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Zizhen Kang, PhD

Assistant Professor of Pathology

Introduction

My laboratory has two major research interests: Neuroimmunology and Mucosal Immunology. In Neuroimmunology, we study the regional immunity/inflammation in central nervous system, either in animal model of Multiple Sclerosis(MS) which is an autoimmune demyelinating disease, or in animal model of Parkinson’s disease which is a neurodegenerative disease. The aim is to understand the role of neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of the two diseases. In Mucosal Immunology, we focus on the role of LRRK2-mediated innate immunity, such as inflammasome activation, in host defense and intestinal inflammation. We also study the role of the newborn error of NLRC4 inflammasome in the pathogenesis of autoinflammatory disease. To integrate these two research interests, our long-term goal is to understand how gut-brain axis modulates the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.

Current projects in our lab include:

  • The role of LRRK2-mediated gut-brain axis in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease;

  • The neuro-immunology of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in autoimmune experimental encephalomyelitis;

  • The role of LRRK2 in innate immunity and mucosal immunology;

  • The role of newborn error of NLRC4 inflammasome in the pathogenesis of autoinflammatory disease.

Current Positions

  • Assistant Professor of Pathology

Education

  • BS in Biology, Hunan Normal University, China
  • Master, Central South University of Technology, Changsha, Hunan, China
  • PhD in Immunology, Peking University, Beijing, China

Graduate Program Affiliations

Center, Program and Institute Affiliations

Selected Publications

  • Zhao, J., Liao, Y., Miller-Little, W., Xiao, J., Liu, C., Li, X., Li, X. & Kang, Z. (2021). STEAP4 expression in CNS resident cells promotes Th17 cell-induced autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J Neuroinflammation 18 (1) 98. DOI: 10.1186/s12974-021-02146-7. PMID: 33879167. PMCID: PMC8059164.
  • Bulek, K., Zhao, J., Liao, Y., Rana, N., Corridoni, D., Antanaviciute, A., Chen, X., Wang, H., Qian, W., Miller-Little, W. A., Swaidani, S., Tang, F., Willard, B. B., McCrae, K., Kang, Z., Dubyak, G. R., Cominelli, F., Simmons, A., Pizarro, T. T. & Li, X. (2020). Epithelial-derived gasdermin D mediates nonlytic IL-1β release during experimental colitis. The Journal of clinical investigation 130 (8) 4218-4234. DOI: 10.1172/JCI138103. PMID: 32597834. PMCID: PMC7410065.
  • Zhang, M., Yao, C., Cai, J., Liu, S., Liu, X. N., Chen, Y., Wang, S., Ji, P., Pan, M., Kang, Z. & Wang, Y. (2019). LRRK2 is involved in the pathogenesis of system lupus erythematosus through promoting pathogenic antibody production. Journal of translational medicine 17 (1) 37. DOI: 10.1186/s12967-019-1786-6. PMID: 30670047. PMCID: PMC6343316.
  • Liu, X., Lu, J., Liu, Z., Hu, Z., Meng, G., Shen, L., Miller, A. W., Su, B., Li, X., Kang, Z., Zhao, J., Sun, H., Wu, N., Liu, H. & Liu, W. (2018). Intestinal Epithelial Cell-Derived LKB1 Suppresses Colitogenic Microbiota. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 200 (5) 1889-1900. PMID: 29352002. DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700547.
  • Zhou, H., Bulek, K., Li, X., Herjan, T., Yu, M., Qian, W., Wang, H., Zhou, G., Chen, X., Yang, H., Hong, L., Zhao, J., Qin, L., Fukuda, K., Flotho, A., Gao, J., Dongre, A., Carman, J. A., Kang, Z., Su, B., Kern, T. S., Smith, J. D., Hamilton, T. A., Melchior, F., Fox, P. L. & Li, X. (2017). IRAK2 directs stimulus-dependent nuclear export of inflammatory mRNAs. eLife 6. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.29630. PMID: 28990926. PMCID: PMC5675595.
  • Liu, W., Liu, X., Li, Y., Zhao, J., Liu, Z., Hu, Z., Wang, Y., Yao, Y., Miller, A. W., Su, B., Cookson, M. R., Li, X. & Kang, Z. (2017). LRRK2 promotes the activation of NLRC4 inflammasome during Salmonella Typhimurium infection. The Journal of experimental medicine 214 (10) 3051-3066. DOI: 10.1084/jem.20170014. PMID: 28821568. PMCID: PMC5626397.
  • Wang, C., Zhang, C. J., Martin, B. N., Bulek, K., Kang, Z., Zhao, J., Bian, G., Carman, J. A., Gao, J., Dongre, A., Xue, H., Miller, S. D., Qian, Y., Hambardzumyan, D., Hamilton, T., Ransohoff, R. M. & Li, X. (2017). IL-17 induced NOTCH1 activation in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells enhances proliferation and inflammatory gene expression. Nature communications 8 15508. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15508. PMID: 28561022. PMCID: PMC5460031.
  • Martin, B. N., Wang, C., Zhang, C. J., Kang, Z., Gulen, M. F., Zepp, J. A., Zhao, J., Bian, G., Do, J. S., Min, B., Pavicic, Jr, P. G., El-Sanadi, C., Fox, P. L., Akitsu, A., Iwakura, Y., Sarkar, A., Wewers, M. D., Kaiser, W. J., Mocarski, E. S., Rothenberg, M. E., Hise, A. G., Dubyak, G. R., Ransohoff, R. M. & Li, X. (2016). T cell-intrinsic ASC critically promotes T(H)17-mediated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Nature immunology 17 (5) 583-92. DOI: 10.1038/ni.3389. PMID: 26998763. PMCID: PMC5385929.
  • Li, P., Kang, Z., Fan, X. & Jin, L. (2014). Crystal structure of (Z)-2-hy-droxy-4-methyl-N'-(4-oxo-1,3-thia-zolidin-2-yl-idene)benzohydrazide trihydrate. Acta crystallographica. Section E, Structure reports online 70 (Pt 11) o1199. DOI: 10.1107/S1600536814023356. PMID: 25484827. PMCID: PMC4257310.
  • Kang, Z., Wang, C., Zepp, J., Wu, L., Sun, K., Zhao, J., Chandrasekharan, U., DiCorleto, P. E., Trapp, B. D., Ransohoff, R. M. & Li, X. (2013). Act1 mediates IL-17-induced EAE pathogenesis selectively in NG2+ glial cells. Nature neuroscience 16 (10) 1401-8. DOI: 10.1038/nn.3505. PMID: 23995070. PMCID: PMC4106025.