Yaoqin Hong

Dr Yaoqin Hong is a Lecturer in Microbiology at James Cook University, based in Townsville, Australia. His research explores how bacteria construct and maintain their complex cell envelopes, structures that underpin microbial survival, adaptation, and pathogenicity; and how these systems can be exploited for novel antimicrobial strategies.

Hong completed his PhD in Microbiology at the University of Sydney in 2014 where he uncovered the role of membrane flippases as fidelity checkpoints in lipid-linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis, advancing how the diversity of bacterial surface polysaccharides is evolved. He then undertook postdoctoral training in bacterial lipid metabolism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, before beginning to establish his independent research program at Queensland University of Technology in the lab of Associate Professor Makrina Totsika FASM. His current work focuses on the biosynthesis and stability of the Gram-negative cell envelope, with particular interest in biofilm formation, membrane lipid homeostasis, and surface polysaccharide assembly. He also investigates innovative antimicrobial approaches that target these crucial pathways required for survival or virulence.

Hong has published over 30 research papers, in leading journals such as PNAS, Molecular Microbiology, EcoSal Plus, mLife, iScience, and multiple ASM and SGM society journals. He is a Fellow of the Australian Society for Microbiology, serves on the editorial role of Microbiology Spectrum, and invited reviewer board for international funding bodies and major society journals. He maintains active collaborations in Australia and internationally, including with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA), the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Germany), the National University of Singapore, and several Chinese institutions such as South China Agricultural University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Yaoqin Hong investigates the intricate mechanisms of bacterial cell envelope biogenesis and its central role in antimicrobial resistance and biofilm development. The cell envelope is a vital, multi-layered barrier that enables essential processes such as nutrient uptake and waste export. In Gram-negative bacteria, it consists of an inner phospholipid membrane, a rigid peptidoglycan layer, and an outer membrane, an asymmetric lipid bilayer with phospholipids in the inner leaflet and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the outer leaflet—that provides formidable protection against antibiotics.

Bacterial surfaces are further encapsulated by polysaccharide structures, including O antigens, capsules, and the enterobacterial common antigen. These assemblies not only defend against host immunity and bacteriophage predation but also contribute to envelope integrity and homeostasis. Understanding how these envelope components are synthesized, assembled, and coordinated during growth is key to developing new strategies that destabilise the barrier, enhance antimicrobial susceptibility, and combat infections.

Despite its significance, many aspects of envelope formation remain unresolved. Hong’s research aims to clarify these processes and translate this knowledge into novel antimicrobial approaches.

Key Research Questions

1. How do major cell envelope components interact, and how is lipid synthesis spatially and temporally coordinated with LPS and protein assembly during bacterial growth?

2. What functional, metabolic, and regulatory networks govern cell surface polysaccharide encapsulation?

3. What are the molecular and functional bases underpinning the structural diversity of bacterial surface polysaccharides?