Latest Research
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19 Jun
Kun Li's group at the School of Life S…
Across evolution, interactions between the sexes have been essential for reproduction and survival. Yet one longstanding mystery remains: why does a female’s interest in sociosexual interactions rise and fall with her reproductive cycle? Female interest in mating typically peaks around ovulation, driven by hormonal changes. While the hormonal influence on mating behavior has been well document...
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19 Jun
Guangshuo Ou’s Lab at School of Life …
As molecular motors of the microtubule cytoskeleton, kinesin families play a vital role in intracellular transport. Like other ATPases, the activity of kinesins must be precisely regulated. Evidence showed that dysregulation of kinesin activity is linked to human neurodegenerative diseases. However, how cells instruct kinesins on when and where to function remains a mystery.On April 24, 2025, P...
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26 May
Tsinghua University researchers identi…
As global temperatures continue to rise, understanding how plants perceive and respond to heat stress has become a critical challenge for ensuring agricultural productivity and food security.In a groundbreaking study published in Cell Research, a team led by Associate Professor Xiaofeng Fang from School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University, in collaboration with researchers from Shenzhen Bay...
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19 May
Dong Li’s Team at the School of Life …
Within the three-dimensional space of cells and tissues, intricate biological processes operate with continuous precision and order, sustaining the fundamental functions essential for life. Light-sheet microscopy (LSM), currently the most suitable modality for three-dimensional imaging of multicellular and large-volume specimens, employs two orthogonally arranged objective lenses to perform she...
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09 May
Tsinghua Researchers Uncover Key Metab…
A research team led by Associate Professor Peng Jiang at the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, has discovered how metabolic reprogramming in macrophages enhances antiviral innate immune responses. Their study, titled "Metabolic remodelling produces fumarate via the aspartate–argininosuccinate shunt in macrophages as an antiviral defence" was published in Nature Microbiology on Apri...
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18 Apr
Chunlai Chen’s group develops chemi…
Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) plays a pivotal role in the cGAS-STING pathway as a DNA sensor that binds to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and subsequently induces type I interferon expression, thereby contributing significantly to the innate immune response. Dysregulation of intracellular cGAS has been strongly implicated in a number of diseases, and understanding the mechanisms that control cGAS...
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18 Apr
Chen Zhucheng's team captures dynami…
Nucleosomes, which consist of DNA wrapped around histone octamers, are the fundamental building blocks of chromatin. Chromatin remodelers utilize energy from ATP hydrolysis to reposition nucleosomes, thereby regulating chromatin structure and gene activity. Chromatin remodelers are divided into four major subfamilies: SWI/SNF, ISWI, CHD, and INO80, each having distinct biological functions. Amo...
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11 Apr
Hong-Wei Wang’s Team at Tsinghua Univ…
RNA interference (RNAi), a highly conserved RNA silencing mechanism, plays pivotal roles in gene expression regulation, antiviral defense, and genome protection against transposon activity. Compared to the well-characterized small RNA interference pathways mediated by microRNAs (miRNAs) and exogenous small interfering RNAs (exo-siRNAs), current understanding of the processing, maturation, and f...
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11 Apr
Song-Hai Shi’s Group at the School of…
Animals endure many physical and social stressors throughout their lifetime and have evolved crucial mechanisms to cope with these challenges. The brain is one of the primary organs involved in perceiving and adapting to various stressors. However, it remains unclear how neurons initially sense stress or which downstream signaling pathways drive behavioral responses. Addressing these questions ...
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11 Apr
Xiaofeng Fang’s Team at Tsinghua Univ…
Global warming poses a severe threat to crop productivity by inhibiting photosynthetic efficiency under heat stress, yet the molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. On March 22, 2025, a groundbreaking study led by Dr. Xiaofeng Fang’s group at the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, published in Nature Communications, uncovers how the chloroplast-localized MORF8 protein forms s...