Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Email: zgao1@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
Research Interests:
Epigenetic regulators such as polycomb group proteins in stem cell maintenance and differentiation; disease modeling: autism, cancer
Systems/Organs:
Neural, brain, others
Cell/Cellular compartments:
Neural progenitors, chromatin modifications, iPSCs differentiation;
Diseases/Conditions:
Autism, cancer
Focus Groups: Neuroscience;
Research description: Basic/Translational
Our goal is to understand the mechanistic roles of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 and 2 (PRC1/2) in the process of pluripotent stem cell specification into neural and cardiac lineages. This knowledge then translated to the understanding of chromatin remodeling and gene expression in autism and various types of cancer.
Technical expertise: combinatorial approaches that include biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, proteomics, and genomics.
Selected Publications:
- Gao Z, Lee P, Stafford JM, von Schimmelmann M, Schaefer A, Reinberg D. An AUTS2-Polycomb complex activates gene expression in the CNS. Nature. 2014 Dec 18; 516(7531):349-54.
- Gao Z, Zhang J, Bonasio R, Strino F, Sawai A, Parisi F, Kluger Y, Reinberg D. PCGF homologs, CBX proteins, and RYBP define functionally distinct PRC1 family complexes. Mol Cell. 2012 Feb 10; 45(3):344-56.
- Trojer P, Cao AR, Gao Z, Li Y, Zhang J, Xu X, Li G, Losson R, Erdjument-Bromage H, Tempst P, Farnham PJ, Reinberg D. L3MBTL2 protein acts in concert with PcG protein-mediated monoubiquitination of H2A to establish a repressive chromatin structure. Mol Cell. 2011 May 20; 42(4):438-50.
- Gao Z, Tian Y, Wang J, Yin Q, Wu H, Li YM, Jiang X. A dimeric Smac/diablo peptide directly relieves caspase-3 inhibition by XIAP. Dynamic and cooperative regulation of XIAP by Smac/Diablo. J Biol Chem. 2007 Oct 19; 282(42):30718-27.
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