(1) Discovery of the functional diversity of nitrogenases in nitrogen fixation and carbon dioxide reduction

(2) Understanding of the nitrogenase regulation in nitrogen-fixing bacteria

(3) Engineering of microorganisms for enhanced nitrogen fixation and chemical production

B.S. 2006.07 Biotechnology, Lanzhou University
Ph.D 2013.01 Biochemistry and Molecular biology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

2013.04-2014.12 Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Germany. Mentor: Prof. Rudolf K. Thauer

2015.04-2018.08 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Washington, United States of America. Mentor: Prof. Caroline S. Harwood

2018.08-present, Principal Investigator at Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2020-)

Microbiology China (2021-2026)

Green Carbon (2023-2026)

Light-driven carbon dioxide reduction by nitrogenases

Fe-only nitrogenase reduces CO₂ simultaneously with N₂ to yield CH₄, formate and NH₃ in a single enzymatic step

(Nature Microbiology, under review; Nature Microbiology, 2018)

Nitrogenase regulation in photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris

(Cell Reports, 2024)

Engineering of Halomonas salifodinae for improved hydroxyectoine production

(Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2024)

1.Yan Zeng, Lu Guo, Yongqiang Gao, Lingwei Cui, Mengmei Wang, Lu Huang, Mingyue Jiang, Ying Liu, Yaxin Zhu, Hua Xiang, De-Feng Li and Yanning Zheng*. Formation of NifA-P_II complex represses ammonium-sensitive nitrogen fixation in diazotrophic proteobacteria lacking NifL. Cell Reports 2024, 43:114476

2.Chang Liu, Xiu-Tong Li, Yuqian Han, Wenxing Li, Yongqiang Gao, Chengying Jiang* , Ying Liu*, Yanning Zheng*. Enhanced pyrite bioleaching through the synergistic interactions between Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans and Alicyclobacillus ferrooxydans. Environmental Technology & Innovation 2025, 37:104005

3.Xinyu Wang^#, Dahe Zhao^#, Tao Yu, Yaxin Zhu, Mingyue Jiang, Ying Liu, Songnian Hu, Yingfeng Luo, Hua Xiang* and Yanning Zheng*. Biological nitrogen fixation driven by methane anaerobic oxidation supports the complex biological communities in cold-seep habitat. Environmental Technology & Innovation 2025, 37:103938

4.Lu Huang^#, Weilai Lu^#, Yunkai Yu, Haoning Qiu, Yan Zeng, Lida Wang, Ying Liu, Lei Yan, Yu Vincent Fu*, Yanning Zheng*. The ammonium transporter AmtB is dispensable for the uptake of ammonium in the phototrophic diazotroph Rhodopseudomonas palustris. Environmental Technology & Innovation 2024, 36:103853

5.Mingyue Jiang, Mengshuang Liu, Yongqiang Gao and Yanning Zheng*. Discovery of a new host for rhizobial symbiont in the ocean. 2024, 2:100077

6.Niping Yang^#, Mengshuang Liu^#, Jing Han, Mingyue Jiang, Yan Zeng, Ying Liu, Hua Xiang, Yanning Zheng*.Rational engineering of Halomonas salifodinae to enhance hydroxyectoine production under lower-salt conditions. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology2024, 108:353

7.Zheyi Wang, Niping Yang, Mengshuang Liu, Dahe Zhao, Hua Xiang, Yanning Zheng*. Complete genome sequence of a haloalkaliphilic heterotrophic bacterium Halomonas salifodinae IM328. Microbiology Resource Announcements 2024,13:e0008424 

8.Yan Zeng^#, Mengmei Wang^#, Yunkai Yu, Lida Wang, Lingwei Cui, Chang Li, Ying Liu, Yanning Zheng*. Rice N-biofertilization by inoculation with an engineered photosynthetic diazotroph. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 2024, 40:136

9.Mingyue Jiang, Dahe Zhao, Lu Huang, Yan Zeng, Jingfang Liu, Hua Xiang, Yanning Zheng*The role of glutamine synthetase in regulating ammonium assimilation and iron-only nitrogenase expression in a photosynthetic diazotroph. Microbiology Spectrum 2023, 11:e0495322

10.Zheyi Wang^#, Yan Zeng^#, Hongmin Jia, Niping Yang, Mengshuang Liu, Mingyue Jiang and Yanning Zheng*. Bioconversion of vitamin D₃ to bioactive calcifediol and calcitriol as high‑value compounds. Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts 2022, 15:109

11.Lingwei Cui, Zheyi Wang, Yan Zeng, Niping Yang, Mengshuang Liu, Youxi Zhao* and Yanning Zheng*. Lignin biodegradation and its valorization. Fermentation 2022, 8:366

12.Mengshuang Liu, Hui Liu, Fangtong Mei, Niping Yang, Dahe Zhao, Guomin Ai, Hua Xiang and Yanning Zheng*. Identification of the biosynthetic pathway of glycine betaine that is responsible for salinity tolerance in halophilic Thioalkalivibrio versutus D301. Frontiers in Microbiology 2022, 13:875843

13.

Mingyue Jiang^#, Yan Zeng^#, Lingwei Cui, Mengmei Wang and Yanning Zheng*. A red fluorescent protein reporter system developed for measuring gene expression in photosynthetic bacteria under anaerobic conditions. Microorganisms 2022, 10:201

14.Mengshuang Liu, Hui Liu, Meng Shi, Mingyue Jiang, Lingling Li and Yanning Zheng*. Microbial production of ectoine and hydroxyectoine as high-value chemicals. Microbial Cell Factories 2021, 20:76

15.Yanning Zheng, Derek F. Harris, Zheng Yu, Yanfen Fu, Saroj Poudel, Rhesa N. Ledbetter,Kathryn R. Fixen, Zhi-Yong Yang, Eric S. Boyd, Dennis R. Dean, Mary E. Lidstrom, Lance C. Seefeldt and Caroline S. Harwood*. A pathway for biological methane production using bacterial iron-only nitrogenase.Nature Microbiology2018, 3:281–286

16.Kathryn R. Fixen^#, Yanning Zheng^#, Derek F. Harris, Sudipta Shaw, Zhi-Yong Yang, Dennis R. Dean, Lance C. Seefeldt, and Caroline S. Harwood*. Light-driven carbon dioxide reduction to methane by nitrogenase in a photosynthetic bacterium. Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesUSA 2016, 113:10163-10167 (# Contributed equally to this work)