry”, Nat. Chem. Biol. 2016, In press.
2. Li J, Jia S, Chen P* “Diels-Alder reaction-triggered bioorthogonal protein activation in living cells”, Nat. Chem. Biol. 2014, 10, 1003-5.
3. Li J, Yu J, Zhao J, Wang J, Zheng S, Lin S, Chen L, Yang M, Jia S, Zhang X and Chen P*. “Palladium-triggered Deprotection Chemistry for Protein Activation in Living Cells”, Nat. Chem. 2014, 6, 352-61.
4. Yang M, Jolloh A, Wei W, Zhao J*, Wu P* and Chen P* “Biocompatible click chemistry enabled compartment-specific pH measurement inside E. coli”, Nat. Commun. 2014, 5, 4981.
5. Hao Z, Lou H, Zhu R, Zhu J, Zhang D, Zhao B, Zeng S, Chen X, Chan J, He C* and Chen P*. “The multiple antibiotic resistance regulator MarR is a copper sensor in Escherichia coli” Nat. Chem. Biol., 2014, 10, 21-8. 
6. Zhang M, Lin S, Song X, Liu J, Fu Y, Fu X, Chang Z* and Chen, P*. “A genetically incorporated crosslinker reveals chaperone cooperation in acid resistance”, Nat. Chem. Biol, 2011, 7, 671-7.