Lijuan Zhang, Ph.D.
Zhufeng Professor of Translational Medicine
Taishan Scholar of Shandong Province
School of Medicine and Pharmacy
Ocean University of China
Office: (86) 532-8203-1516
Lab: (86) 532-8203-2179
E-mail: lijuanzhang@ouc.edu.cn
Education and Experience
1978-1982B.S. Chemistry, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
1984-1986M.S. Chemistry, China Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Weitong Wang and Yixian Sha)
1987-1990 Visiting Fellow, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Victor Ginsburg)
1990-1995Ph.D. Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (Jeffrey D. Esko)
1995-2002Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA(Robert D. Rosenberg)
1997- 2002Research Associate, Department of Molecular Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University Medical School, Boston, MA (Robert D. Rosenberg)
2002- 2010Tenure-tracked Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St. Louis
2010-presentZhufeng Professor of Translational Medicine, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China
2011-PresentTaishan Scholar of Shandong Province
Awards/Honors
1978-1982Top ranked undergraduate students, Ningxia University
1984-1985Top ranked graduate student, Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences
1994-1995John M. McKibbin Fellow, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham
1997-2000National Research Service Award, National Institutes of Health
2004-2010RO1 Award, National Institutes of Health
2007-2009Research Award, Children’s Discovery Institute in St. Louis
2011-PresentResearch Award of Natural Science foundation of China
Graduate Program Affiliation
Molecular Medicine
Microbiology and Biochemistry
Drug Engineering
Research Projects
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), phospholipids, RNAs, and DNAs are four major negatively charged molecules made in animal cells, among which only GAGs cover animal cell surfaces and directly interact with hundreds of extracellular signaling molecules. Because of their structural complexity, GAGs have been claimed to be the most information dense biopolymers found in nature. GAG related transgenic and knockout animal data from the past decade provide compelling evidence that this structural diversity is a component of a sugar/sulfation-GAG code. The sugar/sulfation-GAG code imparts unique and specific biological functions. Our lab has developed and adopted all the best techniques in GAG research, including GAG isolation, quantification, bioassays, structural analysis by capillary HPLC coupled MS, and GAG structure-based bioinformatics to understand the GAG code.
1、Cell- and animal-based studies of the regulations of GAG biosynthesis, structures, and functions
2、Discoveries of GAG-based biomarkers for cancer and aging-related diseases
3、The roles of GAGs in regulation of cancer and immune systems
4、The molecular basis of GAG-related medicines
Selected Publications from Zhang Lab at Washington University in St. Louis：
1. Wu L., Zhang, L., Yabe, T., Beeler, D. L., Love, A., and Rosenberg, R. D. (2003) The Involvement of Heparan Sulfate in FGF1/HS/FGFR1 Signaling Complex. J Biol Chem.278(19):17121-29. PMID: 12604602(SCI, 5.498)
2. Griffith, C. L., Klutts, J. S., Zhang, L., Levery, S. B. & Doering, T. L. (2004) UDP-glucose dehydrogenase plays multiple roles in the biology of the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus Neoformans. J Biol Chem 279, 51669-76. PMID: 15383535 (SCI, 5.498)
3. Broekelmann T.J., Kozel B.A., Ishibashi, H., Werneck C.C., Keeley F.W., Zhang L., and Mecham R.P. (2005) Tropoelastin Interacts with Cell-Surface Glycosaminoglycans Via Its COOH-Terminal Domain. J Biol Chem 280: 40939-40947. PMID: 16192266 (SCI, 5.498)
4. Chen J., Avci F.Y., Munoz E.M., McDowell L.M., Chen M., Pedersen L.C., Zhang L., Linhardt R.J., and Liu J. (2005) Enzymatic Redesigning of Biologically Active Heparan Sulfate. J Biol Chem 280: 42817-42825. PMID: 16260789 (SCI, 5.498)
5. Studelska D.R., Giljum, K., McDowell L.M., and Zhang L. (2006) Quantification of Glycosaminoglycans by Reversed-Phase HPLC Separation of Fluorescent Isoindole Derivatives.Glycobiology 16: 65-72. PMID: 16166601 (SCI, 4.268)
6. McDowell L.M., Frazier B.A., Studelska D.R., GIljum K., Chen J., Liu J., Yu K., Ornitz D.M., and Zhang L. (2006) Inhibition or Activation of Apert Syndrome FGFR2 (S252W) Signaling by Specific Glycosamininoglycans. J Biol Chem. 281:6924-30. PMID: 16373332 (SCI, 5.498)
7. Halldorsdottir A.M., Zhang L. & Tollefsen D.M. (2006) N-Acetylgalactosamine 4, 6-O-sulfate residues mediate binding and activation of heparin cofactor II by porcine mucosal dermatan sulfate.Glycobiology, 16, 693. PMID: 16624894 (SCI, 4.268)
8. Avirutnan P., Zhang L., PunyadeeN., ManuyakornA., PuttikhuntC., KasinrerkW., Malasit P., Atkinson J.P., & Diamond M.S. (2007) Secreted Non-Structural Protein NS1 of Dengue Virus Attaches to the Surface of Cells via Interactions with Heparan Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate E.PLOS Pathogens11(3):e183. PMID: 18052531 (SCI, 9.675)
9. Lawrence R., Lu H., Rosenberg R.D., Esko J.D., & Zhang L. (2008) Disaccharide Structure Code for the easy representation of constituent oligosaccharides from glycosaminoglycans. Nature Method 5(4):291-2. PMID: 18376390 (SCI, 27.887)
10. Kemper C., Mitchell L.M., Zhang L. and Hourcade D.E. The Complement Protein Properdin is a Pattern-recognition Molecule that Mediates Uptake of Apoptotic T Cells. (2008) PNAS(SCI, 9.771) 105(26):9023-8. PMID:18579773
11. Liszewski, M.K., Bertram, P., Leung, M.K., Hauhart, R., Zhang, L., and Atkinson, J.P. Smallpox inhibitor of complement enzymes (SPICE): Regulation of Complement Activation on Cells and Mechanism of Its Cellular Attachment. (2008) J Immunol181(6):1499-207. PMID: 18768877(SCI, 5.909)
12. de Agostini A.I., Dong J., Arrighi C., Ramus M., Dentand-Quadri, Thalmann S., Ventura P., Ibecheole V., Monge F., Fischer A., HajMohammadi S., Shworak N.W., Zhang L., Zhang Z., Linhardt R.J. (2008) Human Follicular Fluid Heparan Sulfate Contains Abundant 3-O-sulfated Chains with Anticoagulant Activity. J Biol Chem 283(42):28115-24. PMID: 18669628 (SCI, 5.498)
13. Studelska D.R., Mandik-Nayak L., Zhou, X., Pan, J., McDowell L.M., Lu H., Liapis, H., Allen P.M., Shih F., & Zhang L (2009). High Affinity Glycosaminoglycan and Autoantigen Interaction Explains Joint Specificity in a Mouse Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis. J Biol Chem(SCI, 5.498). 284(4):2354-62. PMID: 18948258
14. Dündar, M., Müller, T., Zhang, Q., Pan, J., Steinmann, B., Vodopiutz, J., Gruber, R., Tonoda, S., Krabichler, B., Utermann, G., Baenziger, J. U., Zhang, L. and Janecke, A. R. (2009) Loss of dermatan-4-sulfotransferase-1 function results in ‘adducted thumb-clubfoot syndrome’ (ATCS).Am J Hum Genet. 85(6): 873-82. PMID: 20004762(SCI, 12.265)
15. Snyder-Warwick, A.A., Perlyn, C.A., Pan, J., Yu, K., Zhang, L., Ornitz, D.M.A gain-of-function FGFR2 Crouzon mutation: evidence of loss-of-function activity in the etiology of cleft palate. (2010) PNAS 107:2515-2520. PMID: 20133659(SCI, 9.771)
16. Pan, J., Qian, Y., Zhou, X., Pazandak, A., Frazier, S. B., Weiser, P., Lu, H. and Zhang, L. (2010) Oversulfated Chondroitin sulfate is not the Sole Contaminant in Heparin Nature Biotechnology 208:203-207. PMID: 20212477(SCI, 29.061)
17. Pan, J., Qi, Y., Zhou, X., Lu, H. and Zhang, L. (2010) Chemically Oversulfated Glycosaminoglycans Are Potent Modulators of Contact System Activation and Cell Signaling. J Biol Chem285(30):22966-22975. PMID: 20418371 (SCI, 5.498)
18. Zhang, L*., Lawrence, R., Frazier, B.A. & Esko, J.D. (2006) Methods in Enzymology, Volume 416, Chapter 13. Elservier Inc., San Diego. *Correspondence Author, reported new CHO cell mutants developed and characterized in Zhang lab. PMID: 17113868 (SCI, Book)
19. Zhang, L., Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) biosynthesis and GAG-binding proteins (2010) Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. Glycosaminoglycans in Development, Health, and Diseases, Zhang, L. Editor. Elsevier Inc., p. 2-17. PMID:20807638 (SCI, Book)
20. Zhang, L., Müller, T., Baenzige,r J.U., Janecke, A. (2010) Adducted thumb-clubfoot syndrome (ACTS) and loss of dermatan-4-sulfotransferase 1 (D4ST1) function. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. Glycosaminoglycans in Development, Health, and Diseases, Zhang, L., Editor. Elsevier Inc., p. 289-308. PMID:20807649 (SCI, Book)
21. Qian, Y., Pan, J., Zhou, X., Weiser, P., Lu, H., and Zhang, L. (2010)Molecular mechanism underlines heparin induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci.Glycosaminoglycans in Development, Health, and Diseases, Zhang, L., Editor. Elsevier Inc., p. 395-421. PMID:20807654 (SCI, Book)
22. Zhou, X., Weiser, P., Pan, J., Qian, Y., Lu, H., and Zhang, L. (2010)Chondroitin Sulfate and Abnormal Contact System in Rheumatoid Arthritis.Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. Glycosaminoglycans in Development, Health, and Diseases, Zhang, L. Editor. Elsevier Inc., p. 423-442. PMID:20807655 (SCI, Book)
23. Weiser, P., Qian, Y., Pan, J., Zhou, X., Lu, H., Studelska, D.R., Shih, F.F., and Zhang, L.(2010) Activated Contact System and Abnormal Glycosaminoglycans in Lupus and other Auto- and Non-autoimmune Diseases. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. Glycosaminoglycans in Development, Health, and Diseases, Zhang, L. Editor. Elsevier Inc., p. 443-472. PMID:20807656 (SCI, Book)
24. Pan, J., Qian, Y., Weiser, P., Zhou, X., Lu, H., Studelska, D.R., and Zhang, L.(2010)Glycosaminoglycans and Activated Contact System in Cancer Patient Plasmas. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. Glycosaminoglycans in Development, Health, and Diseases, Zhang, L. Editor. Elsevier Inc., p. 473-496. PMID:20807657 (SCI, Book)
25. Kanekiyo, T., Zhang, J., Liu, Q., Liu, C.C., Zhang, L., Bu, G. Heparan Sulphate Proteoglycan and the Low-density Lipoprotein Receptor-related Protein 1 Constitute Major Pathways for Neuronal Amyloid-beta Uptake.J Neurosci. 31(5):1644-51. PMID: 289173 (SCI, 8.068)
26. Kaur, S., Kuznetsova, S.A., Pendrak, M.L., Sipes, J.M., Romeo, M.J., Li, Z., Zhang, L., Roberts DD. Identification of CD47 and Amyloid Precursor-like Protein-2 as the Major Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans on T Lymphocytes and this Isoform of CD47 as the Signaling Receptor for Thrombospondin-1.J Biol Chem 286(17):14991-5002. PMID: 21343308 (SCI, 5.498)
