Speaker: Dr. Yong Zhang, Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, University of Copenhagen

Date: March 10, 2026

Time: 10:00 am

Location: 303-2, Building A, Dizhou Yuan, Qingdao Campus, Shandong University

Sponsor: State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University

Abstract:

Our work has systematically unraveled novel facets of the stringent response alarmone (p)ppGpp and revealed how bacteriophages counteract this central stress pathway. Using proteome-wide screening, we identified multiple novel (p)ppGpp targets including the nucleosidase PpnN, whose allosteric activation we dissected structurally, revealing how ppGpp and pppGpp differentially regulate enzyme cooperativity (mBio 2018; Mol Cell 2019; Structure 2026). We discovered that basal ppGpp—actively maintained by SpoT—constitutes a distinct regulatory regime coordinating metabolism, acid resistance, and antibiotic persistence (Microbial Cell 2023; bioRxiv 2026a). Most recently, we uncovered that bacteriophage T7 portal protein Gp8 directly binds and inhibits (p)ppGpp synthetases RelA and SpoT, suppressing alarmone accumulation to counteract host physiological barriers. This conserved strategy reveals essential structural virion components as regulators of host stress signaling (bioRxiv 2026b), with broad implications for phage therapy and antimicrobial development.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.view.sdu.edu.cn/info/1020/210695.htm