BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Chun-Li Zhang ... - UT Southwestern

NAME
Chun-Li Zhang
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
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POSITION TITLE
Assistant Professor
eRA COMMONS USER NAME (credential, e.g., agency login)
CZhang69
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, include postdoctoral training and
residency training if applicable.)
DEGREE
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
MM/YY
FIELD OF STUDY
(if applicable)
Wuhan University, China B.Sc. 08/90 Biology, Microbiology
Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of
Molecular Biology,
M.Sc. 08/93
Sciences, China
Microbiology
UT Southwestern Medical Center, TX Ph.D. 02/03 Genetics & Development
Salk Institute for Biological Studies, CA Postdoctoral 08/08 Neuroscience
A. Personal Statement
My laboratory has been working on molecular mechanisms controlling the activity of neural stem cells and
their roles in diseases, such as neurodegeneration and cancers. Specifically, we are focusing on signaling
pathways and key transcription factors in the regulation of postnatal neural stem cells, including their
maintenance, proliferation and differentiation. We hope the knowledge gained from our study will not only
provide significant insights into the basic biology of neural stem cells but also may lead to novel strategies to
battle damages or pathological conditions in the central nervous system. We have extensive experience in
mouse genetics, in utero electroporation, culture of neural stem cells, utilization of retro- or lenti-viruses,
stereotactic brain injections, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-induced stroke model, molecular and
biochemical biology, and electrophysiology.
B. Positions and Honors
Positions and Employment
1990-1993 Research Associate, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
1993-1997 Assistant Investigator, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
1997-2003 Research Associate, Genetics & Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, TX
2003-2008 Postdoctoral Fellow, Gene Expression Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, CA
2008-Present Assistant Professor, Dept. of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, TX
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
2003- Full Membership of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society
2004- Member of Society for Neuroscience
2004- Member of Molecular and Cellular Cognition Society
2004- Member of Endocrinology Society
2010 Adhoc reviewer, MRC Research Fellowships, Research Grants
2011 Adhoc reviewer, NIH-NCF study section, NIH-SEP study section
2012 Adhoc reviewer, NSF, NIH-SEP study section, NYSTEM, QNRF
Editorial Activities
2013- Associate Editor, Neuroscience Letters
2013- Academic Editor, PLOS ONE
2013- Editorial Board, Brain Plasticity
Honors
2002: Dean’s Discretionary Award, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
2002: Winner of Scientific Poster Session, Pathways to Heart Failure, Dallas, TX.

2005: HHMI Fellow of Life Sciences Research Foundation
2008: HHMI Research Associate
2008: W. W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research.
2009: Scientist Development Award, The American Heart Association
2009: NIH Director’s New Innovator Award
2010: Whitehall Foundation Research Award
2010: Winner of NuGEN Innovation Grant Challenge
2011: New Scholar in Aging, The Ellison Medical Foundation
C. Selected Peer-reviewed Publications (in chronological order).
(Selected from 33 peer-reviewed publications)
1. Lu J, McKinsey TA, Zhang CL, Olson EN. Regulation of skeletal myogenesis by association of the MEF2
transcription factor with class II histone deacetylases. Mol Cell. 2000 Aug;6(2):233-44. PMID: 10983972
2. McKinsey TA, Zhang CL, Lu J, Olson EN. Signal-dependent nuclear export of a histone deacetylase
regulates muscle differentiation. Nature. 2000 Nov 2;408(6808):106-11. PMID: 11081517
3. McKinsey TA, Zhang CL (co-first authors), Olson EN. Activation of the myocyte enhancer factor-2
transcription factor by calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-stimulated binding of 14-3-3 to histone
deacetylase 5. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Dec 19;97(26):14400-5. PMID: 11114197
4. McKinsey TA, Zhang CL, Olson EN. Identification of a signal-responsive nuclear export sequence in class
II histone deacetylases. Mol Cell Biol. 2001 Sep;21(18):6312-21. PMID: 11509672
5. Zhang CL, McKinsey TA, Lu JR, Olson EN. Association of COOH-terminal-binding protein (CtBP) and
MEF2-interacting transcription repressor (MITR) contributes to transcriptional repression of the MEF2
transcription factor. J Biol Chem. 2001 Jan 5;276(1):35-9. PMID: 11022042
6. Zhang CL, McKinsey TA, Olson EN. The transcriptional corepressor MITR is a signal-responsive inhibitor
of myogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001, 98(13):7354-9. PMID: 11390982
7. Shin CH, Liu ZP, Passier R, Zhang CL, Wang DZ, Harris TM, Yamagishi H, Richardson JA, Childs G,
Olson EN. Modulation of cardiac growth and development by HOP, an unusual homeodomain protein. Cell.
2002 Sep 20;110(6):725-35. PMID: 12297046
8. Zhang CL, McKinsey TA, Olson EN. Association of class II histone deacetylases with heterochromatin
protein 1: potential role for histone methylation in control of muscle differentiation. Mol Cell Biol. 2002
Oct;22(20):7302-12. PMID: 12242305
9. Zhang CL, McKinsey TA, Chang S, Antos CL, Hill JA, Olson EN. Class II histone deacetylases act as
signal-responsive repressors of cardiac hypertrophy. Cell. 2002 Aug 23;110(4):479-88. PMID: 12202037
10. Wang YX, Zhang CL, Yu RT, Cho HK, Nelson MC, Bayuga-Ocampo CR, Ham J, Kang H, Evans RM.
Regulation of Muscle Fiber Type and Running Endurance by PPARdelta. PLoS Biol. 2004 Aug 24. PMID:
15328533
11. Cao D, Wang Z, Zhang CL (co-first authors), Oh J, Xing W, Li S, Richardson JA, Wang DZ, Olson EN.
Modulation of smooth muscle gene expression by association of histone acetyltransferases and
deacetylases with myocardin. Mol Cell Biol. 2005 Jan;25(1):364-76.
12. Wan Y, Saghatelian A, Chong LW, Zhang CL, Cravatt BF, Evans RM. Maternal PPAR gamma protects
nursing neonates by suppressing the production of inflammatory milk. Genes and Development. 2007
Aug 1;21(15):1895-908. PMID: 17652179
13. Zhang CL, Zou Y, Yu R, Gage FH, Evans RM. Nuclear Receptor TLX Prevents Retinal Dystrophy and
Recruits the Corepressor Atrophin1. Genes and Development. 2006 May; 20(10):1308-20. PMID:
16702404
14. Zhang CL, Zou Y, He W, Gage FH, Evans RM. A role for adult TLX-positive neural stem cells in learning
and behavior. Nature. 2008 Feb 21;451(7181):1004-7. Epub 2008 Jan 30. PMID: 18235445
15. Mei J and Zhang CL. Wnt signaling in neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation. Cell science
Reviews (online journal, ISSN 1742-8130), 2010, Vol 6, No 4. (Featured review)
16. Mei J, Bachoo R, Zhang CL. MicroRNA-146a inhibits glioma development by targeting Notch1. Mol Cell
Biol. 2011 Sep;31(17):3584-92. Epub 2011 Jul 5. PMID: 21730286
17. Niu W, Zou Y, Shen C, Zhang CL. Activation of postnatal neural stem cells requires nuclear receptor TLX.
J Neurosci. 2011 Sep 28; 31(39):13816-28. PMID: 21957244
18. Qin S, Liu M, Niu W, Zhang CL. Dysregulation of Kruppel-like factor 4 during brain development leads to
hydrocephalus in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Dec 27;108(52):21117-21. PMID:22160720.

19. Shimozaki K, Zhang CL, Suh H, Denli AM, Evans RM, Gage FH. Sex determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2)
regulation of nuclear receptor tailless (TLX) transcription in adult neural stem cells. J Biol Chem. 2012 Feb
17;287(8):5969-78. Epub 2011 Dec 22. PMID: 22194602
20. Qin S, Zhang CL. A role of KLF4 in neurogenesis and radial neuronal migration in the developing cerebral
cortex. Mol Cell Biol. 2012 Aug 20. PMID: 22907754
21. Zou Y, Niu W, Qin S, Downes M, Burns DK, and Zhang CL. The nuclear receptor TLX is required for
gliomagenesis within the adult neurogenic niche. Mol Cell Biol. 2012 Oct 1. PMID: 23028043
22. Liu ML, Zang T, Zou Y, Chang J, Gibson J, Huber KM, and Zhang CL. Small molecules enable
Neurogenin2 to efficiently convert human fibroblasts to cholinergic neurons. Nat. Commun. 2013 4:2183
doi: 10.1038/ncomms3183.
23. Niu W, Zang T, Zou Y, Fang S, Smith DK, Bachoo R, and Zhang CL. Reprogramming resident astrocytes to
neuroblasts and functional neurons in the adult brain. Nat. Cell Bio. 2013 (In press)
D. Research Support
Ongoing Research Support
NIH/NINDS: R01NS070981
NIH/OD: 1DP2 OD006484-01
Welch Foundation
Whitehall Foundation
The Ellison Medical Foundation
Past Research Support (ended in the last 3 yrs)
American Heart Association
NIH/NCRR: 5 UL1 RR024982-03
Packer (PI), CL Zhang (Role: Pilot Award Recipient PI)