JAE-YOON SUNG, Ph.D.

JAE-YOON SUNG, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Biotechnology
College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University
Seoul 03722, Korea
📞 Tel: (+82)-2-2123-7292
📱 Phone: (+82)-10-3319-6382
📧 Email: sungjaeyoon@yonsei.ac.kr, o3wodbs@gmail.com
🌐 GitHub | Homepage

EDUCATION

  • Postdoctoral Fellow 2024.09-Present Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea Advisor: Dong-Woo Lee

  • Ph.D. 2018.09-2024.08 Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea Thesis Advisor: Dong-Woo Lee Thesis: “Elucidation of thermophily for Bacillales using a phylogenomic approach and the development of a thermophilic platform host”

  • B.S. 2012.02-2018.02 (including 2 years of military service) School of Applied Life Science, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Extremophiles
    • Microbial adaptation to extreme environments
    • Feather degradation mechanism
    • Thermal adaptive physiology
  • Synthetic and Systems Biology
    • Setup genetic tools for non-model themophilic bacteria (Geobacillus)
    • Applications of extremophiles for sustainable process
    • Development of thermophiles-based cell-free expression system
  • Protein Engineering
    • Protein evolution (sugar isomerase)
    • Structural basis functional analysis
    • Non-canonical amino acids to modulate substrate specificity
  • DNA Modification
    • Epigenomics
    • Precision DNA modification tools using the type III R-M system
  • Data Mining
    • Development of a simplified analysis pipeline
    • Big data analysis using multi-omics

PUBLICATIONS (2018-Present)

  1. Sung J.Y., Oh Y.J., Yang S.Y., Yoo Y.K., Lee M.H., Cho H.S.* and Lee D.W.*. Molecular Characterization of an N4-Cytosine Type III Restriction-Modification System from Fervidobacterium islandicum AW-1 (in submission)
  2. Arakane, S., Yonemaru, N., Hashino, M., Sung, J.Y., Lee, D.W., Sato, Y.* and Maeno, S.*(2025) Genome-based reclassification of Geobacillus kaustophilus and Geobacillus vulcani as later heterotypic synonyms of Geobacillus thermoleovorans, with proposal of Geobacillus thermoleovorans subsp. kaustophilus comb. nov. and Geobacillus thermoleovorans subsp. vulcani comb. nov. (in Review)
  3. Ganbat, D.£, Sung, J.Y.£, Kim, S.B., Ganbat, S., Park, M.H., Lee, D.W., and Lee, S.J. (2025) Complete genome sequences of three _Geobacillus stearothermophilus_ strains isolated from a Korean hot spring. Microbiol. Resour. Announc.
  4. Kim, S.B.£, Sung, J.Y.£, Lee, S.J., and Lee, D.W.* (2025) Sustainable Bioprocessing Strategies for Scalable D-Tagatose Production: From Enzyme Engineering to Industrial Implementation Crit. Rev. Environ. Sci. Technol..
  5. Sung, J.Y.£, Kim, J.Y.£, Jin, H.S., Baek, J.H., Kim, Nicole., Song, H.H., Bong, S.H., Lee, Y.J., Kim, B.C., Lee, D.Y., and Lee, D.W., (2025) Keratin degradation reflects a starvation survival strategy in Fervidobacterium islandicum AW-1. bioRxiv 2025.07.04.663136 (under minor revision at iScience).
  6. Sung, J.Y.£, Lee, M.H.£, Kim, S.B., Lee, S.J., and Lee, D.W.* (2025) Complete genome sequence of Geobacillus icigianus ID-2 from an Indonesian Hot Spring. Microbiol. Resour. Announc., e00621-25.
  7. Ganbat, D.£, Ganbat, S.£, Park, B.H, Kim, M.K, Sung, J.Y., Chi, W.j., Kim,S.B., Lee, D.W and Lee, S.J.* (2025) Thermohahella caldifontis gen. nov. sp. nov., thermo-halophilic bacterium isolated from hot spring. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 2025;75:006843.
  8. Ganbat, S., Ganbat, D., Sung, J.Y., Kim, S,B., Lee, D.W., and Lee, S.J.* (2024) Complete genome sequence of polyhydroxyalkaonate accumulating bacterium _Schlegelella aquatica_ HS-12-14 isolated from Korean hot spring. Microbiol. Resour. Announc., e01226-24
  9. Sung, J.Y.£, Ganbat, D.£, Kim, S,B., Lee, S.J., and Lee, D.W. (2024) Complete genome sequences of _Geobacillus stearothermophilus_ strains EF60045 and SJEF4-2 from Korean hot springs. Microbiol. Resour. Announc. e00573-24.
  10. Joo, Y.H. £, Sung, J.Y.£, Shin, S.M., Park, S.J., Kim, K.S., Park, K.D., Kim, S.B., and Lee, D.W.* (2023) A retroaldol reaction prompted the evolvability of a phosphotransferase system for the utilization of a rare sugar. Microbiol. Spectr. 11(2) e03660-22.
  11. Sung, J.Y. £, Lee, Y.J. £, Cho, Y.J., Lee, S.J., Lee, H.S., Bae, J.W., Shin, J.H., Koh, H., Kim, H.J., and Lee, D.W. (2021) A large scale metagenomic study for enzyme profiles using the focused identification of the NGS-based definitive enzyme research (FINDER) strategy. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 118: 4360-4374. (Editor’s choice articles/Front cover paper)
  12. Jin, H.S. £, Dhanasingh, I. £, Sung, J.Y., La, J.W., Lee, Y., Lee, E.M., Kang, Y.J., Lee, D.Y., Lee, S.H., and Lee, D.W. (2021) The sulfur formation system mediating extracellular cysteine-cystine recycling in _Fervidobacterium islandicum_ AW-1 is associated with keratin degradation. Microb, Biotechnol. 14, 938-952.
  13. Dhanasingh, I.£, Sung, J.Y.£, Ghosh, S., La, J.W., Kang, E.J., Lee, D.W., and Lee, S.H.. (2021) *Structure of oxidized pyrrolidone carboxypeptidase from _Fervidobacterium islandicum_ AW-1 reveals unique structural features for thermostability and keratinolysis. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 540, 101-107.
  14. Kang, E.J., Jin, H.S, La, J.W., Sung, J.Y., Park, S.Y., Kim, W.C., and Lee, D.W.* (2020) Identification of keratinases from _Fervidobacterium islandicum AW-1_ using dynamic gene expression profiling. Microb. Biotechnol. 13, 442-457.
  15. Kim, K.N., Yang, J.O., Sung, J.Y., Lee, J.Y., Park, J.S., Lee, H.S., Lee, B.H., Ren, Y., Lee, D.W., and Lee, S.E. (2019) Minimization of energy transduction confers resistance to phosphine in crop arthropods. Sci. Rep. 9, 14605.

For the full list, please refer to my Google Scholar.

PAPER IN PREPARATION

  1. Sung, J.Y.£, Yoo, Y.K.£, Oh Y.J., Lee, M.H., Yang, S.Y., Chang N., Cho, H.S.and Lee, D.W.. Structural basis mechanism of N4-cytosine Type III Restriction-Methylation systems in hyperthermophilic Fervidobacterium islandicum AW-1.
  2. Sung, J.Y., Lee, M.H., Kim, H.B., Ganbat, D., Cho, H.W., Lee, S.J., Kim, S.B., and Lee, D.W.. A Strategic Blueprint for the Domestication of non-model Geobacillus stearothermophilus as a Thermophilic Platform using the DNMB Suite.
  3. Sung, J.Y.£, Shin.S.M.£, Hoang, N.K.Q., Dhanasingh, I., Yoo, K.Y., Lim, H.C., Cao, T., Lee, S.J., Kim, S.B., Lee, S.H., and Lee, D.W.,. Metal-mediated intermolecular interactions contribute to the thermostabilization of primordial sugar isomerases.
  4. Sung, J.Y., Park, M.K., Park, J.S., Lee, M.H., Lee, Y.J., Kim, K.S., Lee, S.J., and Lee, D.W.*. Evolutionary genetic traits for thermal adaptation using a pan-genomic approach in the order Bacillales.
  5. Shi, K.S.£, Sung, J.Y.£, and Lee, D.W.*. Peptidomics-based identification of bioactive peptides from “Aritaunkong” soybean using microbial and enzymatic digestion.

NATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS

  • Development of a Thermophilic Platform Host for Large-Scale Production of Natural Rare Sweeteners for Healthcare Applications
    (2023.03 - 2028.02, Ministry of Science and ICT)
    • Role: Lead Researcher
    • Enhanced D-Fructose-to-D-Tagatose isomerase activity through enzyme engineering and novel enzyme discovery.
    • Investigated substrate specificity change in sugar isomerases focused on phosphorylated state of sugar.
    • Elucidated the D-Tagatose pathway in G. stearothermophilus and developed a cell growth-dependent enzyme engineering platform using metabolic engineering.
  • Development of Biosafe Geobacillus Platform Cells and Enzyme Production Technology for Industrial Uses
    (2021.04 - 2023.12, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)
    • Role: Lead Researcher
    • Established transformation methods for non-model thermophilic bacteria with enhanced efficiency based on defense systems.
    • Developed a genetic toolkit incorporating plasmid origin identification, auxotrophic selection markers, promoter and regulator screening, and native Cas9.
    • Developed bio-safe auxotrophic selection markers for industrial enzyme production technology.
  • Development of Multi-Omics-Based Technology for Discovering and Enhancing Valuable Genetic Resources in Agricultural and Food Microorganisms
    (2018.04 - 2021.12, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)
    • Role: Co-researcher
    • Explored feather degradation mechanisms through multi-omics analysis.
    • Developed genetic manipulation techniques for the hyperthermophilic bacterium Fervidobacterium islandicum AW-1.
    • Identified genetic factors related to thermal stability using comparative genomics of the Bacillales order.
  • Study on the Molecular Evolution of Substrate Promiscuity in Hyperthermophilic Sugar Isomerases Using Comparative and Structural Genomics (2016. 03 - 2018. 02, Ministry of Science and ICT)
    • Role: Co-researcher
    • Constructed a cell-growth-dependent strain reliant on D-Galactose-to-D-Tagatose conversion activity.
    • Characterized L-arabinose isomerase with enhanced D-Galactose-to-D-Tagatose conversion activity.
    • Optimized D-Tagatose metabolism in E. coli using adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE).

CODING (GITHUB)

  • DNMB: a combined scripts-based pipeline for comprehensive genomics analysis of non-model bacteria.
  • GenomeDrawer: a Circos-based genome map visualization tool.
  • BPGAconverter: a combined scripts-based pipeline for comparative genomics analysis.
  • OGRIparser
  • FINDER: a large-scale metagenomic study for enzyme profiles using the focused identification of the NGS-based definitive enzyme research (FINDER) strategy.
  • mRNAcal: a comprehensive R Package for streamlined mRNA region extraction and RNA secondary structure analysis with the viennaRNA.
  • breseqConverter: an R script to convert breseq output into a user-friendly xlsx format for easy ALE stage comparison with the original strain.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS

  • Best Poster Award, 2017 International Meeting of the Microbiology Society of Korea (MSK)
  • BK21 FOUR Best Research Award, BK21 Yonsei education & Research center for biosystems (2021.01)
  • BK21 FOUR Best Research Award, BK21 Yonsei education & Research center for biosystems (2022.01)
  • BK21 FOUR Best Research Award, BK21 Yonsei education & Research center for biosystems (2024.01)
  • Excellent Poster Award, Extremophiles 2024_Loutraki, Greece (2024.09)
  • BK21 Research Professor Fellowship, BK21 Yonsei education & Research center for biosystems, ~24,000 $ per year (2025.09-2026.08)

Conferences and Presentations

  • Invited Talks
    • A Strategic Blueprint for the Domestication of Geobacillus stearothermophilus as a Thermophilic Platform Cell using the DNMB Suite, KMB 2025, Busan, Korea
    • A Strategic Blueprint for the Domestication of Geobacillus stearothermophilus as a Thermophilic Platform Cell using the DNMB Suite, MSK 2024, Jeju, Korea
  • Oral Presentations
    • Large-Scale Metagenomic Study for Enzyme Profiling Using the Focused Identification of the NGS-Based Definitive Enzyme Research (FINDER) Strategy, 2021 BK21 symposium, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
  • Poster Presentations
    • A Strategic Blueprint for the Domestication of Geobacillus stearothermophilus as a Thermophilic Platform Cell using the DNMB Suite, Thermophiles 2025, Münster, Germany
    • A Strategic Blueprint for the Domestication of Geobacillus stearothermophilus as a Thermophilic Platform Cell using the DNMB Suite, Extremophiles 2024, Loutraki, Greece
    • Comparative Genomics and Physiological Characterization of Geobacillus species Reveal Unique Traits in G. stearothermophilus for Industrial Applications, Thermophiles 2023, Bangor, Wales
    • Conserved Sequence-Based Recombination of Homologous Sugar Isomerases from Diverse Species Reveals Genetic Traits for Environmental Adaptation, SIMB 2022, San Francisco, United States of America
    • Conserved Sequence-Based Recombination of Homologous Sugar Isomerases from Diverse Species Reveals Genetic Traits for Environmental Adaptation, KMB 2022, Korea
    • Conserved Sequence-Based Recombination of Homologous Sugar Isomerases from Diverse Species Reveals Genetic Traits for Environmental Adaptation, KSBB 2021, Jeju, Korea
    • Intervening variable sequence regions of homologous sugar isomerases define thermal adaptation traits, KMB 2021, Busan, Korea
    • High-resolution crystal structures of homologous alkalophilic and acidophilic L-arabinose isomerases unveil the catalytic mechanism and pH-dependent activity, KoSFoST 2019, Incheon, Korea
    • The Sulfur Formation System Mediating Fe-S Cluster Assembly in Fervidobacterium islandicum AW-1 is Associated with Keratin Degradation, Extremophiles 2018, Ischia, Italy
    • Development of a Cell Growth-Based High-throughput Screening System for Engineering the Substrate Specificity of Sugar Isomerase, Extremophiles 2018, Ischia, Italy
    • Development of a Cell Growth-Based High-throughput Screening System for Engineering of the Substrate Specificity of L-Arabinose Isomerase, MSK 2017, Busan, Korea

PATENTS

INTERNATIONAL

  • A recombinant strain having modified sugar metabolic pathway and method for screening sugar isomerase using same. US 2020/0087647 A1. Mar. 19, 2020
  • Determination of rare sugar utilization genes in non-metabolizing strains. KR 10-2590888 (2023).

DOMESTIC

  1. 초호열균 유래 깃털 분해능 결정 유전자군 및 이를 포함한 깃털 분해용 호열균의 제조 방법과 이의 용도 (출원: 10-2025-0156050), 2025.10.24
  2. 희귀당 비대사성 호열균의 희귀당 자화능 결정 유전자군 및 이를 활용한 호열균의 열안정성 당이성화효소의 스크리닝 방법 (출원: 10-2025-0113330), 2025.06.24
  3. Geobacillus에서의 유전자 발현용 벡터 시스템, 이의 구성요소 및 응용방법 (출원: 10-2025-0113346), 2025.06.24
  4. Geobacillus의 형질전환능 결정 유전자군 및 이를 이용한 고효율 형질전환능 호열균 제작 방법 (출원: 10-2025-0083189), 2025.06.24
  5. 프룩토오스 대사 유전체가 돌연변이된 균주 (등록: 10-2774894), 2025.12.30.
  6. 희귀당 비대사성 균주의 희귀당 자화능 결정 유전자군 제공방법(등록:10-2590888), 2023.10.13.
  7. 활성이 증가된 변이체 선별을 위한 방법 (등록:10-2841819), 2025.07.22
  8. 변형된 당 대사 경로를 갖는 재조합 균주를 이용한 당이성화 효소의 스크리닝 방법(등록:10-2007890), 2019. 7.31.
  9. 변형된 당 대사 경로를 갖는 재조합 균주 및 이를 이용한 당이성화 효소의 스크리닝 방법(등록:10-1979213), 2019. 5.10.

Professional Skills Training

  • 2018 R Workshop, Seoul University, Seoul, Korea
  • 2019 Workshop on Smart Cell Factory Design, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea
  • 2022 Winter Data Science Workshop, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
    • Python Programming and Web Crawling, Data Literacy using R, Machine Learning with Python, Introduction to Deep Learning with Python, Applied Deep Learning with Python