ZFIN ID: ZDB-LAB-120924-1
GuangJun Zhang Lab
PI/Director: Zhang, GuangJun
Contact Person: Zhang, GuangJun
Email: gjzhang@purdue.edu
URL: http://www.vet.purdue.edu/directory/person.php?id=222
Address: 625 Harrison Street West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
Country: United States
Phone: 765-494-7742
Fax: 765-494-9830
Line Designation: pu


GENOMIC FEATURES ORIGINATING FROM THIS LAB
Show all 14 genomic features


STATEMENT OF RESEARCH INTERESTS
Most human cancer cell genomes contain thousands of genetic alterations. But not all the altered genes equally contribute to cancer development and progression. A major goal of current cancer research is to distinguish pathogenetically relevant genetic alterations (drivers) from the passive changes (passengers) in cancer genome, thus targeting therapy can be developed on human tumors. Our lab mainly uses zebrafish as a model to study human cancer biology and vertebrate developmental biology. Specifically, we focus on two directions within cancer biology: 1. Identify novel human cancer driver genes through zebrafish-human comparative oncogenomic analysis of copy number alterations. Following identification, novel genes’ functions in cancer and vertebrate development will be extensively investigated in zebrafish adults and embryos. 2. Investigate the general biological consequences of aneuploidy and polyploidy, and their roles in cancer development. In addition, we are also interested in the developmental mechanisms of vertebrate morphological novelties during evolution (Evo-Devo), especially the roles of gene/genome duplications in early vertebrates.


LAB MEMBERS


ZEBRAFISH PUBLICATIONS OF LAB MEMBERS
Silic, M.R., Dong, Z., Chen, Y., Kimbrough, A., Zhang, G. (2022) Zebrafish Embryos Display Characteristic Bioelectric Signals during Early Development. Cells. 11(22):
Han, H., Jiang, G., Kumari, R., Silic, M.R., Owens, J.L., Hu, C.D., Mittal, S.K., Zhang, G.J. (2021) Loss of smarcad1a accelerates tumorigenesis of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors in zebrafish. Genes, chromosomes & cancer. 60(11):743-761
Silic, M.R., Black, M.M., Zhang, G. (2021) Phylogenetic and developmental analyses indicate complex functions of Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels in zebrafish embryonic development. Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists. 250(10):1477-1493
Wang, Y., Hsu, A.Y., Walton, E.M., Park, S.J., Syahirah, R., Wang, T., Zhou, W., Ding, C., Lemke, A.P., Zhang, G., Tobin, D.M., Deng, Q. (2021) A robust and flexible CRISPR/Cas9 based system for neutrophil-specific gene inactivation in zebrafish. Journal of Cell Science. 134(8):
Silic, M.R., Wu, Q., Kim, B.H., Golling, G., Chen, K.H., Freitas, R., Chubykin, A.A., Mittal, S.K., Zhang, G. (2020) Potassium Channel-Associated Bioelectricity of the Dermomyotome Determines Fin Patterning in Zebrafish. Genetics. 215(4):1067-1084
Kim, B.H., Zhang, G. (2020) Generating Stable Knockout Zebrafish Lines by Deleting Large Chromosomal Fragments Using Multiple gRNAs. G3 (Bethesda). 10(3):1029-1037
Kumari, R., Silic, M.R., Jones-Hall, Y.L., Nin-Velez, A., Yang, J.Y., Mittal, S.K., Zhang, G. (2018) Identification of RECK as an evolutionarily conserved tumor suppressor gene for zebrafish malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors.. Oncotarget. 9:23494-23504
Cui, Z., Shen, Y., Chen, K.H., Mittal, S.K., Yang, J.Y., Zhang, G. (2017) KANK1 inhibits cell growth by inducing apoptosis though regulating CXXC5 in human malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Scientific Reports. 7:40325
Hensley, M.R., Chua, R.F., Leung, Y.F., Yang, J.Y., Zhang, G. (2016) Molecular Evolution of MDM1, a "Duplication-Resistant" Gene in Vertebrates. PLoS One. 11:e0163229
Hensley, M.R., Cui, Z., Chua, R.F., Simpson, S., Shammas, N.L., Yang, J.Y., Leung, Y.F., Zhang, G. (2016) Evolutionary and developmental analysis reveals KANK genes were co-opted for vertebrate vascular development. Scientific Reports. 6:27816
Li, Y.H., Luo, J., Mosley, Y.Y., Hedrick, V.E., Paul, L.N., Chang, J., Zhang, G., Wang, Y.K., Banko, M.R., Brunet, A., Kuang, S., Wu, J.L., Chang, C.J., Scott, M.P., Yang, J.Y. (2015) AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Directly Phosphorylates and Destabilizes Hedgehog Pathway Transcription Factor GLI1 in Medulloblastoma. Cell Reports. 12:599-609
Zhang, G., Yang, J.Y., Cui, Z. (2015) New insight into cancer aneuploidy in zebrafish. International review of cell and molecular biology. 314:149-70
Zhang, G., Hoersch, S., Amsterdam, A., Whittaker, C.A., Beert, E., Catchen, J.M., Farrington, S., Postlethwait, J.H., Legius, E., Hopkins, N., and Lees, J.A. (2013) Comparative oncogenomic analysis of copy number alterations in human and zebrafish tumors enables cancer driver discovery. PLoS Genetics. 9(8):e1003734
Freitas, R., Zhang, G., and Cohn, M.J. (2007) Biphasic Hoxd gene expression in shark paired fins reveals an ancient origin of the distal limb domain. PLoS One. 2(1):e754