Feng Li, PhD
Research Scientist in Cell BiologyCards
Appointments
Contact Info
About
Titles
Research Scientist in Cell Biology
Appointments
Cell Biology
Research ScientistPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- PhD
- University of California at Santa Barbara (2005)
- BS
- Peking University (1997)
Research
Overview
Synaptic vesicle fusion is an ultrafast and highly synchronized process. In the prefusion stage, vesicles are docked and primed at the presynaptic terminal, probably through some tethering factors and the initial association of the v- and t-SNAREs, and form a ready-to-release pool. Upon the entry of calcium, the SNAREs further zipper up to induce bilayer merging, and neurotransmitters are then released from the vesicles to synaptic cleft in sub-millisecond. How this fusion achieves ultrafast kinetics and synchronicity is poorly understood. It likely involves the collaborative efforts of several proteins such as Syntaxin, SNAP25, VAMP2, Synaptotagmin, Complexin, and probably Munc18, alpha-SNAP, NSF, too. To unravel the molecular basis of this process, it requires a thorough understanding of the role of each protein as well as their interplay.
ORCID
0000-0003-3533-0184
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Frederic Pincet, PhD
Jeff Coleman, PhD
James E Rothman, PhD
Shyam Krishnakumar, PhD
Karin Reinisch, PhD
Yongli Zhang, PhD, MS
Publications
2024
Dual Orthogonally Polarized Lasing Assisted by Imaginary Fermi Arcs in Organic Microcavities
Long T, Ren J, Li P, Yun F, Malpuech G, Solnyshkov D, Fu H, Li F, Liao Q. Dual Orthogonally Polarized Lasing Assisted by Imaginary Fermi Arcs in Organic Microcavities. Physical Review Letters 2024, 133: 123802. PMID: 39373430, DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.133.123802.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFermi arcsPhotonic spin-orbit couplingNon-Hermitian opticsSpin-orbit couplingTopological photonicsPolarization-dependent lossOrganic microcavityPolarization controlSingle crystalsOrganic microlasersMicrocavityControl of micro-Organic single crystalsSimultaneous generationCouplingEigenstatesFermiPhotonsNanolasersMicrolasersNanophotonicsOpticsPolarizationArcCrystalTailoring chaotic motion of microcavity photons in ray and wave dynamics by tuning the curvature of space
Lin W, Ding Y, Wang Y, Li P, Zhang Y, Yun F, Li F. Tailoring chaotic motion of microcavity photons in ray and wave dynamics by tuning the curvature of space. Science China Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy 2024, 67: 274214. DOI: 10.1007/s11433-024-2380-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSpace curvatureCurved spaceCurved space-timeCurvature of spaceCavity photonsMicrocavity photonsPhoton dynamicsOrbital motionRay dynamicsQuantum mechanicsSpace-timePhase diagramWave naturePeriodic orbitsChaotic trajectoriesChaotic motionChaotic modesPhotonsWave dynamicsOptical simulationFast diffusionHusimiWaveWavepacketMicrocavityMulti-Dimensional Fusion of Spectral and Polarimetric Images Followed by Pseudo-Color Algorithm Integration and Mapping in HSI Space
Guo F, Zhu J, Huang L, Li F, Zhang N, Deng J, Li H, Zhang X, Zhao Y, Jiang H, Hou X. Multi-Dimensional Fusion of Spectral and Polarimetric Images Followed by Pseudo-Color Algorithm Integration and Mapping in HSI Space. Remote Sensing 2024, 16: 1119. DOI: 10.3390/rs16071119.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsConsistent with human visionHuman visual perceptionMulti-dimensional dataMulti-dimensional featuresSensing detectionRemote sensing detectionFused imageFusion algorithmEdge featuresHSI spaceObject detailsHuman visionObject surfaceAlgorithm integrationInformation entropyTarget recognitionAverage gradientPrincipal component analysisProcess dataAlgorithmDatasetExperimental resultsFourier transform imaging spectropolarimeterVisual displayVisual perceptionSingle-Mode Control and Individual Nanoparticle Detection in the Ultraviolet Region Based on Boron Nitride Microdisk with Whispering Gallery Mode
Li J, Li Q, Chen R, Zhang Q, Fang W, Liu K, Li F, Yun F. Single-Mode Control and Individual Nanoparticle Detection in the Ultraviolet Region Based on Boron Nitride Microdisk with Whispering Gallery Mode. Nanomaterials 2024, 14: 501. PMID: 38535649, PMCID: PMC10975174, DOI: 10.3390/nano14060501.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsWhispering gallery modesMicrodisk cavitiesOptical microcavitiesGallery modesBoron nitrideResonant modesUltraviolet regionLight-matter interactionSingle-mode outputNonlinear opticsSingle-modeUltraviolet bandMicrodiskUltraviolet spectraSingle-mode controlMicrocavitiesPrecision sensitivityResonanceNanoparticle detectionBoronMicroresonatorsModeAbsorption propertiesTime-domain (FDTD) methodFinite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methodTunable chiral spin–spin interactions in a spin-mechanical hybrid system: application to causal-effect simulation
Li B, Li X, Zhao X, Zhang Y, Wang H, Li F. Tunable chiral spin–spin interactions in a spin-mechanical hybrid system: application to causal-effect simulation. New Journal Of Physics 2024, 26: 023029. DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/ad24a1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSpin-spin interactionsSu-Schrieffer-Heeger modelCoupled quantum systemsHybrid quantum devicesQuantum information processingSpin–spin coupling interactionsSpin-spin couplingChiral symmetrySpin qubitsQuantum systemsQuantum simulationSpin-phononQuantum devicesMechanical latticeChiral interactionsCorrelation functionManipulating voltageCoupling interactionInformation processingOn-chipQubitsHamiltonianSpinSublatticeSymmetry
2023
Combining three sources of optical anisotropy in a tunable open-access microcavity: From theory to experiment
Li Y, Luo X, Guo Y, Ren J, Long T, Wang B, Cai Y, Guo C, Qin Y, Fu H, Zhang Y, Yun F, Liao Q, Li F. Combining three sources of optical anisotropy in a tunable open-access microcavity: From theory to experiment. Journal Of Applied Physics 2023, 134: 223106. DOI: 10.1063/5.0173709.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsOpen‐access microcavityPhotonic spin-orbit couplingTE-TM splittingSpin-orbit couplingFine energy splittingOptical property measurementsEmergent anisotropyMicrocavity photonsImportant physical mechanismsDegenerate perturbation theoryPhotonic devicesExciton-polaritonsPhotonic potentialPolarization controlSO couplingOptical anisotropySpin vorticesActive mediumEnergy splittingClear observationPhysical mechanismsPerturbation theoryMicrocavitiesIsotropic situationEigenstatesSimultaneous creation of multiple vortex-antivortex pairs in momentum space in photonic lattices
Li F, Koniakhin S, Nalitov A, Cherotchenko E, Solnyshkov D, Malpuech G, Xiao M, Zhang Y, Zhang Z. Simultaneous creation of multiple vortex-antivortex pairs in momentum space in photonic lattices. Advanced Photonics 2023, 5: 066007-066007. DOI: 10.1117/1.ap.5.6.066007.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsPhotonic latticesOrbital angular momentumMomentum spaceSingle focused Gaussian beamHexagonal photonic latticesFocused Gaussian beamVortex-antivortex pairsRich physicsOAM conversionDirac pointWave packetsGaussian beamUnstructured lightAngular momentumVortex arrayHoneycomb latticeExperimental creationSimultaneous creationPhysicsLatticeTopological propertiesSymmetryPotential applicationsVorticesLight
2016
Stability, folding dynamics, and long-range conformational transition of the synaptic t-SNARE complex
Zhang X, Rebane AA, Ma L, Li F, Jiao J, Qu H, Pincet F, Rothman JE, Zhang Y. Stability, folding dynamics, and long-range conformational transition of the synaptic t-SNARE complex. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2016, 113: e8031-e8040. PMID: 27911771, PMCID: PMC5167175, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1605748113.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsMeSH KeywordsAmino Acid SequenceAnimalsMembrane FusionMiceMicroscopy, Atomic ForceMolecular Dynamics SimulationMunc18 ProteinsOptical TweezersProtein ConformationProtein DomainsProtein FoldingProtein StabilityQa-SNARE ProteinsSNARE ProteinsSynaptic TransmissionSynaptosomal-Associated Protein 25Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein 2ConceptsSynaptic soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptorT-SNARE complexC-terminal domainN-terminal domainSNARE zipperingPlasma membraneN-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptorsSoluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptorsFactor attachment protein receptorsTarget plasma membraneAttachment protein receptorsFour-helix bundleThree-helix bundleSynaptic vesicle fusionSingle-molecule force spectroscopyV-SNARESNARE assemblySNARE complexHelical bundleConformational switchC-terminusMembrane fusionVesicle fusionProtein receptorsZipperingKinetic barriers to SNAREpin assembly in the regulation of membrane docking/priming and fusion
Li F, Tiwari N, Rothman JE, Pincet F. Kinetic barriers to SNAREpin assembly in the regulation of membrane docking/priming and fusion. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2016, 113: 10536-10541. PMID: 27601655, PMCID: PMC5035884, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1604000113.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsSnapshot of sequential SNARE assembling states between membranes shows that N-terminal transient assembly initializes fusion
Wang YJ, Li F, Rodriguez N, Lafosse X, Gourier C, Perez E, Pincet F. Snapshot of sequential SNARE assembling states between membranes shows that N-terminal transient assembly initializes fusion. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2016, 113: 3533-3538. PMID: 26979957, PMCID: PMC4822643, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1518935113.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsFörster resonance energy transferProminent biological processesIntermembrane spaceSNARE proteinsTransmembrane complexTerminal domainInvolved proteinsBiological processesTransient assemblyResonance energy transferProteinSnareIntermembrane distanceMembraneAssemblyMolecular assembliesPathwayComplexes