Education&Working Experience

1995-1999, Nanjing University, Bachelor of Biology

1999-2006, Department of Biology, Tsinghua University, PhD

2006-2009, Harvard Medical School Postdoc

2009-2012, Tufts University Research Associate

2012-present, Professor of Ocean University of China

Research Interests

Our research seeks to uncover fundamental principles that govern how multicellular life forms, functions, and evolves. We are particularly interested in how cellular structures and communication systems give rise to tissue organization, organ function, and regenerative capacity across evolution.

By integrating genetics, cell biology, and comparative approaches across diverse model systems—including zebrafish, mice, and placozoans—we aim to bridge mechanistic insights with evolutionary perspectives.

Cilia in Development and Disease

Cilia are evolutionarily conserved organelles that play central roles in coordinating cell signaling, tissue patterning, and organogenesis. Disruption of ciliary function underlies a wide spectrum of human diseases, yet the fundamental principles by which cilia control development remain incompletely understood.

We investigate how cilia:

· orchestrate body axis formation,

· regulate sensory cell development and function,

· coordinate organogenesis across tissues such as the kidney and germline.

By linking molecular mechanisms to organismal phenotypes, our work provides a conceptual framework for understanding the origins of ciliopathies.

Origins of Multicellularity and Regeneration

How did multicellular life emerge, and how did regenerative capacity arise and diversify? To address these questions, we study early-diverging animals such as placozoans and acoel, which represent minimal multicellular systems.

Using these systems, we aim to uncover:

· how cells coordinate to form and rebuild a body plan,

· how intercellular communication systems are organized and evolved,

· how stem cells and nervous systems originated.

Our work seeks to identify general principles that link development, regeneration, and evolution. We are building a collaborative and curiosity-driven research environment and are always looking for creative and motivated scientists. If you are excited about fundamental questions in biology, we would love to hear from you.

Selected Publications:

1. Di G^#, Jin M^#, Li W, Yuan M, Zhang Y, Zhao C*. Wnt signaling patterns a central–peripheral body axis in the early-diverging metazoan Trichoplax adhaerens. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2026, in press.

2. Xu J, Chang Z, Deng W, Qian L, Su H, Huang X, Kang Y, Xie H, Zhao C*. Light intensity and opsin sensitivity shape the morphology of cone photoreceptor outer segments. PLOS Biology, 2026; 24(2): e3003654. 

3. Li W^#, Jin M^#, Ren M^#, Guo Q, Lu X, Qiu M, Dong B, Zhao C*. Dissecting a peptidergic signaling pathway in Trichoplax adhaerens by gene silencing. Current Biology, 2025;35(18):4577-4586.e4.

4. Jin M^#, Li W^#, Ji Z, Di G, Yuan M, Zhang Y, Kang Y, Zhao C*. Coordinated cellular behavior regulated by epinephrine neurotransmitters in the nerveless placozoa. Nature Communications, 2024;15(1):8626.

5. Sun Y^#, Chen Z^#, Jin M, Xie H*, Zhao C*. Ciliary length regulation by intraflagellar transport in zebrafish. Elife, 2024;13:RP93168.

6. Xie H^#, Kang Y^#, Liu J, Huang M, Dai Z, Shi J, Wang S, Li L, Li Y, Zheng P, Sun Y, Han Q, Zhang J, Zhu Z, Xu L, Yelick PC*, Cao M*, Zhao C*. Ependymal polarity defects coupled with disorganized ciliary beating drive abnormal cerebrospinal fluid flow and spine curvature in zebrafish. PLOS Biology, 2023;21(3): e3002008.

7. Zhu P^#, Zheng P^#, Kong X, Wang S, Cao M*, Zhao C*. Rassf7a promotes spinal cord regeneration and controls spindle orientation in neural progenitor cells. EMBO Reports, 2023;24(1):e54984.

8. Zhao L^#, Xie H, Kang Y^#, Lin Y, Liu G, Sakato-Antoku M, Patel-King RS, Wang B, Wan C, King SM, Zhao C*, Huang K*. Heme-binding protein CYB5D1 is a radial spoke component required for coordinated ciliary beating. PNAS, 2021; 118(17):e2015689118.

9. Xie H^#, Kang Y^#, Wang S, Zheng P, Chen Z, Roy S, Zhao C*. E2f5 is a versatile transcriptional activator required for spermatogenesis and multiciliated cell differentiation in zebrafish. PLoS Genetics, 2020;16(3):e1008655.

10. Zhang X^#, Jia S^#, Chen Z, Chong YL, Xie H, Feng D, Wu X, Song DZ, Roy S, Zhao C*. Cilia-driven cerebrospinal fluid flow directs expression of urotensin neuropeptides to straighten the vertebrate body axis. Nature Genetics, 2018;50(12):1666-1673.