Jack Zhang, PhD
Assistant Professor of Molecular Biophysics and BiochemistryDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
260 Whitney Avenue, Yale Science Building
New Haven, CT 06511
United States
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Assistant Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
Biography
Dr. Kai (Jack) Zhang majored in Biotechnology (2004-2008), and earned his Ph.D. in Biophysics, at the Institute of Biophysics (IBP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 2013. Dr. Zhang conducted his postdoctoral research at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology from 2014 to 2018. He started his lab at the MB&B department in 2019. At Yale University, Dr. Zhang's current research focuses on the mechanisms underlying the dynamic movement of cellular materials, cell motility, and the production and distribution of cellular energy. His work employs a variety of approaches, with an emphasis on developing frontier methodologies of cryo-electron microscopy and tomography (cryo-EM/ET) to explore highly dynamic complex structures in reaction within their native cellular contexts.
Last Updated on February 27, 2024.
Appointments
Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
Assistant ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- Postdoc
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (2018)
- PhD
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Biophysics (2013)
Research
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Overview
Medical Research Interests
Axonemal Dyneins; Axoneme; Biochemistry; Biophysics; Cell Membrane; Cell Membrane Structures; Cellular Structures; Cilia; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Cytoplasmic Dyneins; Cytoskeleton; Diagnostic Imaging; Dynactin Complex; Dyneins; Electron Microscope Tomography; Electron Transport Chain Complex Proteins; Energy Metabolism; Flagella; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Intracellular Membranes; Machine Learning; Microscopy, Electron; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Microtubules; Mitochondria; Molecular Biology; Molecular Imaging; Molecular Motor Proteins; Nervous System Diseases; Protein Conformation; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Tomography
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Jack Zhang's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Jack Zhang's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Jack Zhang is interested in exploring.
Long Han
Corey O'Hern, PhD
Francesc Lopez-Giraldez, PhD
Jean-Ju Chung, PhD, MS
Joe Howard, PhD
Kaya Bilguvar, MD, PhD
53Publications
5,806Citations
Cryoelectron Microscopy
Protein Conformation
Protein Structure, Tertiary
Microtubules
Dyneins
Electron Microscope Tomography
Publications
2025
A Packing Perspective on the Glass-forming Ability of Particle-based Materials
Zhang K, Shattuck M, O’Hern C. A Packing Perspective on the Glass-forming Ability of Particle-based Materials. 2025, 347-379. DOI: 10.1039/9781837673940-00347.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGlass-forming abilityParticle-based materialsCondensed matter systemsPreparation of glassesCooling rate RcHard spheresElectromagnetic propertiesGlass-forming ability of alloysMatter systemsSimulation methodComputer simulation methodDense packingCrystalline solidsHard-sphere crystalsGlassRate RcGlass formationAmorphous solidsMaterialsSolidsAlloyPackingNde1 promotes Lis1 binding to full-length autoinhibited human dynein 1
Yang J, Zhao Y, Chai P, Yildiz A, Zhang K. Nde1 promotes Lis1 binding to full-length autoinhibited human dynein 1. Nature Chemical Biology 2025, 1-10. PMID: 40751002, DOI: 10.1038/s41589-025-01981-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsDynein 1Motor domainTransport of intracellular cargoCytoplasmic dynein-1Activity of dyneinLis1 dimersCryo-electron microscopyRetrograde transportBiochemical reconstitutionDynein activityCanonical siteMotility assayLinker regionNDE1Intracellular cargoLIS1DyneinCryo-electronMotor ringActivation pathwayIntermediate formAAA5MutagenesisMicrotubulesMotilityThe mechanochemical cycle of reactive full-length human dynein 1
Chai P, Yang J, Geohring I, Markus S, Wang Y, Zhang K. The mechanochemical cycle of reactive full-length human dynein 1. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 2025, 32: 1383-1395. PMID: 40263469, PMCID: PMC12350074, DOI: 10.1038/s41594-025-01543-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsMechanochemical cycleForce-generating powerstrokeDiverse cellular activitiesDynein's mechanochemical cycleHigh-resolution structuresMicrotubule bindingDynein functionDyneinNucleotide conditionsAdenosine triphosphatase activityCrosstalk mechanismCellular activitiesTriphosphatase activityConformational landscapeMicrotubulesCargo transportComprehensive viewNucleotideLearning thermodynamics and topological order of the two-dimensional XY model with generative real-valued restricted Boltzmann machines
Zhang K. Learning thermodynamics and topological order of the two-dimensional XY model with generative real-valued restricted Boltzmann machines. Physical Review B 2025, 111: 024112. DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.111.024112.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsRestricted Boltzmann MachineKosterlitz-ThoulessBoltzmann machineVisible unitsTopological orderTwo-dimensional XY modelUnsupervised machine learning methodsMachine learning methodsPhase transition informationXY modelKT transitionLearning methodsBoltzmann distributionWeight matrixXY configurationTransition informationVon Mises distributionXY systemLearning thermodynamicsConditional probabilityPhysical knowledgeMachineTransitionThermodynamicsPhysics
2024
High-resolution in situ structures of mammalian respiratory supercomplexes
Zheng W, Chai P, Zhu J, Zhang K. High-resolution in situ structures of mammalian respiratory supercomplexes. Nature 2024, 631: 232-239. PMID: 38811722, PMCID: PMC11222160, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07488-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsRespiratory supercomplexesInner membraneAssembly of respiratory supercomplexesComplex IResponse to environmental changesMitochondrial respiratory supercomplexesStructural studiesATP energy productionSupercomplex organizationAtomic-level detailsHigher-order arraysSubcellular contextNative membrane environmentReactive intermediatesOxidative phosphorylationSupercomplexStructural comparisonMolecular mechanismsAtomic detailIn situ structureMembrane environmentConformational statesNative stateSurrounding membraneEnvironmental changes
2023
LRRC23 truncation impairs radial spoke 3 head assembly and sperm motility underlying male infertility
Hwang J, Chai P, Nawaz S, Choi J, Lopez-Giraldez F, Hussain S, Bilguvar K, Mane S, Lifton R, Ahmad W, Zhang K, Chung J. LRRC23 truncation impairs radial spoke 3 head assembly and sperm motility underlying male infertility. ELife 2023, 12: rp90095. PMID: 38091523, PMCID: PMC10721216, DOI: 10.7554/elife.90095.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricCryo-EM reveals how the mastigoneme assembles and responds to environmental signal changes
Wang Y, Yang J, Hu F, Yang Y, Huang K, Zhang K. Cryo-EM reveals how the mastigoneme assembles and responds to environmental signal changes. Journal Of Cell Biology 2023, 222: e202301066. PMID: 37882754, PMCID: PMC10602792, DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202301066.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsSingle-particle cryo-electron microscopy structureCryo-electron microscopy structureNon-polar filamentsImmunoglobulin-like domainsDistal regionPolyproline II helixMicroscopy structureChlamydomonas reinhardtiiFlagellar motilityVaried environmental conditionsCryo-EMCell swimmingMotility controlEnvironmental responsesDisulfide bondsEnvironmental conditionsSushi domainMastigonemesThread-like structuresRedox shiftSignal sensingPotential roleProtistsReinhardtiiMST1Abl2 repairs microtubules and phase separates with tubulin to promote microtubule nucleation
Duan D, Lyu W, Chai P, Ma S, Wu K, Wu C, Xiong Y, Sestan N, Zhang K, Koleske A. Abl2 repairs microtubules and phase separates with tubulin to promote microtubule nucleation. Current Biology 2023, 33: 4582-4598.e10. PMID: 37858340, PMCID: PMC10877310, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.018.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCOS-7 cellsMT nucleationMT latticeFamily kinasesTubulin recruitmentLiquid-liquid phase separationTubulin C-terminal tailsCryo-EM analysisC-terminal tailAbl family kinasesWild-type cellsC-terminal halfRescue frequencyGenetic experimentsNeuronal morphogenesisMicrotubule nucleationSplice isoformsMicrotubule dynamicsNocodazole treatmentMolecular mechanismsAxon guidanceCell migrationDamage sitesABL2MT assemblyMicrotubule-binding-induced allostery triggers LIS1 dissociation from dynein prior to cargo transport
Ton W, Wang Y, Chai P, Beauchamp-Perez C, Flint N, Lammers L, Xiong H, Zhang K, Markus S. Microtubule-binding-induced allostery triggers LIS1 dissociation from dynein prior to cargo transport. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 2023, 30: 1365-1379. PMID: 37322240, PMCID: PMC10590275, DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-01010-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCryo-EM structureCargo transportProtein Lis1Human dyneinDynein mutantsCytoplasmic dyneinStructural insightsDynein activityIntracellular localizationCritical regulatorDynein activationLIS1Conformational changesDyneinMotor domainMutantsBindingHigh affinityAffinityYeastMicrotubulesRegulatorRegulationTransportActivationNew frontier of cryo-electron microscopy technology
Sun F, Zhang X, Zhang K. New frontier of cryo-electron microscopy technology. Journal Of Molecular Biology 2023, 435: 168098. PMID: 37061087, DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168098.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetric
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We develop cryo-EM/ET that enables us to visualize flexible, dynamic molecular machines in the highly crowded cellular context while they are reacting.
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Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
260 Whitney Avenue, Yale Science Building
New Haven, CT 06511
United States