B.S.
Soochow University
2004
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Faculty
Faculty
Shaolei Teng
Associate Professor and Associate Chair
Department/Office
- Biology
School/College
- College of Arts & Sciences
Education & Expertise
Education
M.S.
Gyeongsang National University
2006
Ph.D.
Clemson University
2011
Postdoctoral Fellow
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
2011-2015
Expertise
Bioinformatics
Mental Disorders
Next-Generation Sequencing
Machine Learning
Protein Structure Modeling
Academics
Academics
Bioinformatics (BIOL/BIOG 419)
Biostatistics (BIOL/BIOG 430)
Omics (BIOL/BIOG 470)
Research
Research
Specialty
BioinformaticsFunding
- NSF Targeted Infusion Project: Advancing Computational Biology Training for Undergraduate Students at Howard University (PI)
- NSF Excellence in Research: Analysis of Rare Mutations and Post-translational Modifications in Peroxidases (PI)
- NSF Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR): Data Science Corps (DSC): Collaborative Research: ADACE: Anthropocentric Data Analytics for Community Enrichment (Co-PI)
- NSF Targeted Infusion Project: Inspiring, engaging and retaining underrepresented students in computing research and the emerging field of data science (Co-PI)
- DoD Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (CoE-AIML) (Senior Personnel)
- American Cancer Society/Howard University Diversity in Cancer Research Pilot Grant (PI)
- Howard University RCMI Investigator Development Core (IDC) Research Grants (PI)
- AIM-AHEAD Data Science Training Core (DSTC) Faculty Teaching Buyout and Curriculum Development Pilot Program (PI)
- NIH Howard University summer research education experience program in oral health. (Research Mentor)
Group Information
Bioinformatics is a new scientific discipline that utilizes computational approaches for understanding the biological meanings behind the large amounts of complex data generated from high-throughput technologies. The goal of the Teng lab is to develop and apply bioinformatics approaches for analyzing the genetic variations associated with human diseases and discovering biological knowledge hidden in the massive data sets. We are currently focused on three research areas including next-generation sequencing, machine learning and protein structure modeling.
NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING (NGS) technologies make the sequencing much faster and cheaper, which have revolutionized genetic research and accelerated precision medicine. We are using whole genome sequencing and targeted sequencing to identify the sequence variants that contribute to major psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. We are applying RNA sequencing to study gene expression changes in model organisms. In addition, we are developing bioinformatics tools and databases to analyze NGS data for mental illness and cancer research.
MACHINE LEARNING can recognize complex and hidden pattern from massive data sets, and it is particularly appealing for biological knowledge discovery in big data. We are developing new machine learning methods to analyze NGS data, disease-causing mutations and protein post-translational modifications.
PROTEIN STRUCTURE MODELING provides an efficient and accurate way to investigate the functional effects of coding sequence variants by mapping them on the corresponding structure models. We are using homology modeling and energy calculation approaches to estimate the effects of missense variants on protein stability and protein-protein interactions, and investigate the roles of the mutations in complex diseases such as obesity, cancers and psychiatric disorders.
Ph.D. Students
Current (4)
Qiaobin Yao (PhD Candidate) Fall 2022 - Present Biology
Junyan Li Fall 2023 - Present Biology
Nosimot Buhari Fall 2023 - Present Biology
Malcolm Anthony Fall 2023 - Present Genetics
Graduated (3)
Adebiyi Sobitan Ph.D. Fall 2017 - May 2022 Biology
Raina Rhoades Ph.D. Spring 2018 - May 2022 Biology
Vidhyanand (Vick) Mahase Ph.D. Fall 2018 – May 2023 Biology
Publications and Presentations
Publications and Presentations
Systemic Effects of Missense Mutations on SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein Stability and Receptor Binding Affinity
Shaolei Teng*, Adebiyi Sobitan, Raina Rhoades, Dongxiao Liu, and Qiyi Tang* Systemic Effects of Missense Mutations on SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein Stability and Receptor Binding Affinity Briefings in Bioinformatics. Volume 22, Issue 2, March 2021; doi: 10.1093/bib/bbaa233. PMID: 33006605; PMCID: PMC7665319
Rare disruptive variants in the DISC1 Interactome and Regulome: association with cognitive ability and schizophrenia.
Shaolei Teng, Pippa A. Thomson, Shane McCarthy, Melissa Kramer, Stephanie Muller, Jayon Lihm, Stewart Morris, Dinesh Soares, William Hennah, Sarah Harris, Luiz Miguel Camargo, Vladislav Malkov, Andrew M McIntosh, J. Kirsty Millar, Douglas Blackwood, Kathryn L. Evans, Ian Deary, David J. Porteous* and W. Richard McCombie* Rare disruptive variants in the DISC1 Interactome and Regulome: association with cognitive ability and schizophrenia. Molecular Psychiatry, 2018 May; 23(5):1270-1277. doi: 10.1038/mp.2017.115. PMID: 28630456
Computational Mutagenesis of GPx7 and GPx8: Structural and Stability Insights into Rare Genetic and Somatic Missense Mutations and Their Implications for Cancer Development
Adebiyi Sobitan, Nosimot Buhari, Zainab Youssri, Fayuan Wen, Dawit Kidane, Shaolei Teng* Computational Mutagenesis of GPx7 and GPx8: Structural and Stability Insights into Rare Genetic and Somatic Missense Mutations and Their Implications for Cancer Development Cancers, 2025, 17(1), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17010105 PMID: 39796732 PMCID: PMC11719487
Genetic conservation and diversity of SARS-CoV-2 Envelope gene across variants of concern
Benjamin M. Liu*, Qiaobin Yao, Ruth Cruz-Cosme, Casey Yarbrough, Kyah Draper, William Suslovic, Imaan Muhammad, Kaia M. Contes, David R. Hillyard, Shaolei Teng* and Qiyi Tang* Genetic conservation and diversity of SARS-CoV-2 Envelope gene across variants of concern Journal of Medical Virology, 2025 Jan;97(1):e70136. doi: 10.1002/jmv.70136. PMID: 39744807
A computational approach: The functional effects of thyroid peroxidase variants in thyroid cancer and genetic disorders.
Adebiyi Sobitan, Brhan Gebremedhin, Qiaobin Yao, Guiqin Xie, Xinbin Gu, Jiang Li, Shaolei Teng* A computational approach: The functional effects of thyroid peroxidase variants in thyroid cancer and genetic disorders. JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics, 2024 Jan:8:e2300140. doi: 10.1200/CCI.23.00140 PMID: 38295322 PMCID: PMC10843385
Genetic variations affecting the ACE2 protein stability in minority populations
Vidhyanand Mahase, Adebiyi Sobitan, Raina Rhoades, Fuquan Zhang, Ancha Baranova, Mark Johnson, Abiodun Otolorin, Qiyi Tang, and Shaolei Teng* Genetic variations affecting the ACE2 protein stability in minority populations. Frontiers in Medicine, section Infectious Diseases – Surveillance, Prevention and Treatment 2022; 9: 1002187. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.1002187 PMCID: PMC9659633 PMID: 36388927
Prediction of the effects of missense mutations on human Myeloperoxidase protein stability using in silico saturation mutagenesis.
Adebiyi Sobitan, William Edwards, Md Shah Jalal, Kolawole Ayanfe, Hemayet Ullah, Atanu Duttaroy, Jiang Li, Shaolei Teng*. (2022) Prediction of the effects of missense mutations on human Myeloperoxidase protein stability using in silico saturation mutagenesis. Genes 2022, 13(8), 1412; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13081412
Computational Saturation Mutagenesis to Investigate the Effects of Neurexin-1 Mutations on AlphaFold Structure
Raina Rhoades, Brianna Henry, Dominique Prichett, Yayin Fang, Shaolei Teng*, Computational Saturation Mutagenesis to Investigate the Effects of Neurexin-1 Mutations on AlphaFold Structure. Genes 2022, 13(5), 789; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes1305078
Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on Host Factors Involved in Mental Disorders
Raina Rhoades, Sarah Solomon, Christina Johnson, Shaolei Teng* (2022) Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on Host Factors Involved in Mental Disorders. Frontiers in Microbiology. 13:845559. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.845559. PMID: 35444632 PMCID: PMC9014212
Computational saturation mutagenesis of SARS-CoV-1 spike glycoprotein: stability, binding affinity, and comparison with SARS-CoV-2.
Adebiyi Sobitan, Vidhyanand Mahase, Raina Rhoades, Dejaun Williams, Dongxiao Liu, Yixin Xie, Lin Li, Qiyi Tang* and Shaolei Teng* Computational saturation mutagenesis of SARS-CoV-1 spike glycoprotein: stability, binding affinity, and comparison with SARS-CoV-2. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. 2021; 8: 784303. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.784303 PMCID: PMC8696472; PMID: 34957216
A novel diG motif in ORF3a protein of SARS-Cov-2 for intracellular transport.
Ruth Cruz-Cosme, Jiantao Zhang, Dongxiao Liu, Vidhyanand Mahase, Bhargava Teja Sallapalli, Peixi Chang, Yanjin Zhang, Shaolei Teng*, Richard Y Zhao*, Qiyi Tang* A novel diG motif in ORF3a protein of SARS-Cov-2 for intracellular transport. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022 Nov 23;10:1011221. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1011221. PMID: 36506095 PMCID: PMC9727819
Cancer missense mutations alter binding properties of proteins and their interaction networks
Hafumi Nishi, Manoj Tyagi, Shaolei Teng, Benjamin Shoemaker, Kosuke Hashimoto, Emil Alexov, Stefan Wuchty and Anna R. Panchenko*. Cancer missense mutations alter binding properties of proteins and their interaction networks (2013) PLOS ONE. 8(6): e66273
Modeling effects of human SNPs on protein-protein interactions
Shaolei Teng, Petras Kundrotas, Thomas Madej, Anna Panchenko and Emil Alexov*. Modeling effects of human SNPs on protein-protein interactions (2009) Biophysical Journal 96(6): 2178-2188.
Predicting protein sumoylation sites from sequence features
Shaolei Teng, Hong Luo, Liangjiang Wang*. Predicting protein sumoylation sites from sequence features (2011). Amino Acids, 43(1):447-55.
Genome-wide prediction and analysis of human tissue-selective genes using microarray expression data.
Shaolei Teng, Jack Y Yang and Liangjiang Wang. Genome-wide prediction and analysis of human tissue-selective genes using microarray expression data. (2013). BMC Medical Genomics, 6(Suppl 1):S10