2026 Xiaodong Cheng: Molecular Biology Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Molecular Biology	96	608	544	334	296	285	35261

Xiaodong Cheng publication distribution in Molecular Biology in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Molecular Biology in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Xiaodong Cheng sits on this spectrum.

47 publications 564+

This scientist: 285 publications — 78th percentile

78% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 564 publications or more.

Xiaodong Cheng D-index placement in Molecular Biology in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Molecular Biology scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Xiaodong Cheng sits on this spectrum.

40 D-Index 145+

This scientist: 96 D-Index — 80th percentile

80% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 145 D-Index or more.

Research.com Recognitions

2016 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2012 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Overview

Xiaodong Cheng is affiliated with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States. Their research primarily spans the fields of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, and Medicine. Within these, key subfields include Molecular Biology, Genetics, Mechanics of Materials, Nuclear and High Energy Physics, and Ocean Engineering.

The scientist's research addresses topics such as Epigenetics and DNA Methylation, RNA modifications and cancer, Cancer-related gene regulation, Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics, Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis, Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir Analysis, and Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders.

Frequent publication venues for their work include:

arXiv (Cornell University)
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Nucleic Acids Research
Journal of Biological Chemistry
Cell Reports

They have collaborated extensively with several co-authors, notably:

J.R. Horton (38 publications)
Robert Blumenthal (27 publications)
Jujun Zhou (22 publications)
Ren Ren (21 publications)
Xing Zhang (15 publications)

Recent papers by Xiaodong Cheng exemplify their research focus:

Discovery of a first-in-class reversible DNMT1-selective inhibitor with improved tolerability and efficacy in acute myeloid leukemia, 2021, Nature Cancer
The inactive Dnmt3b3 isoform preferentially enhances Dnmt3b-mediated DNA methylation, 2020, Genes & Development
MBD5 and MBD6 couple DNA methylation to gene silencing through the J-domain protein SILENZIO, 2021, Science
ZNF410 Uniquely Activates the NuRD Component CHD4 to Silence Fetal Hemoglobin Expression, 2020, Molecular Cell
Human MettL3-MettL14 RNA adenine methyltransferase complex is active on double-stranded DNA containing lesions, 2021, Nucleic Acids Research

Xiaodong Cheng has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) twice, in 2012 and 2016.

Best Publications

DNMT3L connects unmethylated lysine 4 of histone H3 to de novo methylation of DNA.

Steen K.T. Ooi;Chen Qiu;Emily Bernstein;Keqin Li

1788
Citations
Hhal methyltransferase flips its target base out of the DNA helix

Saulius Klimasauskas;Sanjay Kumar;Richard J. Roberts;Xiaodong Cheng

1281
Citations
Many paths to methyltransfer: a chronicle of convergence

Heidi L. Schubert;Robert M. Blumenthal;Xiaodong Cheng

1142
Citations
The SET-domain protein superfamily: Protein lysine methyltransferases

Shane C Dillon;Xing Zhang;Raymond C Trievel;Xiaodong Cheng

1013
Citations
Structure of Dnmt3a bound to Dnmt3L suggests a model for de novo DNA methylation

Da Jia;Renata Z. Jurkowska;Xing Zhang;Albert Jeltsch

974
Citations
5-hmC–mediated epigenetic dynamics during postnatal neurodevelopment and aging

Keith E. Szulwach;Xuekun Li;Yujing Li;Chun Xiao Song

891
Citations
Structure-guided analysis reveals nine sequence motifs conserved among DNA amino-methyltransferases, and suggests a catalytic mechanism for these enzymes

Thomas Malone;Robert M. Blumenthal;Robert M. Blumenthal;Xiaodong Cheng;Xiaodong Cheng

662
Citations
AdoMet-dependent methylation, DNA methyltransferases and base flipping

Xiaodong Cheng;Richard J. Roberts

660
Citations
The DNA (cytosine-5) methyltransferases

Sanjay Kumar;Xiaodong Cheng;Saulius Klimasauskas;Sha Mi

556
Citations
Recognition and potential mechanisms for replication and erasure of cytosine hydroxymethylation.

Hideharu Hashimoto;Yiwei Liu;Anup K. Upadhyay;Yanqi Chang

527
Citations
Mammalian DNA Methyltransferases: A Structural Perspective

Xiaodong Cheng;Robert M. Blumenthal

521
Citations
Crystal-Structure of the Hhal DNA Methyltransferase Complexed with S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine

Xiaodong Cheng;Sanjay Kumar;Janos Posfai;James W. Pflugrath

520
Citations
Recognition of unmethylated histone H3 lysine 4 links BHC80 to LSD1-mediated gene repression

Fei Lan;Robert E. Collins;Rossella De Cegli;Rossella De Cegli;Roman Alpatov

491
Citations
Effector CD8 T cells dedifferentiate into long-lived memory cells

Ben Youngblood;Ben Youngblood;J. Scott Hale;Haydn Thomas Kissick;Eunseon Ahn

486
Citations
Structure of the Predominant Protein Arginine Methyltransferase PRMT1 and Analysis of Its Binding to Substrate Peptides

Xing Zhang;Xiaodong Cheng

484
Citations
The SRA domain of UHRF1 flips 5-methylcytosine out of the DNA helix

Hideharu Hashimoto;John R. Horton;Xing Zhang;Magnolia Bostick

470
Citations
Structural and Sequence Motifs of Protein (Histone) Methylation Enzymes

Xiaodong Cheng;Robert E. Collins;Xing Zhang

464
Citations
Trimethylated lysine 9 of histone H3 is a mark for DNA methylation in Neurospora crassa.

Hisashi Tamaru;Xing Zhang;Debra McMillen;Prim B. Singh

460
Citations
Structure and function of DNA methyltransferases.

Xiaodong Cheng

441
Citations
Zebularine: A Novel DNA Methylation Inhibitor that Forms a Covalent Complex with DNA Methyltransferases

Lei Zhou;Xiaodong Cheng;B.A. Connolly;M.J. Dickman

433
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Xing Zhang The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

John R. Horton The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Robert Blumenthal University of Toledo

Richard J. Roberts New England Biolabs

Albert Jeltsch University of Stuttgart

Paula M. Vertino Emory University

Mark T. Bedford The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Geoffrey G. Wilson New England Biolabs

Haian Fu Emory University

Rui-Ming Xu Chinese Academy of Sciences

External Links

Personal website of Xiaodong Cheng

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