Preprints

• Y. Wang, K. Qiu, W. Zou, P. Amom, T.H. Ganjawala, Z. Tian, X. Xu, T. Huang, N.-P. Tsai, D. Shi, P. Kang, H. Bai, A. Zacharias, K. Zhang, J. Diao. Modulating inter-mitochondrial contacts to increase membrane potential for mitigating blue light damage. [bioRxiv 2025.10.24.684455 & 2022.11.22.517578]

• E.B. Deng, X. Zhong, D. Xin, U.K. Soni, W. Ma, X. Huang, M. Cai, P.-Y. Liang, J. Bai, Q. Qin, S. Mishra, M. Hu, A.E. Bayat, J. Diao, M. Xin, N. Pillay-Smiley, H.R. Trent, C.B. Stevenson, J.B. Foster, P. de Blank, S. Raskin, C. Koschmann, J.A. Cancelas, Y. Zheng, Q.R. Lu. A tonic signaling code predicts CAR-T cell efficacy in diffuse midline glioma. [bioRxiv 2025.09.29.679095]

Representative publications in the last five years

Q. Pei, Q. Chen, Z. Tian, L. Zhu, Y. Chen, J. Gong, S. Wang, Y. Xiang, J.S. Khamo, J. Fan, Y. Rong, Y. Yu, Y. Qin, S. Wu, Y. Faragalla, P. Cao, K. Zhang, Y. Lai, L.-G. Wu, C. Ma, X. Yang, J. Diao. Munc18 modulates syntaxin phase separation to promote exocytosis. Nat. Neurosci. 29,  (2026).

Q. Bai, X. Shao, Q. Xia, S. Yang, X. Wang, Z. Tian, Y. Gao, K. Sun, J. Li, X. Chen, J. Zhao, J. Diao, Q. Chen. Optogenetic engineering spatial arrangements of lipid droplets for tumor suppression. Trends Biotechnol. 43, 2838 (2025).

C. Wang, K. Zhang, B. Cai, J.E. Haller, K.E. Carnazza, J. Hu, C. Zhao, Z. Tian, X. Hu, D. Hall, J. Qiang, S. Hou, Z. Liu, J. Gu, Y. Zhang, K.B. Seroogy, J. Burré, Y. Fang, C. Liu, A.T. Brunger, D. Li, J. Diao. VAMP2 chaperones α-synuclein in synaptic vesicle co-condensates. Nat. Cell Biol. 26, 1287 (2024).

C. Zhao, J. Tu, C. Wang, W. Liu, J. Gu, Y. Yin, Y. Zhang, D. Li, J. Diao, Z.-J. Zhu, C. Liu. Lysophosphatidylcholine binds α-synuclein and prevents its pathological aggregation. Natl. Sci. Rev. 11, nwae182 (2024). 

C. Wang, C. Zhao, X. Hu, J. Qiang, Z. Liu, J. Gu, S. Zhang, D. Li, Y. Zhang, J. Burré, J. Diao, C. Liu. N-acetylation of α-synuclein enhances synaptic vesicle clustering mediated by α-synuclein and lysophosphatidylcholine. eLife 13, RP97228 (2024). 

Q. Chen, L.-Y. Liu, Z. Tian, Z. Fang, K.-N. Wang, H. Chen, X. Shao, C. Zhang, W. Zou, F. Rowan, K. Qiu, B. Ji, J.-L. Guan, D. Li, Z.-W. Mao, J. Diao. Mitochondrial nucleoid condensates induce peripheral fission through high membrane curvature. Cell Rep. 42, 113472 (2023).

Y. Lai, C. Zhao, Z. Tian, C. Wang, J. Fan, X. Hu, J. Tu, T. Li, J. Leitz, R.A. Pfuetzner, Z. Liu, S. Zhang, Z. Su, J. Burré, D. Li, T.C. Südhof, Z.-J. Zhu, C. Liu, A.T. Brunger, J. Diao. Neutral lysophosphatidylcholine mediates α-synuclein-induced synaptic vesicle clustering. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 120, e2310174120 (2023).

R. Chen, K. Qiu, B.K. Kundu, G. Ding, G. Han, Y. Sun, J. Diao. Quantifying cell viability through organelle ratiometric probing. Chem. Sci. 14, 10236 (2023).

R. Chen, L. Wang, G. Ding, G. Han, K. Qiu, Y. Sun, J. Diao. A constant conversion rate of endolysosomes revealed by a pH-sensitive fluorescent probe. ACS Sens. 8, 2068 (2023). 

K. Qiu, W. Zou, Z. Fang, Y. Wang, S. Bell, X. Zhang, Z. Tian, X. Xu, B. Ji, D. Li, T. Huang, J. Diao. 2D MoS2 and BN nanosheets damage mitochondria through membrane penetration. ACS Nano 17, 4716 (2023).

H. Fang, L. Hu, Q. Chen, S. Geng, C. Wang, M. Hao, Z. Tian, H. Chen, L. Liu, J.-L. Guan, Y. Chen, L. Dong, Z. Guo, W. He, J. Diao. An ER-targeted “reserve-release” fluorogen for topological quantification of reticulophagy. Biomaterials 292, 121929 (2023).

K. Qiu, W. Zou, H. Fang, M. Hao, K. Mehta, Z. Tian, J.-L. Guan, K. Zhang, T. Huang, J. Diao. Light-activated mitochondrial fission through optogenetic control of mitochondria-lysosome contacts. Nat. Commun. 13, 4303 (2022). 

K. Qiu, R. Seino, G. Han, M. Ishiyama, Y. Ueno, Z. Tian, Y. Sun, J. Diao. De novo design of a membrane-anchored probe for multi-dimensional quantification of endocytic dynamics. Adv. Healthc. Mater. 11, 2102185 (2022). 

Q. Chen, M. Hao, L. Wang, L. Li, Y. Chen, X. Shao, Z. Tian, R.A. Pfuetzner, Q. Zhong, A.T. Brunger, J.-L. Guan, J. Diao. Prefused lysosomes cluster on autophagosomes regulated by VAMP8. Cell Death Dis. 12, 939 (2021). 

K.-N. Wang, X. Shao, Z. Tian, L.-Y. Liu, C. Zhang, C.-P. Tan, J. Zhang, P. Ling, F. Liu, Q. Chen, J. Diao, Z.-W. Mao. A continuously add-on probe reveals a nonlinear enlargement of mitochondria in light-activated oncosis. Adv. Sci. 8, 2004566 (2021). 

Y. Du, Y. Lai, J. Liu, J. Diao. Epigenetic quantification of DNA 5-hydroxymethylcytosine using DNA hybridization-based single-molecule immunofluorescent imaging. Small Methods 5, 2100061 (2021). 

H. Fang, S. Geng, M. Hao, Q. Chen, M. Liu, C. Liu, Z. Tian, C. Wang, T. Takebe, J.-L. Guan, Y. Chen, Z. Guo, W. He, J. Diao. Simultaneous Zn2+ tracking in multiple organelles using super-resolution morphology-correlated organelle identification in living cells. Nat. Commun. 12, 109 (2021).