Academic Experience

2024-present Principal investigator, Shanghai institute of immunity and infections, CAS
2019-2024 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Hebrew University

Education 

2016-2019 Visiting student, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Hebrew University

Dormant pathogenic bacterial cell underlies chronic infections and promotes antibiotic resistance. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of dormancy and awakening are still mysterious.

Our lab focuses on the regulatory mechanisms that define microbial dormancy and revival. By using the most resilient cell type known, bacterial spore, as the biological system, we propose to investigate the molecular mechanism concerning how dormancy is established, how it is maintained and how awakening is triggered. The study will provide novel insights into the important role of bacterial dormancy for surviving and could help devise innovative ways to combat dormant pathogens.

Selected publications

 1. Zhou, B., Xiong, Y., Nevo, Y., Kahan, T., Yakovian, O., Alon, S., Rosenshine, I., Sinai, L. and Ben-Yehuda, S., 2023. Dormant bacterial spores encrypt a long-lasting transcriptional program to be executed during revival. Molecular cell, 83, 4158–4173.

2. Stolovich-Rain, M., Kumari, S., Friedman, A., Kirillov, S., Socol, Y., Billan, M., Pal, R.R., Das, K., Golding, P., Oiknine-Djian, E.,Sirhan, S., Bejerano Sagie,M.; Cohen-Kfir, E., Gold, N., Fahoum, J., Kumar, M., Elgrably-Weiss, M., Zhou, B., Ravins, M., E. Gatt, Y., Bhattacharya, S., Zelig, O., Wiener, R., Wolf, D., Elinav, H., Strahilevitz, J., Padawer, D., Baraz, L., Rouvinski, A., 2023. Intramuscular mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 induces neutralizing salivary IgA. Frontiers in Immunology, 13, p.933347.

3. Zhou, B., Alon, S., Rao, L., Sinai, L. and Ben-Yehuda, S., 2022. Reviving the view: evidence that macromolecule synthesis fuels bacterial spore germination. µLife, 3.

4. Rao, L., Zhou, B., Serruya, R., Moussaieff, A., Sinai, L. and Ben-Yehuda, S., 2022. Glutamate catabolism during sporulation determines the success of the future spore germination. Iscience, p.105242.

5. Dong, P., Zhou, B., Zou, H., Wang, Y., Liao, X., Hu, X. and Zhang, Y., 2021. High pressure homogenization inactivation of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in phosphate buffered saline, milk and apple juice. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 73(2), pp.159-167.

6. Lu, F., Li, Y., Zhou, B., Guo, Q. and Zhang, Y., 2021. Early-life supplementation of grape polyphenol extract promotes polyphenol absorption and modulates the intestinal microbiota in association with the increase in mRNA expression of the key intestinal barrier genes. Food & Function, 12(2), pp.602-613.

7. Zhou, B., Semanjski, M., Orlovetskie, N., Bhattacharya, S., Alon, S., Argaman, L., Jarrous, N., Zhang, Y., Macek, B., Sinai, L. and Ben-Yehuda, S., 2019. Arginine dephosphorylation propels spore germination in bacteria. PNAS, 116(28), pp.14228-14237. (Recommended in F1000 and spotlighted in Nature Chemical biology).

8. Zhou, B., Zhang, L., Wang, X., Dong, P., Hu, X., & Zhang, Y. (2019). Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157: H7 by high hydrostatic pressure combined with gas packaging. Microorganisms, 7(6), 154.

9. Yao, J., Zhou, B., Wang, R., Wang, T., Hu, X., Liao, X., & Zhang, Y. (2015). Inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus by high hydrostatic pressure in saline solution and meat slurry with different initial inoculum levels. Food and Bioproducts Processing, 94, 592-600.