Yong Zou

My research aims to understand how photosynthetic cells maintain cellular homeostasis by controlling intracellular degradation and resource recycling. I use the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a genetically tractable model to investigate the molecular mechanisms of autophagy and proteolysis.

A major focus of my research is understanding how proteases regulate algal physiology and stress responses, including the roles of metacaspases and other proteases. In parallel, I investigate autophagy across its different stages, from autophagosome formation and cargo selection to the degradation of autophagic material in the vacuole and the subsequent recovery of nutrients for cellular metabolism.

My research combines genetics, genome editing, cell biology, advanced light and electron microscopy, quantitative proteomics, biochemical approaches and metabolic profiling. By integrating these approaches, I seek to connect molecular mechanisms with cellular function and understand how autophagsome formation, autophagic cargo degradation and motabolites recycling contribute to adaptation to environmental stress.

Autophagy and intracellular recycling
My research investigates how autophagy contributes to cellular homeostasis in photosynthetic organisms. Using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, I study the molecular mechanisms that control autophagy from autophagosome formation and cargo delivery to vacuolar degradation and nutrient recycling. 

Proteases and cellular stress responses
Proteolysis is a central mechanism through which cells adapt to environmental and developmental changes. My research examines how proteases, including metacaspases and vacuolar proteases, regulate cellular processes in algae. We investigate their activation, substrates, localization and physiological functions, with the aim of understanding how proteolytic networks control stress responses, cellular survival and resource allocation.

My research is embedded in a multidisciplinary environment at SLU, with expertise spanning molecular biology, plant and algal physiology, cell biology, proteomics, microscopy and biochemistry. The research environment provides access to advanced facilities for genome editing, live-cell imaging and biochemical analysis, enabling mechanistic studies from molecular to cellular scales. My research is further strengthened through collaborations with researchers in quantitative proteomics and advanced microscopy, allowing complementary approaches to be integrated within the Chlamydomonas research programme. This combination of expertise, infrastructure and interdisciplinary collaboration provides a strong foundation for investigating how autophagy and proteolysis regulate cellular adaptation and resource recycling in photosynthetic organisms.

2026

PhD course: The Art of Gene Cloning (organizer)

2025

PhD course: Gene editing with CRISPR (invited lecture)

2025

Bachelor course: Biochemistry (KE0073, teacher)

2022 Teaching in higher education. Basic cource, SLU (3 weeks)

2023 PhD supervision course  (3 weeks)

2024 Educating for critical thinking and criticality. Course for higher education, SLU (2 weeks)