Zhen Hou

Dr Zhen Hou is a Post-Doctoral Research Scientist in Prof Peijun Zhang’s group at the Structural Biology Division (STRUBI), University of Oxford, where he investigates the nuclear trafficking of HIV-1 using in situ cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET).

Zhen joined the Zhang lab in October 2022 after completing his PhD training in cryo-EM/ET and biochemistry under the supervision of Prof Wolfgang Baumeister and Prof Elena Conti at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Germany. Prior to that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he developed a deep interest in cell and molecular biology.

During his PhD, Zhen became fascinated by cryo-electron tomography and applied this cutting-edge technique to study complex cellular processes, including ribosome biogenesis, mRNA quality control, and phase separation. His passion for understanding pathogen–host interactions led him to Oxford, where he now applies in situ cryo-ET to explore the HIV-1 life cycle, focusing on nuclear import, intranuclear trafficking, and integration.

Currently, Zhen is broadening his research to address fundamental questions of nuclear architecture and dynamics, aiming to uncover the molecular principles underlying nuclear organization in health and disease.

Hou, Z., Shen, Y., Fronik, S., Shen, J., Shi, J., Xu, J., ... & Zhang, P. (2025). HIV-1 nuclear import is selective and depends on both capsid elasticity and nuclear pore adaptability. Nature Microbiology, 1-18.

Elad, N., Hou, Z., Dumoux, M., Ramezani, A., Perilla, J. R., & Zhang, P. (2025). In-cell structure and variability of pyrenoid Rubisco. Nature Communications, 16 (1), 7763 (Co-first author)

Hou, Z., Fronik, S., Shen, Y., ... & Zhang, P. (2025). Direct Visualization of HIV-1 Core Nuclear Import and Its Interplay with the Nuclear Pore. EMBO Reports, 1-21. (Cover story)

Hou, Z., & Zhang, P. (2025). In-cell chromatin structure by Cryo-FIB and Cryo-ET. Current Opinion in Structural Biology, 92, 103060. (First & corresponding author)

Hou, Z., Nightingale, F., Zhu, Y., MacGregor-Chatwin, C., & Zhang, P. (2023). Structure of native chromatin fibres revealed by Cryo-ET in situ. Nature Communications, 14 (1), 6324.

Ni, T., Hou, Z., & Zhang, P. (2023). Cryo-electron Microscopy and Tomography: Aiming for Atomic Resolution in Macromolecular Assemblies and Entire Cells. Integrated Structural Biology, ed. T. Polenova, C. M. Quinn, and A. M. Gronenborn, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023, vol. 30, ch. 4, pp. 131-154. (Co-first author)

Erdmann, P. S., Hou, Z., Klumpe, S., Khavnekar, S., Beck, F., Wilfling, F., ... & Baumeister, W. (2021). In situ cryo-electron tomography reveals gradient organization of ribosome biogenesis in intact nucleoli. Nature Communications, 12 (1), 5364.

Wong, L. E., Bhatt, A., Erdmann, P. S., Hou, Z., Maier, J., Pirkuliyeva, S., ... & Griesinger, C. (2020). Tripartite phase separation of two signal effectors with vesicles priming B cell responsiveness. Nature Communications, 11 (1), 848.