Background/Biography

2013/12- now School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Lecturer

2011/11-2013/11 School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Post-Doctor

2008/9-2011/7 College of Natural Resources and Life Science, Dong-A University (Korea), PhD of Science

2006/10-2008/9 R&D department, GuangZhou ZhongDa Marine Biotechnology Center of South China Sea co., LTD

2003/9-2006/6 College of Life Science, HuaZhong Agricultural University, Master of Science

1999/9-2003/6 College of Life Science, HuaZhong Agricultural University, Bachelor of Science 

Teaching:

Biochemical Experiment

Molecular Biology 

Research interests:

Biosynthetic investigation of the microbial natural products:

1.Mining novel biosynthetic gene clusters using biotechnologies like comparative genomics, metagenomics etc.

2.Understanding/optimizing the biosynthetic pathway of microbial natural products by elucidating the biochemical mechanism of the key biosynthetic steps.

Publications:

1．Tao, W.X.,* Yurkovich, M.E.,* Wen, S.S.,* Lebe, K.E., Samborskyy, M., Liu, Y.Z., Yang, A.N., Liu, Y.K., Ju, Y.C., Deng, Z.X., Tosin, M., Sun, Y.H. and Leadlay, P.F. (2015) A genomics-led approach to deciphering the mechanism of thiotetronate antibiotic biosynthesis. Chem Sci. DOI:10.1039/c5sc03059e. (*co-first author)

2．Wu, J., Kong, H.G., Jung, E.J., Choi, S.Y., Lee, H.J., Tao, W.X., Chung, E.S. and Lee, S.W. (2015) Loss of glutamate dehydrogenase in Ralstonia solanacearum alters dehydrogenase activity, extracellular polysaccharide production and bacterial virulence. Physiol Mol Plant P. 90:57-64

3．Liu, Y.K.,* Tao, W.X.,* Wen, S.S., LI, Z.Y., Yang, A.N., Deng, Z.X. and Sun, Y.H. (2015) In vitro CRISPR/Cas9 system for efficient targeted DNA editing. mBio. 6(6):e01714-15.

4．Tao, W.X.,* Zhu, M.H.,* Deng, Z.X. and Sun, Y.H. (2013) Biosynthesis of Tetronate Antibiotics: A Growing Family of Natural Products with Broad Biological Activities. Sci China Chem. 56(10):1364-1371.

5．Kanchanabanca, C.,* Tao, W.X.,* Hong, H., Liu, Y.J., Hahn, F., Samborskyy, M., Deng, Z.X., Sun, Y.H. and Leadlay, P.F. (2013) Unusual acetylation-elimination in the formation of tetronate antibiotics. Angew Chem Int Edit. 52(22):5785-5788.

6．Tao, W.X., Lee, M.H., Wu, J., Kim, N.H., Kim, J.C., Chung, E.S., Hwang, E.C. and Lee, S.W. (2012) Inactivation of chloramphenicol and florfenicol by a novel chloramphenicol hydrolase. Appl Environ Microbiol. 78(17):6295-6301.

7．Tao, W.X., Lee, M.H., Yoon, M.Y., Kim, J.C., Malhotra, S., Wu, J., Hwang, E.C. and Lee, S.W. (2011) Characterization of two metagenome-derived esterases that reactivate chloramphenicol by counteracting chloramphenicol acetyltransferase. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 21(12):1203-1210.

8．Tao, W.X., Lee, M.H., Wu, J., Kim, N.H. and Lee, S.W. (2011) Isolation and characterization of a family VII esterase derived from alluvial soil metagenomic library. J Microbiol. 49(2):178-185.

9．Lee, M.H., Hong, K.S., Malhotra, S., Park, J.H., Hwang, E.C., Choi, H.K., Kim, Y.S., Tao, W.X. and Lee, S.W. (2010) A new esterase EstD2 isolated from plant rhizosphere soil metagenome. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 88(5):1125-1134.

10．Li, W.C.,* Wu, J.,* Tao, W.X., Zhao, C.H., Wang, Y.M., He, X.Y., Chandra, G., Zhou, X.F., Deng, Z.X., Chater, K.F. and Tao, M.F. (2007) A genetic and bioinformatic analysis of Streptomyces coelicolor genes containing TTA codons, possible targets for regulation by a developmentally significant tRNA. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 266(1):20-28.

11．Tao, W.X., Wu, J., Deng, Z.X. and Tao, M.F. (2007) Cloning of bldAa and the effect on morphological differentiation and avermectins production in Streptomyces avermitilis NRRL8165. Acta Microbiol Sin. 47(1):34-38.