
Scientific Research
Working-Papers
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Research Focus and Representative Scientific Discoveries
Life is thought to have originated from RNA. According to von Baer’s law, the zygote and early embryo most closely resemble the primordial state of life, making them natural hotspots for RNA-centered regulation. Indeed, most maternal factors deposited in oocytes are either RNAs themselves or RNA-binding proteins. Using the zebrafish early embryo as an entry-point and integrating mammalian models, our group uncovers novel RNA regulatory mechanisms and dissects their roles in cell differentiation and innate immunity. In parallel, we develop and refine genetic tools for efficient maternal-factor studies.
1. New Mechanisms Underlying Early Embryonic Development
Identified the maternal organizer Rbm24a protein in zebrafish germ granules, showed that it forms a complex with Buc to recruit germ-plasm RNAs and govern primordial germ-cell differentiation (The EMBO Journal, 2025). Demonstrated that zygotically expressed Rbm24a is a new component of the cytoplasmic polyadenylation (CPA) complex. Specifically enriched in lens fiber cells, it boosts mRNA stability and translation, preventing cataract formation (PNAS, 2020). Showed that the Wnt scaffold protein Dishevelled (Dvl) is dispensable for maternal Wnt/β-catenin activation and dorsal organizer induction, challenging the long-held view that maternal Dvl/Wnt ligands are “dorsal determinants” (PLoS Genetics, 2018). Elucidated the role of the newly identified maternal transcript vrtn in dorsoventral axis formation (Development, 2017). Found that the maternal protein Lurap1 binds Dvl to repress the Wnt/PCP pathway, thereby controlling cell polarity and directed migration (Nature Communications, 2017).

2. A Cross-Species Conserved Double-Stranded RNA Sensor
Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is a universal pathogen-associated molecular pattern and a hallmark of viral replication. While dsRNA sensors switch during differentiation, a stem-cell-specific sensor had not been identified. Using zebrafish and mouse embryos as well as mouse embryonic stem cells, we discovered that PRKRA homodimers act as a stem-cell-specific, evolutionarily conserved dsRNA receptor. We further resolved how PRKRA hijacks the eIF2 complex to impose global translational repression (Molecular Cell, 2025).

3. Rapid Genetic Strategies for Maternal Mutant Generation
• Pioneered a mosaic approach to obtain maternal-zygotic double mutants of dvl2 and dvl3a (PLoS Genetics, 2018). Established a fast oocyte-specific conditional knockout technique that yields maternal mutants within a single generation and efficiently removes large genomic segments (Science Advances, 2021). These methods circumvent embryonic lethality of zygotic mutants (The EMBO Journal, 2025) and greatly accelerate functional studies of maternal factors.
Paper Publication...
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Tong Lu, Pengcheng Ma, Hailing Fang, Aijun Chen, Jianlin Xu, Xi Kuang, Mingyu Wang, Ling Su, Sen Wang, Yizhuang Zhang, Jiasheng Wang, Boya Yang, De-Li Shi, Yong Zhou, Qianqian Gong, Xiangguo Liu, Bingyu Mao and Ming Shao.
Prkra dimer senses double-stranded RNAs to dictate global translation efficiency.
Molecular Cell,
2025.
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Yizhuang Zhang, Jiasheng Wang ,
Hailing Fang , Shuqi Hu , Boya Yang ,
Jiayi Zhou , Raphaëlle Grifone , Panfeng Li ,
Tong Lu , Zhengyang Wang , Chong Zhang ,
Yubin Huang , Dalei Wu , Qianqian Gong, De-li Shi, Ang Li and Ming Shao.
Rbm24a dictates mRNA recruitment for germ granule assembly in zebrafish.
The EMBO Journal,
2025.
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Ming Shao, Tong Lu , Chong Zhang ,
Yi-Zhuang Zhang , Shu-Hui Kong, De-li Shi
Rbm24 controls poly(A) tail length and translation efficiency of crystallin mRNAs in the lens via cytoplasmic polyadenylation.
PNAS,
117,
7245-7254,
2025.
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Chong Zhang, Tong Lu, Yizhuang Zhang, Jiaguang Li, Imran Tarique, Fenfen Wen, Aijun Chen, Jiasheng Wang, Zhuoyu Zhang, Yanjun Zhang, De-Li Shi and Ming Shao.
Rapid generation of maternal mutants via oocyte transgenic expression of CRISPR-Cas9 and sgRNAs in zebrafish.
Science Advances,
7,
eabg4243,
2025.
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Xiaoning Cheng, Ming Shao, Jitong Li, Yan-Fei Wang , Jing Qi , De-li Shi and Zhigang Xu.
Leucine repeat adaptor protein 1 interacts with Dishevelled to regulate gastrulation cell movements in zebrafish.
Nature Communications,
8,
1353,
2025.
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Ming Shao, Min Wang , Yuan-Yuan Liu ,
Yi-Wen Ge , Yan-Jun Zhang and De-li Shi.
Vegetally localised Vrtn functions as a novel repressor to modulate bmp2b transcription during dorsoventral patterning in zebrafish.
Development,
144,
3361-3374,
2025.
Patents
Published Books
Research Projects
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Research Team
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Ming Shao

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