Zhang Lei

Education and Research Experience

  • 1991 – 1995   B.S. in Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Biology, Jilin University, Changchun, China
  • 1995 – 1998   M.S. in Biochemistry, National Laboratory of Enzyme Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, China
  • 1998 – 2001   Ph.D. in Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China  
  • 2001 - 2008    Postdoctoral Research Fellow & assistant instructor, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
  • 2009 - 2022  Principle Investigator, IBCB,SIBS, Shanghai, China.
  • 2023 – present  Professor, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Department of Genetics and Developmental Science

Research Interests

Organ Development, Regeneration, and Tumorigenesis

Cell-fate decision is fundamental for multicellular organisms, ranking it the top important yet unresolved issue in the fields of life science. Hippo signaling is considered to sense and integrate multiple signals in environmental cues to drive cell-fate decision through modulating cell proliferation and differentiation, and is therefore of critical importance for organ size control, tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Despite the well-defined regulatory mechanisms of Hippo signaling activity, the molecular basis by which cells adopt different identities triggered by the Hippo pathway remains unclarified. We will continue to decipher the functional roles of some genes that are implicated in organ size control, tissue homeostasis and tumorigenesis, as well as the underlying mechanisms that determine cell-fate decision in different cell types. Our ultimate goal is to dissect the common, cell-type specific and evolutionally-conserved cell-fate decision mechanisms among distinct organs and species, thus providing novel insight into the pathogenesis of many diseases including cancers, as well as potential therapeutic intervention.

Selected Publications

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    Jingqiang Wang#, Chunye Liu#, Lingli He#, Lanyue Bai, Zhiyao Xie, Wentao Yu, Zuoyun Wang, Yi Lu, Dong Gao, Junfen Fu, Lei Zhang* and Yi Arial Zeng* Selective YAP activation in Procr cells is essential for ovarian stem/progenitor expansion and epithelium repair. eLife, 2022, 11:e75449

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    Lingli He# , Liang Yuan#, Wentao Yu,  Yang Sun, Dan Jiang, Xiaodong Wang, Xue Feng, Zuoyun Wang, Jinjin Xu, Ruizeng Yang, Wenxiang Zhang, Hua Feng, Hangzi Chen, Yi Arial Zeng, Lijian Hui, Qiao Wu, Yonglong Zhang,* & Lei Zhang*  A regulation loop between YAP and NR4A1 balances cell proliferation and apoptosis.  Cell Reports 2020, 33(3): 108284

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    Jinlong Suo#,Xue Feng#,Jiayi Li,Jinghui Wang,Zuoyun Wang*,Lei Zhang*, Weiguo Zou* VGLL4 promotes osteoblast differentiation by antagonizing TEADs-inhibited RUNX2 transcription. Science Advances 2020, 6(43):eaba4147

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    Xue Feng#, Tiantian Lu#, Jinhui Li, Ruizeng Yang, Liqiao Hu, Yi Ye, Feifei Mao, Lingli He, Jinjin Xu, Zuoyun Wang, Yingbin Liu, Yonglong Zhang, Hongbin Ji, Yun Zhao, Shuqun Cheng*, Wei Tian* and Lei Zhang* The Tumor Suppressor Interferon Regulatory Factor 2 Binding Protein 2 Regulates Hippo Pathway in Liver Cancer by a Feedback Loop in Mice. Hepatology 2020 Jun;71(6):1988-2004

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    Xue Hao, Shimin Wang, Yi Lu, Wentao Yu, Pengyue Li, Dan Jiang, Tong Guo, Mengjie Li, Jinhui Li, Jinjin Xu, Wenqing Wu, Margaret S. Ho*, Lei Zhang*  Lola regulates Drosophila adult midgut homeostasis via non-canonical Hippo signaling. eLife, 2020, 9:e47542

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    Liang Xu, Peixue Li, Xue Hao, Yi Lu, Mingxian Liu, Wenqian Song, Lin Shan, Jiao Yu, Hongyu Ding, Shishuang Chen, Ailing Yang, Yi Arial Zeng, Lei Zhang* and Hai Jiang*  SHANK2 is a frequently amplified oncogene with evolutionarily conserved roles in regulating Hippo signaling. Protein Cell, 2021,12(3):174-193

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    Xue Feng#, Zuoyun Wang#, Fei Wang#, Tiantian Lu, Jinjin Xu, Xueyan Ma, Jinhui Li, Lingli He, Wenxiang Zhang, Sheng Li, Wenjun Yang, Shu Zhang, Gaoxiang Ge, Yun Zhao, Ping Hu* and Lei Zhang* Dual function of VGLL4 in muscle regeneration. The EMBO Journal, 2019,38(17): e101051

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    Lingli He, Liang Yuan, Yang Sun, Pingyang Wang, Hailin Zhang, Xue Feng, Zuoyun Wang, Wenxiang Zhang, Chuanyu Yang, Yi Arial Zeng, Yun Zhao, Ceshi Chen* & Lei Zhang* Glucocorticoid receptor signaling activates TEAD4 to promote breast cancer progression. Cancer Research, 2019, 79(17):4399-4411

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    Wei Yu#, Xueyan Ma#, Jinjin Xu, Andreas Wilhelm Heumüller, Zhaoliang Fei, Xue Feng, Xiaodong Wang, Kuo Liu, Jinhui Li, Guizhong Cui, Guangdun Peng, Hongbin Ji, Jinsong Li, Naihe Jing, Hai Song, Zhiqiang Lin, Yun Zhao, Zuoyun Wang*, Bin Zhou* and Lei Zhang*  VGLL4 plays a critical role in heart valve development and homeostasis. PLoS Genetics, 2019, (15) 2:e1007977

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