Biography

Personal Profile
Our research focus on fungal pathogenesis and host interactions, with a commitment to exploring the regulatory mechanisms of morphological transitions in human pathogenic fungi, the ways in which they sense host microenvironment signals, nutritional metabolic pathways, and the interactions between pathogenic fungi and the host immune system. Our findings have been published as corresponding or first authors in journals such as Nature Cell Biology, Cell Host & Microbe, Nature Communications, PNAS, PLoS Biology, eLife, mBio, and PLoS Pathogens. I have been invited to write a review on the progress of Candida research for Trends in Microbiology.

Education
1998-2002, Jilin University, Bachelor’s Degree
2002-2008, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ph.D.

Work Experience
2008-2015, University of California, Irvine, Postdoctoral Fellow, Assistant Researcher
2016-Present, School of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Professor.

Honors and Award
National High-Level Talent Youth Program 2016

Research

Currently, invasive fungal infections are devastating due to the widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and interventional treatment. Among them, Candida albicans is one of the most prevalent opportunistic pathogenic fungi in the humans, responsible for 60-70% of invasive fungal infections. Our research is based on the exploration of the pathogenic mechanism of Candida to establish an experimental platform for the interaction between pathogenic fungi and hosts (integrating genetics, biochemistry, systems biology, and experimental animal infection models) to find new drug targets to effectively combat systemic fungal infections. The main research areas include: 1) Identification and molecular mechanism study of the sensors of fungi to host internal environmental factors; 2) Mechanisms of pathogenic fungi transitioning from commensals to pathogens; 3) Mechanisms by which fungal effectors regulate the host immune system; 4) Fungal resistance mechanisms and screening of antifungal drugs.

Representative  Publications

1.Dandan Yang, Mao Zhang, Chang Su, Bin Dong and Yang Lu^*. (2023) Candida albicans exploits N-acetylglucosamine as a gut signal to establish the balance between commensalism and pathogenesis. Nature Communications 14(1): 3976  

Highlighted at Trends in Microbiology, N-acetylglucosamine: a behavioral switch in Candida albicans. 31(11) 1087-9

2.Xun Sun, Jing Yu, Cheng Zhu, Xinreng Mo, Qiangqiang Sun, Dandan Yang, Chang Su^* and Yang Lu^*.  (2023) Recognition of Galactose by a Scaffold Protein Recruits a Transcriptional Activator for the GAL Regulon Induction in Candida albicans. eLife 12: e84155

3.Mao Zhang, Cheng Zhu, Yuanyuan Duan, Tongbao Liu, Haoping Liu, Chang Su^* and Yang Lu^*. (2022) The intrinsically disordered region from PP2C phosphatases functions as a conserved CO2 sensor. Nature Cell Biology 24 (7) 1029-1037

Highlighted at Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, CO2 sensing through PP2C condensates. 23 (4) 519  Highlighted at Nature Cell Biology, Intrinsically disordered CO2 sensors. 24 (7) 1013-1014 Highlighted at Nature Chemical Biology, Sensing the air. 18 (8) 793 Recommended by Faculty Opinions.

4.Kang Xiong^#, Chang Su^#, Qiangqiang Sun and Yang Lu^*. Efg1 and Cas5 Orchestrate Cell Wall Damage Response to Caspofungin in Candida albicans. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 65 (2) e01584-20

5.Qiangqiang Sun, Kang Xiong, Yuncong Yuan, Jing Yu, Lianjuan Yang, Chao Shen, Chang Su^*, and Yang Lu^*. (2019) Inhibiting fungal echinocandin resistance by small-molecular disruption of geranylgeranyltransferase type I activity. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 64 (2) 02406-19

6. Yang Lu^*#; Chang Su^#; Shatarupa Ray; Yuncong Yuan; Haoping Liu^*. (2019) CO2 signaling through the Ptc2-Ssn3 axis governs sustained hyphal development of Candida albicans by reducing Ume6 phosphorylation and degradation. mBio 10 (1) 02320-18

7. Chang Su^#; Jing Yu^#; Qiangqiang Sun; Qian Liu; Yang Lu^*. (2018) Hyphal induction under the condition without inoculation in Candida albicans is triggered by Brg1-mediated removal of NRG1 inhibition. Molecular Microbiology 108(4): 410-423

8. Yang Lu, Chang Su, and Haoping Liu. (2014) Candida albicans hyphal initiation and elongation. Trends in Microbiology 22(12): 707-14.

9. Yang Lu^#, Chang Su^#, Ohimai Unoje, and Haoping Liu^*. (2014) Quorum sensing controls hyphal initiation in Candida albicans through Ubr1-mediated protein degradation. Proc Natl Acad Sci 111(5): 1975-80.

Recommended by Faculty 1000.

10. Yang Lu, Chang Su, Norma V. Solis, Scott G. Filler, and Haoping Liu^*. (2013) Synergistic regulation of hyphal elongation by hypoxia, CO2, and nutrient conditions controls the virulence of Candida albicans. Cell Host & Microbe14(5): 499-509.

Recommended by Faculty 1000.

11. Yang Lu, Chang Su, and Haoping Liu^*. (2012) A GATA transcription factor recruits Hda1 in response to reduced Tor1 signaling to establish a hyphal chromatin state in Candida albicans. PLoS Pathogens8(4): e1002663.

12. Yang Lu, Chang Su, Allen Wang, and Haoping Liu^*. (2011) Hyphal development in Candida albicans requires two temporally linked changes in promoter chromatin for initiation and maintenance. PLoS Biology9(7): e1001105.

Recommended by Faculty 1000.