Our primary research focus is on the discovery and biosynthesis of natural products, with a specific emphasis on mining novel terpene synthases. We employ a comprehensive approach that integrates chemical biology, structural biology and other advanced technologies to analyze the catalytic mechanisms of terpene synthases. Additionally, we employ chemistry modification and pathway reprogramming strategies to synthesize new terpenoids.

2022.08 - Present, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Associate Professor

2018.12 – 2021.05 University of Bonn, Germany, Postdoctoral Fellow

2018.02 – 2022.06 Institute of Microbiology, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Assistant Professor

2014.09 – 2017.12 Wuhan University, PhD study

2012.08 – 2014.05 Zhejiang Yongning Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Laboratory Engineer

2005.09 – 2012.06 Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, undergraduate and master studies

[1] A. Hou*, B. Li, Z. Deng, M. Xu*, J. S. Dickschat*, Cladosporin, A Highly Potent Antimalaria Drug?, ChemBioChem 2023, e202300154.

[2] A. Hou, J. S. Dickschat, Labelling studies in the biosynthesis of polyketides and non-ribosomal peptides, Natural Product Reports 2023.

[3] H. Tao^#, L. Lauterbach^#, G. Bian^#, R. Chen^#, A. Hou^#, T. Mori^#, S. Cheng, B. Hu, L. Lu, X. Mu, et al., Discovery of non-squalene triterpenes, Nature 2022, 606, 414-419.

[4] Z. Quan, A. Hou, B. Goldfuss, J. S. Dickschat, Mechanism of the bifunctional multiple product sesterterpene synthase AcAS from Aspergillus calidoustus, Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2022, 61, e202117273.

[5] L. Lauterbach^#, A. Hou^#, J. S. Dickschat, Rerouting and Improving Dauc‐8‐en‐11‐ol Synthase from Streptomyces venezuelae to a High Yielding Biocatalyst, Chemistry–A European Journal 2021, 27, 7923-7929.

[6] A. Hou, B. Goldfuss, J. S. Dickschat, Functional Switch and Ethyl Group Formation in the Bacterial Polytrichastrene Synthase from Chryseobacterium polytrichastri, Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2021, 60, 20781-20785.

[7] A. Hou, J. S. Dickschat, The EI‐MS Fragmentation Mechanisms of the Bacterial Diterpenes Polytrichastrene A and Wanju‐2, 5‐diene, European Journal of Organic Chemistry 2021, 2021, 6417-6423.

[8] A. Hou, J. S. Dickschat, Targeting active site residues and structural anchoring positions in terpene synthases, Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry 2021, 17, 2441-2449.

[9] A. Hou, J. S. Dickschat, Using Terpene Synthase Plasticity in Catalysis: On the Enzymatic Conversion of Synthetic Farnesyl Diphosphate Analogues, Chemistry–A European Journal 2021, 27, 15644-15649.

[10] Y. Duan^#, M. Toplak^#, A. Hou^#, N. L. Brock, J. S. Dickschat, R. Teufel, A flavoprotein dioxygenase steers bacterial tropone biosynthesis via coenzyme A-ester oxygenolysis and ring epoxidation, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021, 143, 10413-10421.

[11] A. Hou, L. Lauterbach, J. S. Dickschat, Enzymatic synthesis of methylated terpene analogues using the plasticity of bacterial terpene synthases, Chemistry–A European Journal 2020, 26, 2178-2182.

[12] A. Hou, J. S. Dickschat, The biosynthetic gene cluster for sestermobaraenes—discovery of a geranylfarnesyl diphosphate synthase and a multiproduct sesterterpene synthase from Streptomyces mobaraensis, Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2020, 59, 19961-19965.

[13] A. Hou, J. S. Dickschat, On the mass spectrometric fragmentations of the bacterial sesterterpenes sestermobaraenes A–C, Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry 2020, 16, 2807-2819.

[14] G. Bian^#, A. Hou^#, Y. Yuan, B. Hu, S. Cheng, Z. Ye, Y. Di, Z. Deng, T. Liu, Metabolic engineering-based rapid characterization of a sesquiterpene cyclase and the skeletons of fusariumdiene and fusagramineol from Fusarium graminearum, Organic letters 2018, 20, 1626-1629.

[15] G. Bian, Y. Han, A. Hou, Y. Yuan, X. Liu, Z. Deng, T. Liu, Releasing the potential power of terpene synthases by a robust precursor supply platform, Metabolic Engineering 2017, 42, 1-8.

[16] A. Hou, Z. Deng, H. Ma, T. Liu, Substrate screening of amino transaminase for the synthesis of a sitagliptin intermediate, Tetrahedron 2016, 72, 4660-4664.

National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Innovation Fund of the Haihe Laboratory of Synthetic Biology.