lileiz

Lilei Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.

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Lilei Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

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Email

lilei.zhang@bcm.edu

Positions

Assistant Professor: Molecular and Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Assistant Professor: Internal Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine

Assistant Professor: Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Baylor College of Medicine

Faculty Member: Genetics & Genomics Graduate Program
Baylor College of Medicine

Faculty Member: Development, Disease Models, & Therapeutics Graduate Program
Baylor College of Medicine

Addresses

BCM-MD Anderson Hall (Office)
: Room: BCMA-441E
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-2285

Education

MD from Peking University Health Science Center: 07/2001 - Beijing, China

PhD from Johns Hopkins University: 05/2006 - Baltimore, Maryland; Human Genetics and Molecular Biology

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University: 05/2008 - Baltimore, Maryland

Internship at University Hospitals Case Medical Center: 06/2009 - Cleveland, Ohio; Internal Medicine

Residency at University Hospitals Case Medical Center: 06/2012 - Cleveland, Ohio; Internal Medicine

Fellowship at University Hospital Case Medical Center: 07/2013 - Cleveland, Ohio; Medical Genetics

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University: 08/2016 - Cleveland, Ohio

Certifications

Texas Medical Board

Ohio Medical Board

American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics

American Board of Internal Medicine

Professional Interests

Genetic and Epigenetic regulation of heart failure and cardiomyopathies
Pathogenesis of inherited cardiomyopathy

Professional Statement

The overarching theme of our laboratory is to understand the genomic and epigenomic regulation of the cardiovascular system in health and in disease with an emphasis on heart failure and cardiomyopathies.

One of our research focuses is circadian gene regulation in cardiac remodeling. Our work covers the entire circadian regulatory landscape, from the core clock, to the slave clock, to the effectors. We discovered that core clock factor REV-ERB is protective for cardiac pathological remodeling and pharmacological activation of REV-ERB prevents heart failure progression even in late-stages. This was the first example of treating heart failure by manipulating circadian machineries. We also established the very first cardiac slave clock, KLF15, which controls the circadian ischemia reperfusion injury in the heart. Recently, we discovered the first circadian lncRNA, Circa. Circa is uniquely expressed in the adult cardiomyocytes and protects the heart during pressure overload and myocardial infarction through global regulation of alternative splicing via interaction with hnRNP A1. Our goal is to gain knowledge on circadian gene regulation in the heart and ultimately to use this information to design novel therapeutics for heart failure.

Another focus of our laboratory is to study patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell differentiated cardiomyocytes from patients with inherited cardiomyopathies. Using a comprehensive panel of phenotyping tools (biophysics, electrophysiology, energetics, and imaging) combined with genome editing tools, we aim to establish a platform to diagnose the molecular defects, characterize the pathogenic pathways and develop targeted therapy for inherited cardiomyopathies.

Selected Publications

Le Li , Hui Li , Chih-Liang Tien , Mukesh K. Jain , Lilei Zhang "Kruppel-Like Factor 15 Regulates the Circadian Susceptibility to Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in the Heart." Circulation.2020/April27;141(17):1427-1429. Pubmed PMID: 32339045
Xu W, Li L, Zhang L "NAD+ Metabolism as an Emerging Therapeutic Target for Cardiovascular Diseases Associated With Sudden Cardiac Death.." Front Physiol..2020;11:901.
Zhang L*, Zhang R, Tien CL, Chan RE, Sugi K, Fu C, Griffin AC, Shen Y, Burris TP, Liao X, Jain MK* "REV-ERBα Ameliorates Heart Failure Through Transcription Repression.." JCI Insight.2017;2(17):e95177. Pubmed PMID: 28878135
Hsieh PN, Zhang L, Jain MK "Coordination of cardiac rhythmic output and circadian metabolic regulation in the heart.." Cell Mol Life Sci..2017;75(3):403-416. Pubmed PMID: 28825119

Zhang L, Jain MK "Beating against the clock." PNAS. 2016 March 8; 113 : 2558-9. Pubmed PMID: 26908876
Zhang L, Prosdocimo DA, Bai X, Campbell F, Liao X, Coller J, Jain MK "KLF15 Establishes the Landscape of Circadian Expression in the Heart." Cell Rep. 2015 13 : 2368-75. Pubmed PMID: 26686628
Zhang L, Wang T, Valle D "Reduced PLP2 expression increases ER stress-induced neuronal apoptosis and risk for adverse neurological outcomes after hypoxia ischemia injury." Hum Mol Genet. 2015 December 20; 24 : 7221-6. Pubmed PMID: 26512060
Han S, Zhang R, Jain R, Shi H, Zhang L, Zhou G, Sangwung P, Tugal D, Atkins GB, Prosdocimo DA, Lu Y, Han X, Tso P, Liao X, Epstein JA, Jain MK "Circadian control of bile acid synthesis by a KLF15-Fgf15 axis." Nat Commun. 2015 June 4; 6 : 7231. Pubmed PMID: 26040986
Liao X, Zhang R, Lu Y, Prosdocimo DA, Sangwung P, Zhang L, Zhou G, Anand P, Lai L, Leone TC, Fujioka H, Ye F, Rosca MG, Hoppel CL, Schulze PC, Abel ED, Stamler JS, Kelly DP, Jain MK "Kruppel-like factor 4 is critical for transcriptional control of cardiac mitochondrial homeostasis." J Clin Invest. 2015 September ; 125 : 3461-76. Pubmed PMID: 26241060
Prosdocimo DA, John JE, Zhang L, Efraim ES, Zhang R, Liao X, Jain MK "KLF15 and PPARα Cooperate to Regulate Cardiomyocyte Lipid Gene Expression and Oxidation." PPAR Res. 2015 2015 : 201625. Pubmed PMID: 25815008
Liu Y, Pham X, Zhang L, Chen PL, Burzynski G, McGaughey DM, He S, McGrath JA, Wolyniec P, Fallin MD, Pierce MS, McCallion AS, Pulver AE, Avramopoulos D, Valle D "Functional variants in DPYSL2 sequence increase risk of schizophrenia and suggest a link to mTOR signaling." G3 (Bethesda). 2014 November 20; 5 : 61-72. Pubmed PMID: 25416705
Zhang L, Jie C, Obie C, Abidi F, Schwartz CE, Stevenson RE, Valle D, Wang T "X chromosome cDNA microarray screening identifies a functional PLP2 promoter polymorphism enriched in patients with X-linked mental retardation." Genome Res. 2007 May ; 17 : 641-8. Pubmed PMID: 17416750
Zhang L, Wang T, Wright AF, Suri M, Schwartz CE, Stevenson RE, Valle D "A microdeletion in Xp11.3 accounts for co-segregation of retinitis pigmentosa and mental retardation in a large kindred." Am J Med Genet A. 2006 February ; 140 : 349-357. Pubmed PMID: 16419135
Zhang L, Sabeh MK, Jain MK "Circadian rhythm and cardiovascular disorders." Chronophysiology and Therapy. 2014 July ; 2014 : 27-40.