RNA editing and modification regulate genetic information at the RNA level, providing a dynamic layer of gene expression control. Our laboratory focuses on RNA editing, modifications, and RNA-based therapeutics.
Gene editing has emerged as one of the most transformative technologies in life sciences, offering immense potential for treating genetic disorders, chronic diseases, and cancer. Over the next 5–10 years, we anticipate that gene-editing therapies will fundamentally reshape the treatment of genetic, rare, and age-related diseases, bringing life-changing benefits to countless patients.
Gene editing is broadly categorized into DNA editing and RNA editing. While DNA editing introduces permanent genetic modifications, it also carries the risk of off-target effects at both DNA and RNA levels. In contrast, RNA editing enables precise, reversible, and controllable modifications at the RNA level without altering the genome, making it a safer and more adaptable approach for therapeutic applications.
Our laboratory is interested in developing innovative RNA-targeted editing tools to repair pathogenic mutations and regulate disease-associated genes. By focusing on RNA-level corrections, our approaches preserve genomic stability while offering greater control and reversibility, positioning RNA editing as a promising alternative to traditional DNA editing systems.
Additionally, we investigate endogenous RNA editing mechanisms, with a particular emphasis on A-to-I RNA editing. Through the integration of molecular and cellular phenotyping with multi-omics data analysis, our research seeks to unravel the role of A-to-I RNA editing in autoimmune diseases, immune-related disorders, and tumor immunity, paving the way for novel therapeutic strategies.
Publications
17. Yuanfan Sun*, Yong Cao*, Yulong Song*, Jin Li, Yongheng Hou, Wen Huang, Guodong Xie, Wenbing Yang#, Rui Zhang# (2025) Improved RNA base editing with guide RNAs mimicking highly edited endogenous ADAR substrates. Nature Biotechnology (BioArt 报道)
16. Yuanfan Sun*, Yingyin Wu*, Zihua He*, Yiying Wang*, Wenhao Hou*, Yong Cao, Qihao Zhou, Rui Zhang (2025) Type III CRISPR-mediated flexible RNA excision with engineered guide RNAs. Molecular Cell. (BioArt 报道)
15. Jianheng Liu, Tao Huang, Jing Yao, Tianxuan Zhao, Yusen Zhang, Rui Zhang (2023) Epitranscriptomic subtyping, visualization, and denoising by global motif visualization. Nature Communications, 14, 5944. (BioArt 报道)
14. Yanli Ji*; Yalin Luo*; Jizhi Wen*; Yuanfan Sun; Shuangshuang Jia; Chunquan Ou, Wenbing Yang; Jingwang Chen; Hanshen Ye; Xiangfu Liu; Yongneng Liang; Zhigang Lu; Ying Feng; Xinzhong Wu; Muzhou Xiao; Jiankun Mo; Zhenhai Zhou; Zhen Wang; Zhijian Liao; Junhu Chen; Ling Wei; Guangping Luo; Sentot Santoso, Yann Fichou, Willy Albert Flegel, Chaopeng Shao; Chengyao Li#; Rui Zhang#; Yongshui Fu# (2023) Patients with Asian-type DEL can safely be transfused using RhD-positive blood. Blood. 141(17):2141-2150
13. Jianheng Liu*, Tao Huang*, Wanying Chen*, Chenhui Ding*, Tianxuan Zhao*, Xueni Zhao*, Bing Cai*, Yusen Zhang*, Song Li, Ling Zhang, Maoguang Xue, Xiuju He, Wanzhong Ge#, Canquan Zhou#, Yanwen Xu#, Rui Zhang# (2022) Developmental mRNA m5C landscape and regulatory innovations of massive m5C modification of maternal mRNAs in animals. Nature Communications. 13, Article number: 2484. (BioArt 报道)
12. Yulong Song*, #, Xiuju He*, Wenbing Yang*, Yaoxing Wu, Jun Cui, Tian Tang, Rui Zhang# (2022) Virus-specific editing identification approach reveals the landscape of A-to-I editing and its impacts on SARS-CoV-2 characteristics and evolution. Nucleic Acids Research, gkac120
11. Jianheng Liu*, Tao Huang*,#, Yusen Zhang*, Tianxuan Zhao*, Xueni Zhao, Wanying Chen, Rui Zhang# (2021) Sequence- and structure-selective mRNA m5C methylation by NSUN6 in animals. National Science Review. 8, 1-12 (BioArt 报道)
10. Hui Zhang*, Qiang Fu*, Xinrui Shi*, Ziqing Pan, Wenbing Yang, Zichao Huang, Tian Tang, Xionglei He, Rui Zhang (2020) Human A-to-I RNA editing SNP loci are enriched in GWAS signals for autoimmune diseases and under balancing selection. Genome Biology. 21:288, 1-16
9. Yulong Song*, Wenbing Yang*, Qiang Fu, Liang Wu, Xueni Zhao, Yusen Zhang, Rui Zhang (2020) irCLASH reveals RNA substrates recognized by human ADARs. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 27,4,351–362. (同期评论文章：It takes two (and some distance) to tango: how ADARs join to edit RNA. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, //www.nature.com/articles/s41594-020-0411-y) (BioArt 报道)
8. Yulong Song*, Lishi Li*, Wenbing Yang, Qiang Fu, Wanying Chen, Zeng Fang, Wen Li#, Nannan Gu#, Rui Zhang#. (2020) Sense-antisense miRNA pairs constitute an elaborate reciprocal regulatory circuit. Genome Research, 30, 5, 661-672.
7. Hui Zhang*, Xinrui Shi*, Tao Huang*,#, Wanying, Chen, Nannan Gu, Rui Zhang#. (2020) Dynamic landscape and evolution of m6A methylation in human, Nucleic Acids Research. 48, 11, 6251–6264.
6. Kun Liao, Shuye Deng, Liyan Xu, Wenfeng Pan, Shiyu Yang, Fufu Zheng, Xingui Wu, Hongrong Hu, Zhijun Liu, Junhang Luo, Rui Zhang, Dong-Ming Kuang, Jiajun Dong, Yi Wu, Hui Zhang, Penghui Zhou, Jin-Xin Bei, Yang Xu, Yin Ji, Peng Wang, Huai-Qiang Ju, Rui-Hua Xu, Bo Li (2020) A Feedback Circuitry between Polycomb Signaling and Fructose-1, 6-Bisphosphatase Enables Hepatic and Renal Tumorigenesis, Cancer Research. 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-2060.
5. Tao Huang*, Wanying Chen*, Jianheng Liu*, Nannan Gu, Rui Zhang (2019) Genome-wide identification of mRNA 5-methylcytosine in mammals. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 26, 380-388 (同期评论文章：Getting a hold on cytosine methylation in mRNA. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 26, 339–340) (BioArt 报道)
4. Lishi Li *, Yulong Song *, Xinrui Shi, Jianheng Liu, Shaolei Xiong, Wanying Chen, Qiang Fu, Zichao Huang, Nannan Gu#, Rui Zhang# (2018) The landscape of miRNA editing in animals and its impact on miRNA biogenesis and targeting. Genome Research. 28: 132-143
3. Rui Zhang*,#, Patricia Deng*, Dionna Jacobson, Jin Billy Li# (2017) Evolutionary analysis reveals regulatory and functional landscape of coding and non-coding RNA editing. PLOS Genetics 13(2): e1006563:1-24. (Highlighted by Science: The evolution of edited RNA transcripts //science.sciencemag.org/content/355/6331/1278.4 )
2. Meng How Tan*, Qin Li*, et al. (2017) Dynamic landscape and regulation of RNA editing in mammals. Nature 550, 249–254
1. eGTEx Project (2017) Enhancing GTEx by bridging the gaps between genotype, gene expression, and disease. Nature Genetics 49(12):1664-1670
ORCID: //orcid.org/0000-0001-9000-5021
