M.S., Nankai University, 1996

Ph.D., University of Texas-Houston MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2004

A subpopulation of highly tumorigenic human breast cancer cells has been reported to initiate new tumors after transplantation into etoposide-treated NOD/SCID mice. The hypothesis is activation of oncogenes and/or loss of tumor suppressor genes in specific mammary stem and/or progenitor cells may contribute to the heterogeneity of breast cancer, as well as the generation of breasts caner stem cells. The objective of my project is to identify a similar population of cancer stem cells by syngeneic transplantation studies using a well defined mouse model, which gives rise to breast cancers similar to human breast cancers. Techniques previously well established will be utilized to identify and characterize functional cancer stem cells. These include Hoechst dye efflux, FACS analysis using cell surface markers Sca-1 and c-kit, CD44⁺/CD24^- followed by functional transplantation into the cleared mammary fat pad of syngeneic mice. The gene expression profiles of tumor stem cells as compared to normal mammary gland stem cells will also be studied using microarray and SAGE. Such studies have the potential to identify new gene targets and pathways not currently being used to treat breast cancer in order to eradicate residual disease in breast cancer.

Zhang M, Rosen JM.
Stem cells in the etiology and treatment of cancer.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2006 Feb;16(1):60-64. [PDF]

Zhang M, Mileykovskaya E, Dowhan W. 
Cardiolipin Is Essential for Organization of Complexes III and IV into a Supercomplex in Intact Yeast Mitochondria.
J Biol Chem. 2005 Aug 19;280(33):29403-8.

Mileykovskaya E, Zhang M, Dowhan W.    
Cardiolipin in energy transducing membranes.
Biochemistry (Mosc). 2005 Feb;70(2):154-8. Review.

Zhang M, Su X, Mileykovskaya E, Amoscato AA, Dowhan W.
Cardiolipin is not required to maintain mitochondrial DNA stability or cell viability for Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown at elevated temperatures.
J Biol Chem. 2003; 278(37):35204-35210.

Zhang M, Mileykovskaya E, Dowhan W.
Gluing the respiratory chain together. Cardiolipin is required for supercomplex formation in the inner mitochondrial membrane.
J Biol Chem. 2002; 277(46):43553-43556.

Ostrander DB, Zhang M, Mileykovskaya E, Rho M, Dowhan W.
Lack of mitochondrial anionic phospholipids causes an inhibition of translation of protein components of the electron transport chain. A yeast genetic model system for the study of anionic phospholipid function in mitochondria.
J Biol Chem. 2001;276(27):25262-25272.