Research Areas

Skin stem cells are the basis for the development/homeostasis/wounding healing of the skin. Deregulation in skin stem cell functions are closely linked with the initiation and progression of various skin diseases and conditions, such as alopecia, chronic wounds and skin cancers. Our lab is interested in: (1) elucidating the molecular mechanisms governing the fate regulation and malignant transformation of skin stem cells; (2) developing stem cell based therapies/technique for the treatment of skin diseases and chronic wounds.

Brief Biography

Education:

Ph.D. (08/2008), Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.

B.S. (07/2001), College of Life Sciences, Beijing University, Beijing, China

Academic Appointments:

2017-Present: Professor, Principal Investigator, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health (SINH), CAS

2014-2016: Professor, Principal Investigator, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences / Joint Center for Translational Medicine (SIBS - Shanghai Changzheng Hospital), Institute for Translational Medicine (CAS-SMMU), Shanghai, China

2008-2014: Postdoctoral Associate, Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology & Development, HHMI and the Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA

Selected Publications (*Corresponding Author)

1. Sun Y*, Xu L*, Li Y*, Lin J, Li H, Gao Y, Huang X, Zhu H, Zhang Y, Wei K, Yang Y, Wu B, Zhang L^#, Li Q^#, Liu C^#. Single-Cell Transcriptomics Uncover Key Regulators of Skin Regeneration in Human Long-Term Mechanical Stretch-Mediated Expansion Therapy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022 May 30;10:865983
2. Wu S*, Yu Y*, Liu CY*, Zhang X, Zhu PY, Peng Y, Yan XY, Li Y, Hua P, Li QF^#, Wang S^#, Zhang L^#. Single-cell transcriptomics reveals lineage trajectory of human scalp hair follicle and informs mechanisms of hair graying. Cell Discov 2022 May 24;8(1):49
3. Yu Y*, Zhang X, Liu FZ, Zhu PY, Zhang LP, Peng Y, Yan XY, Li Y, Hua P, Liu CY^#, Li QF^#, Zhang L^#. A stress-induced miR-31–CLOCK–ERK pathway is a key driver and therapeutic target for skin aging. Nat Aging 2021 Sep;1(9):795-809 (Read fulltext at https://rdcu.be/cucwx)
4. Liu FZ*, Zhang X, Peng Y, Zhang LP, Yu Y, Hua P, Zhu PY, Yan XY, Li Y, Zhang L^#. miR-24 controls the regenerative competence of hair follicle progenitors by targeting Plk3. Cell Rep 2021 Jun 8;35(10):109225
5. Bao W*, Sun C*, Sun X, He M, Yu H, Yan W, Wen F, Zhang L^#, Yang C^#. Targeting BCL10 by small peptides for the treatment of B cell lymphoma. Theranostics 2020 Sep 19;10(25):11622-11636
6. Yang G*, Chen Q, Wen D, Chen Z, Wang J, Chen G, Wang Z, Zhang X, Zhang Y, Hu Q, Zhang L^#, Gu Z^#. A Therapeutic Microneedle Patch Made from Hair-Derived Keratin for Promoting Hair Regrowth. ACS Nano 2019 Apr 23;13(4):4354-4360
7. Wu S*, Zhang M*, Yang X*, Peng F, Zhang J, Tan J, Yang Y, Wang L, Hu Y, Peng Q, Li J, Liu Y, Guan Y, Chen C, Hamer MA, Nijsten T, Zeng C, Adhikari K, Gallo C, Poletti G, Schuler-Faccini L, Bortolini MC, Canizales-Quinteros S, Rothhammer F, Bedoya G, Gonzalez-Jose R, Li H, Krutmann J, Liu F, Kayser M, Ruiz-Linares A, Tang K, Xu S, Zhang L^#, Jin L^#, Wang S^#. Genome-wide association studies and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing identify regulatory variants influencing eyebrow thickness in humans. PLoS Genet 2018 Sep 24;14(9):e1007640
8. Ge YJ*, Zhang L*, Nikolova M, Reva B, Fuchs E^#. Strand-specific in vivo screen of 169 cancer-associated miRs unveils key drivers and oncogenic targets. Nat Cell Biol 2016 Jan;18(1):111-121
9. Zhang L*, Ge YJ, Fuchs E^#. miR-125b can enhance skin tumor initiation and promote malignant progression by repressing differentiation and prolonging cell survival. Genes Dev 2014 Nov 15;28(22):2532-2546 (Cover story)
10. Zhang L*, Stokes N, Polak L, Fuchs E^#. Specific MicroRNAs Are Preferentially Expressed by Skin Stem Cells To Balance Self-Renewal and Early Lineage Commitment. Cell Stem Cell 2011 Mar 4;8(3):294-308 (Cover story)
11. Zhang L*, Hammell M, Kudlow BA, Ambros V, Han M^#. Systematic analysis of dynamic miRNA-target interactions during C. elegans development. Development 2009 Sep;136(18):3043-3055
12. Zhang L*, Ding L*, Cheung TH, Dong MQ, Chen J, Sewell AK, Liu X, Yates JR 3rd, Han M^#. Systematic Identification of C. elegans miRISC Proteins, miRNAs, and mRNA Targets by Their Interactions with GW182 Proteins AIN-1 and AIN-2. Mol Cell 2007 Nov 30;28(4):598-613