My research is in the field of biological sciences and agriculture, with research interests in glyco-engineering and enzyme engineering, as well as plant glycobiology and plant immunity. My research focuses on the utilization of polysaccharide biomass resources in nature, which includes two main aspects: mining and creation of polysaccharide degrading enzymes and efficient degradation of polysaccharides; and the functions and mechanisms of oligosaccharides (polysaccharide degradation products), especially the regulatory mechanisms of oligosaccharides on plant immune system.
I have discovered and created a series of glycoside hydrolases, polysaccharide lyases, LPMO and other efficient polysaccharide degradation-related enzymes, and conducted in-depth studies on the catalytic mechanism of the enzymes; based on the above-mentioned enzymes with independent intellectual property rights, I have realized the preparation of a series of functional oligosaccharides; I have conducted systematic studies on the functions and mechanisms of oligosaccharides in regulating the plant immune system in various crops. I have published more than 120 research papers in Science, Appl Catal B, Plant J, Chem Eng J, Carbohyd Polym, Bioresource Technol, J Biol Chem and etc. I have published 3 books and several book chapters. I have been granted more than 50 patents and have translated more than 10 patents into corporate industrial applications. I have collaborated with companies to achieve the industrial application of polysaccharide degradation technology and developed more than 20 kinds of biopesticides and biofertilizers with oligosaccharides as active ingredients, which have been widely used in China and abroad.
Prof. Heng Yin graduated from Dalian University of Technology with a bachelor's degree in Fine Chemical Engineering in 2003, and received his PhD degree in Biochemical Engineering from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008, during which he was co-trained at the Key Laboratory of Ministry of Health for Glycoconjugates, Fudan University from 2004 to 2006. After graduation, he has been working in DICP since then, during which he was a visiting scholar in Aarhus University, Denmark from 2010 to 2011; he became an Associate Professor in 2011 and a Professor in 2015, and is currently the head of the Natural Products and Glyco-engineering Research Group, the director of the Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Research in Liaoning Province, and the director of Dalian Engineering Research Center for Carbohydrate Agricultural Preparations.
1. 2024 National High-Level Talents Special Support Program (Leading Talent of Technological Innovation)
2. 2024 First Prize for Technological Invention, Dalian City (First contributor)
3. 2021 Liaoning Province “One Hundred Talent Project” - Hundred People Level
4. 2019 “Zhang Dayu” Excellent Prof. of DICP
5. 2019 Outstanding Member of the Youth Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
6. 2018 Liaoning Revitalization Talents
7. 2016 Liaoning Province “One Hundred Talent Project” - Thousand People Level
8. 2015 Distinguished Young Scientists of Dalian city
9. 2015 Zhang Shuzheng Glycoscience Award for Outstanding Youth
10. 2014 The second-class award of Liaoning provincial prize for progress in science and technology
11. 2014 Youth Star science and technology researcher of Dalian city
12. 2013 The first-class award of Marine Science and Technology Award of China
13. 2013 YSP Award of Asian Community of Glycoscience and Glycotechnology
14. 2010 Denmark DANIDA Fellowship
Book and Book chapter
1. Heng Yin, Yuguang Du, Research Progress in Oligosaccharins, ISBN 978‐1‐4939‐3518‐5, Publisher:
Springer, 2016
Journal papers (In recent 5 years)
1. Yu Wang, Tang Li, Yangjie Zheng, Chenxin Guo, Kuikui Li, Xiaochen Jia, Liping Zhu, Kecai Chen, Heng Yin. Characterization of SrUGT76G4 reveals a key residue for regioselectivity and efficient Reb M synthesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2025. 122. (38). e2504698122.
2. Guangzheng Sun, Jun Chen, Tang Li, Qinsheng Zhu, Xinrui Li, Xuan Mi, Wenxia Wang, Zhichao Zhang, Keyi Huang, Ruoting Yao, Bo Yang, Wenwu Ye, Kaixuan Duan, Zhenchuan Ma, Ke Yu, Yiming Wang, Suomeng Dong, Yan Wang, Heng Yin, Yuanchao Wang. A GmNRF5a-GmCERK1-GmCAK1 module mediates chitin/chitosan-triggered immune response in soybean. J Integr Plant Biol. 2025. doi: 10.1111/jipb.70042.
3. Hamed I. Hamouda, Tang Li, Samah Shabana, Amr H. Hashem, Heng Yin. Advances in fucoidan and fucoidan oligosaccharides: Current status, future prospects, and biological applications. Carbohydrate Polymers. 2025. 123559.
4. Langxing Liao, Jian Kuang, Peng Wu, Xianhang Sang, Heng Yin, Changlin Tian, Xingwang Zhang, Wei Peng, Lu Yu, Binju Wang. A Molecular Mechanism for the Reduction of the Cu Site in Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenases by Phenol Reductants. JACS Au. 2025. 5.4233−4248.
5. Jinjing Ma, Deyu Chu, Vokhidova Noyira Rakhimovna, Peng Wang, Shaomin Zhu, Hongguo Xie, Qishun Liu, Heng Yin. Efficient and green extraction of chitin from mantis shrimp shell using deep eutectic solvents at room temperature. Bioresource Technology. 2025. 435. 132888.
6. Guangzheng Sun, Yu Xiao, Heng Yin, Ke Yu, Yiming Wang, Yuanchao Wang. Oligosaccharide Elicitors in Plant Immunity: Molecular Mechanisms and Disease Resistance Strategies. Plant Communications. 2025. 6.101469.
7. Wenxia Wang, Santosh Kumar Bose, Xiaochen Jia, Prianka Howlader, Heng Yin. A combined analysis of transcriptome and proteome reveals the regulation mechanism of alginate oligosaccharides on alleviating energy deficit in postharvest strawberry. Postharvest Biology and Technology. 2025. 220. 113302.
8. Rajib Md Mijanur Rahman, Kuikui Li, Hu Zhao, Xiaochen Jia, Wenxia Wang, Jin Gao, Heng Yin. Preparation and Functional Characterization of Konjac Glucomannan Oligosaccharide as an Immunomodulator Against Pst DC3000 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2025. 73. (34). 21536-21549.
9. Hamed I. Hamouda, Mohamed H. El-Sayed, Hussein N. Nassar, Nour Sh. El-Gendy, Samah Baleegh Meawad, Wenxia Wang, Tang Li, Heng Yin. Characterization of a Novel α-l-Fucosidase from Truepera sp. for Efficient Transfucosylation and 2′-Fucosyllactose Biosynthesis. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2025. 73. (39). 24830-24844.
10. Shen Li, Yuan Liu, Zixi Gao, Chao An, Hui Gu, Heng Yin, Rongzhan Fu, Liang Shi, Wenjiao Xue, Daidi Fan, Qiang Fei. Methane Valorization to Antioxidant Polysaccharides by Methanotrophic Bacteria. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2025,73 (18), 11019-11029.
11. Xiaohua Liu, Zhongbin Xiao, Kuikui Li, Wenxia Wang, Xiaochen Jia, Tang Li, Heng Yin. Characterization of two new alginate lyases from Pseudomonas mendocina E03. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2025. 285. 138304.
12. Jie Qin, Fanxing Zhang, Tang Li, Jiayi Xue, Heng Yin. Characterization of the enzymatic and immunogenic properties of a xylanase from Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2025. 330. 148286.
13. Huaiyu Lv, Jie Qin, Jin Gao, Fanxing Zhang, Min Li, Da-Cheng Hao, Heng Yin. An endoglucanase from Erwinia amylovora induces broad-spectrum immune response in plants. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2025. 308. 142550.
14. Binghui Yang, Jinlong Ma, Hui Gu, Yunshu Xu, Mingxin Long, Tiantian Xu, Mingzhi Liu, Heng Yin, Qingsong Xu. Polysaccharides isolated from Ampelopsis grossedentata and their immunomodulatory activity. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2025. 286. 138513.
15. Jin Gao, Md Mijanur Rahman Rajib, Kuai Dai, Kuikui Li, Yonghe Cui, Wenxia Wang, Jiangzhou Li, Heng Yin. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of the regulatory mechanisms underlying the resistance to Fusarium foetens mediated by konjac glucomannan oligosaccharides in tobacco. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology. 2025. 136. 102585.
16. Chen-Xin Guo, Jiyan Li, Yu Wang, Tang Li, Heng Yin. Functional characterization of a Stevia rebaudiana flavonoid glycosyltransferase. Enzyme and Microbial Technology. 2025. 190. 110708.
17. Hongguo Xie, Guanglu Yu, Xueran Wang, Deyu Chu, Chao Song, Pei Wang, Kuai Dai, Jiangzhou Li, Heng Yin. Sea urchin-like nanocarrier for enhancing pesticide retention and rain fastness on hydrophobic and hydrophilic crop foliage, Chemical Engineering Journal, 2024, 490, 151901.
18. Hui Gu, Jin Qin, Jinxuan Wen, Yudie Lin, Xiaochen Jia, Wenxia Wang, Heng Yin. Unveiling the structural properties and induced resistance activity in rice of Chitin/Chitosan-Glucan Complex of Rhizoctonia solani AG1 IA inner cell wall. Carbohydrate Polymers, 2024, 337, 122149.
19. Wa Gao, Tang Li, Haichuan Zhou, Jiu Ju, Heng Yin. Carbohydrate-binding modules enhance H2O2 tolerance by promoting lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase active site H2O2 consumption. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2024, 300(1): 105573.
20. Yu Xiao, Guangzheng Sun, Qiangsheng Yu, Teng Gao, Qinsheng Zhu, Rui Wang, Shijia Huang, Zhifu Han, Felice Cervone, Heng Yin, Tiancong Qi, Yuanchao Wang, Jijie Chai. A plant mechanism of hijacking pathogen virulence factors to trigger innate immunity. Science, 2024, 383(6684): 732-739.
21. Xiaochen Jia, Hongyan Zhang, Hongqiang Qin, Kuikui Li, Xiaoyan Liu, Wenxia Wang, Mingliang Ye, Heng Yin. Protein O-GlcNAcylation impairment caused by N-acetylglucosamine phosphate mutase deficiency leads to growth variations in Arabidopsis thaliana. The Plant Journal, 2023, 114(3):613-635.
22. Yijie Dong, Tang Li, Shiqing Zhang, Joaquin Sanchis, Heng Yin, Jie Ren, Xiang Sheng, Guangyue Li, Manfred T. Reetz. Biocatalytic baeyer-villiger reactions: Uncovering the source of regioselectivity at each evolutionary stage of a mutant with scrutiny of fleeting chiral intermediates. ACS Catalysis, 2022, 12(6): 3669-3680.
23. Lingfeng Long, Yun Hu, Fubao Sun, Wa Gao, Zhikui Hao, Heng Yin. Advances in lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases with the cellulose-degrading auxiliary activity family 9 to facilitate cellulose degradation for biorefinery. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2022, 219: 68-83.
24. En Yu, Daiwen Chen, Bing Yu, Zhiqing Huang, Xiangbing Mao, Ping Zheng, Yuheng Luo, Heng Yin, Jie Yu, Junqiu Luo, Hui Yan, Jun He. Alteration of porcine intestinal microbiota in response to dietary manno-oligosaccharide supplementation. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2022, 12: 811272(1-11).
25. Wa Gao, Hefeng Zhang, Tang Li, Jiu Ju, Haichuan Zhou, Xu Zong, Heng Yin. Controlled depolymerization of cellulose by photoelectrochemical bioreactor using a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 2022, 187: 108597(1-6).
26. Can Zhao, Chunyan Wu, Kuikui Li, John F. Kennedy, Michael Wisniewski, Lihong Gao，Chenggui Han, Jia Liu, Heng Yin, Xuehong Wu. Effect of oligogalacturonides on seed germination and disease resistance of sugar beet seedling and root. Journal of Fungi, 2022, 8(716): 1-13.
27. Ruixin Li, Maolong Li, Jinxia He, Hongguo Xie, Wenxia Wang, Meng Zhang, Gustavo Cabrera-Barjas, Pierfrancesco Morganti, Heng Yin. Preparation of pectin nanospheres and its effect on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seed germination and growth. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 2022. 41: 3197-3207.
28. Xiao Yin, HongguoXie, Ruixin Li, Shenggang Yan, Heng Yin. Regulating association strength between quaternary ammonium chitosan and sodium alginate via hydration. Carbohydrate Polymers. 2021, 255: 117390(1-8).
29. Jin Wan, Jiao Zhang, Qingsong Xu, Heng Yin, Daiwen Chen, Bing Yu, Jun He. Alginate oligosaccharide protects against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-induced porcine intestinal barrier injury. Carbohydrate Polymers. 2021, 270: 118316(1-12).
30. Tang Li, Ningning Zhang, Shenggang Yan, Shan Jiang, Heng Yin. A novel tyrosinase from armillariaostoyae with comparable monophenolase and diphenolase activities suffers substrate inhibition. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2021, 87(12): 1-14.
31. Guojun Yang, Shuguang Li, Haidong Tan, Kuikui Li, Wei Chen, Heng Yin. A highly efficient biocatalytic conversion of renewable pectic polysaccharide biomass into bioactive oligogalacturonides. ACS Food Science & Technology. 2021, 1(3): 338-346.
32. Yu Wang, Xue Sun, XiaochenJia, Liping Zhu, Heng Yin. Comparative transcriptomic of Stevia rebaudiana provides insight into rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M biosynthesis. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 2021, 167: 541-549.
33. Santosh Kumar Bose, Yanqiu He, Prianka Howlader, Wenxia Wang, Heng Yin. The N-glycan processing enzymes beta-D-N-acetylhexosaminidase are involved in ripening-associated softening in strawberry fruit. Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2021, 58: 621-631.
34. En Yu, Daiwen Chen, Bing Yu, Yuheng Luo, Ping Zheng, Heng Yin, Xiangbing Mao, Zhiqing Huang, Jie Yu, Junqiu Luo, HuiYan, Jun He. Amelioration of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-induced disruption of intestinal epithelium by manno-oligosaccharide in weaned pigs. Journal of Functional Foods. 2021, 82: 104492(1-10).
35. Gustavo Cabrera-Barjas, Cristian González, Aleksandra Nesic, Kelly P. Marrugo, Oscar Gómez, Cédric Delattre, Oscar Valdes, Heng Yin, Gaston Bravo, Juan Cea. Utilization of marine waste to obtain β-chitin nanofibers and films from giant humboldt squid Dosidicus gigas. Marine Drugs. 2021, 19(4): 184.
36. En Yu, Daiwen Chen, Bing Yu, Zhiqing Huang, Xiangbing Mao, Ping Zheng, Yuheng Luo, Heng Yin, Jie Yu, Junqiu Luo, Hui Yan, Jun He. Manno-oligosaccharide attenuates inflammation and intestinal epithelium injury in weaned pigs upon enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 challenge. British Journal of Nutrition. 2021, 126(7): 993-1002.
37. Qian Li, Chaofeng Jiang, Haidong Tan, Xiaoming Zhao, Kuikui Li, Heng Yin. Characterization of recombinant E. coli expressing a novel fucosidase from Bacillus cereus 2-8 belonging to GH95 family. Protein Expression and Purification. 2021, 105897: 1-7.