Academician Mingjie Zhang from Southern University of Science and Technology was invited by IBP to give a report entitled Phase separation in synapse formation and function on May 12, 2023. The lecture was presided by Professor Hong Zhang. The Principal Investigators and students from IBP attended the report.

Prof. Mingjie Zhang has long been committed to the research on the molecular mechanism of phase separation in synapse formation and function. His research interests focus on the biochemical and structural basis of important protein complexes in neural signal transduction. He has published more than 200 academic papers in journals such as Science, Cell Mol Cell, Neuron, Nat Neurosci. Prof. Zhang is the Outstanding Overseas Young Scientist award by the Natural Science Foundation of China (2002), and the winner of the State Natural Science Award (2006). In 2011, he was elected as the Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Emerging evidence indicates that liquid-liquid phase separation, the formation of a condensed molecular assembly within another diluted aqueous solution, is a means for cells to organize highly condensed biological assemblies with broad functions and regulatory properties in different subcellular regions. Molecular machineries dictating synaptic transmissions in both presynaptic boutons and postsynaptic densities of neuronal synapses are such biological condensates.

In this talk, Prof. Mingjie Zhang shared their studies on the molecular mechanism underlying the dynamic regulation of synaptic protein condensates. He first summarized their recent work showing how phase separation can build dense synaptic molecular clusters, highlighting unique features of such condensed clusters in the context of synapse formation and plasticity. Then, he presented some of their unpublished work showing how phase separation may regulate synaptic formation and function in ways that are distinct from molecules in homogenous dilute solution systems. He then tried to illustrate that their observations of phase separation processes in neuronal synapses can be extended to many cellular events in general.

Professor Zhang's report was profound and easy-to-understand. The report evoked great interest of the researchers and students, and they had discussions with Prof. Mingjie Zhang after the report.

Professor Hong Zhang hosted the lecture

Academician Mingjie Zhang was giving the lecture

Prof. Ruiming Xu, Academician Mingjie Zhang and Prof. Hong Zhang

The audience