主要研究方向为分子遗传学领域，包括利用基因组学、酶学、分析化学、分子生物学等多种研究手段，发现DNA和RNA等生物大分子上的新型表观遗传修饰和损伤修饰，并揭示不同的修饰类型在细胞发育、癌症发生、抗药性等方面的调控功能及作用机理。

• Bo Cao#; Chao Chen#; Michael S. DeMott#; Qiuxiang Cheng; Tyson A. Clark; Xiaoqing Zheng; Vincent Butty; Stuart S. Levine; Matthew Boitano; Jonas Korlach; Delin You*; Lianrong Wang*; Shi Chen*; Peter Dedon, Genomic mapping of phosphorothioates reveals partial modification of short consensus sequences., Nature Communications, 2014.6.5, 3591(2014) 

• Bo Cao; Qiuxiang Cheng; Chen Gu; Fen Yao; Michael S. DeMott; Xiaoqing Zheng; Zixin Deng; Peter Dedon*; Delin You*, Pathological phenotypes and in vivo DNA cleavage by unrestrained activity of a phosphorothioate-based restriction system in Salmonella., Molecular Microbiology, 2014.7.10, 93(4):776~785 

• Bo Cao; Xiaoqing Zheng; Qiuxiang Cheng; Fen Yao; Tao Zheng; Rumash Babu; Huchen Zhou; Peter Dedon; Delin You*, In vitro analysis of phosphorothioate modification of DNA reveals substrate recognition by a multiprotein complex., Sci Rep., 2015.7.27, 5(12531) 

• Qiuxiang Cheng#; Bo Cao#; Fen Yao; Jinli Li; Zixin Deng; Delin You*，Regulation of DNA phosphorothioate modifications by the transcriptional regulator DptB in Salmonella., Molecular Microbiology, 2015.6.19, 97(6): 1186~1194 

• Stefanie Kellner; Michael S DeMott; Ching Pin Cheng; Brandon S Russell; Bo Cao; Delin You; Peter C Dedon*, Oxidation of phosphorothioate DNA modifications leads to lethal genomic instability., Nature Chemical Biology, 2017.6.12, 2017(13): 888~894 

• Bo Cao#; Fen Yao#; Xiaoqing Zheng; Dongbing Cui; Yucheng Shao; Changxiong Zhu; Delin You*, Genome mining of the biosynthetic gene cluster of the polyene macrolide antibiotic tetramycin and characterization of a P450 monooxygenase involved in the hydroxylation of the tetramycin B polyol segment., Chembiochem, 2012.10.15, 2012(13): 2234~2242 
  

• Xiaoqing Zheng; Qiuxiang Cheng; Fen Yao; Xiaozheng Wang; Lingxin Kong; Bo Cao; Min Xu; Shuangjun Lin; Yit-Heng Chooi; Delin You*, Biosynthesis of the pyrrolidine protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin involves novel gene ensemble and cryptic biosynthetic steps., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 2017.4.18, 114(16): 4135~4140

• Lingxin Kong; Weike Zhang; Yit Heng Chooi; Lu Wang; Bo Cao; Zixin DENG; Yiwen Chu; Delin You*, A Multifunctional Monooxygenase XanO4 Catalyzes Xanthone Formation in Xantholipin Biosynthesis via a Cryptic Demethoxylation., Cell Chem Biol., 2016.4.21, 23(4) 

• Tao Zheng; Pan Jiang; Bo Cao; Qiuxiang Cheng; Linxin Kong; Xiaoqing Zheng; Qinghai Hu; Delin You*，DndEi Exhibits Helicase Activity Essential for DNA Phosphorothioate Modification and ATPase Activity Strongly Stimulated by DNA Substrate with a GAAC/GTTC Motif., J Biol Chem., 2016.1.15, 291(3): 1492~1500

• Cao B, DeMott MS, Pang J, Dedon PC. RNA-seq for absolute quantification: A universal approach to analyze the RNA landscape in a cell. Regulatory & Non-coding RNAs. August 2016. Cold Spring Harbor, NY.
  

• Cao B, Pang J, Dedon PC. A universal approch to absolute quantification of tRNA，2015 ASM General Meeting，American Society for Microbiology，2015. 6, Boston

• Cao B, Clark TA, DeMott MS, Cheng Q, Luong K, Song Y, Turner SW, You D, Dedon PC, Korlach J. Genome-wide mapping of the bacterial DNA phosphorothioatome using single molecule, real-time sequencing. American Society for Microbiology General Meeting. May 2013. Denver, CO.

• You DL, Indrakanti R, Cao B, Yao F, Deng ZX, Dedon PC. Development of a mass spectrometry-based assay to define the biochemistry of phosphorothioate DNA modifications of DNA in bacterial restriction/modification systems. Abstr Pap Am Chem Soc.