Our research focuses on the microbial synthesis of biomacromolecules, such as important industrial enzymes, medical proteins and active polymers using synthetic biology and metabolic engineering technologies.

2001-2004 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, M.D

2010-2013 Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, Ph.D.

2014-2015 Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Assistant Professor

2015-2016 University of Minnesota, Visiting scholar

2016-2019 Washington University in St. Louis, Post-doctoral

2020-   Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor

1. Sijia Wang†, Wenxin Huang†, Zhaoxuan Feng, Xiaoli Tian, Dexin Wang, Lang Rao, Ming Tan, Niran Roongsawang, Hui Song*, Wenxia Jiang*, Wenqin Bai*. Laccase-mediated formation of hydrogels based on silk-elastin-like protein polymers with ultra-high molecular weight. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2023, 231:123239. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123239. (IF 8.2)

2. Shuyu Chen†, Hongchen Zheng†, Jiaqi Gao, Hui Song, Wenqin Bai*. High-level production of pullulan and its biosynthesis regulation in Aureobasidium pullulans BL06. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 2023, DOI:10.3389/fbioe.2023.1131875. (IF 5.7)

3.Xi Sun, Jun Yang, Xiaoping Fu, Xingya Zhao, Jie Zhen, Hui Song, Jianyong Xu, Hongchen Zheng*, Wenqin Bai*. Trehalose Production Using Three Extracellular Enzymes Produced via One-Step Fermentation of an Engineered Bacillus subtilis Strain.Bioengineering-Basel. 2023 Aug 18; 10(8):977. Doi: 10.3390/bioengineering10080977. (IF 4.6)

4. Yifan Yang, Xiaoping Fu, Xingya Zhao, Jianyong Xu, Yihan Liu*, Hongchen Zheng*, Wenqin Bai*, Hui Song. Overexpression of a thermostable α-amylase through genome integration in Bacillus subtilis.Fermentation-Basel. 2023, 9(2):139.https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9020139. (IF 3.7)

5. Zhaoxuan Feng†, Sijia Wang†, Wenxin Huang†, Wenqin Bai*.A potential bilayer skin substitute based on electrospun silk-elastin-like protein nanofiber membrane covered with bacterial cellulose.Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces. Accept. (IF 5.8)

6. Dexin Wang, Xiaoping Fu, Dasen Zhou, Jiaqi Gao, Wenqin Bai*. Engineering of a newly isolated Bacillus tequilensis BL01 for poly-γ- glutamic acid production from citric acid. Microbial Cell Factories. 2022, 21(1):276. DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01994-z. (IF 6.4)

7. Zhaoxuan Feng, Jinsong Li, Dasen Zhou, Hui Song, Jiaqi Lv*, Wenqin Bai*. A novel photocurable pullulan-based bioink for digital light processing 3D printing. International Journal of Bioprinting. 2022, 9(2). DOI: 10.18063/ijb.v9i2.657. (IF 8.4)

8. Zhaoxuan Feng†, Shuyu Chen†, Abdullah Ahmad, Longjiao Chen, Wenqin Bai*. Ultra-high molecular weight pullulan-based material with high deformability and shape-memory properties. Carbohydrate Polymers. 2022, 295:119836. DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119836. (IF 11.2)

9. Wenqin Bai†, Winston E. Anthony†, Christopher Hartline, Shaojie Wang, Bin Wang, Jie Ning, Fong-Fu Hsu, Gautam Dantas*, Fuzhong Zhang*. Engineering Diverse Fatty Acid Compositions of Phospholipids in Escherichia coli. Metabolic Engineering. 2022, 74:11-23. DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2022.08.011. (IF 8.4)

10. Wenqin Bai, Cameron J. Sargent, Jeong-Mo Choi, Rohit V. Pappu, Fuzhong Zhang*. Covalently-assembled single-chain protein nanostructures with ultra-high stability. Nature Communications. 2019, 10, 3317. doi://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11285-8. (IF 16.6)

11. Wenqin Bai, Weitao Geng, Shaojie Wang and Fuzhong Zhang*. Biosynthesis, regulation, and engineering of microbially produced branched biofuels. Biotechnology for Biofuels. 2019, 12:84. (IF 6.3)

12. Christopher H. Bowen, Bin Dai, Cameron J. Sargent, Wenqin Bai, Pranay Ladiwala, Huibao Feng, Wenwen Huang, David L. Kaplan, Jonathan M. Galazka, Fuzhong Zhang*. Recombinant spidroins fully replicate primary mechanical properties of natural spider silk. Biomacromolecules, 2018, 19, 3853-3860. (IF 6.2)

13. Jingyu Wang, Jilong Wang, Yi-shu Tai, Qiuge Zhang, Wenqin Bai, Kechun Zhang*. Rerouting carbon flux for optimized biosynthesis of mesaconate in Escherichia coli. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 2018, 102(17): 7377-7388. (IF 5.2)

14. Wenqin Bai, Yi-Shu Tai, Jingyu Wang, Jilong Wang, Pooja Jambunathan, Kevin J. Fox, Kechun Zhang*. Engineering Nonphosphorylative Metabolism to Synthesize Mesaconate from D-Xylose and L-Arabinose in Escherichia coli. Metabolic Engineering, 2016 (38): 285–292. (IF 8.4)

15. Wenqin Bai*, Yufan Cao, Jun Liu, Qinhong Wang, Zhenhu Jia. Improvement of alkalophilicity of an alkaline xylanase Xyn11A-LC from Bacillus sp. SN5 by random mutation and Glu135 saturation mutagenesis. BMC Biotechnology, 2016(16):77 (IF 3.5)

16. Jilong Wang, Suthamat Niyompanich, Yi-Shu Tai, Jingyu Wang, Wenqin Bai, Prithviraj Mahida, Tuo Gao and Kechun Zhang*. Engineering Highly Efficient E. coli strain for Mevalonate Fermentation by Chromosomal Integration. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2016, 82(24):7176-7184. (IF 4.4)

17. Wenqin Bai, Yanfen Xue, Yueju Zhao, Qinhong Wang, Yanhe Ma*. Structural insight into and mutational analysis of family 11 xylanases: implications for mechanisms of higher pH catalytic adaptation. PLoS One. 2015, Jul 10, 10(7):e0132834. (IF 3.7)

18. Wenqin Bai, Yanfen Xue, Cheng Zhou, Yanhe Ma*. Cloning, expression and characterization of an alkali-tolerant xylanase from alkalophilic Bacillus sp. SN5. Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 2015, 62(2):208-17. (IF 2.8)

19. Wenqin Bai, Cheng Zhou, Yanfen Xue, Chunhsiang Huang, Ruiting Guo, Yanhe Ma*. Three-dimensional structure of an alkaline xylanase Xyn11A-LC from alkalophilic Bacillus sp. SN5 and improvement of its thermal performance by introducing arginines substitutions. Biotechnol Lett. 2014, 36(7):1495-501. (IF 2.7)

20. Wenqin Bai, Yanfen Xue, Cheng Zhou, Yanhe Ma*. Cloning, expression and characterization of a novel salt-tolerant xylanase from Bacillus sp. SN5. Biotechnol Lett. 2012, 34(11):2093-9. (IF 2.7)