Zhou Lab Research Statement
The goal of the Zhou laboratory is to determine the transcriptional regulation of intestinal immune responses. We have characterized the interactions between various transcription factors (e.g., RORγt and Foxp3) involved in specifying development of Th17 cells and the related iTreg lineage as well as how these interactions eventually determine whether the T cell adopts the Th17 or Treg cell fate. We have been focusing on the molecular regulation of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr), a ligand-dependent transcription factor under steady-state physiological conditions, during inflammation or autoimmunity. Most recently, we have extended our studies to host-microbe interactions and metabolic regulation of mucosal immune responses. Our research has implications for understanding how to modulate intestinal immune responses in different disease settings, and it may ultimately lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets for human diseases such as IBD or colon cancer.
The Zhou lab was established in October, 2009 at Northwestern University, Chicago. The lab moved to UF, Gainesville in December, 2015.
Lab Personnel
Liang Zhou, MD, PhD
Professor
Principal Investigator
Robert Merkel
Laboratory Manager
Lifeng Xiong
Postdoctoral Fellow
Eric Helm
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mingzhi Li
Postdoctoral fellow
Jennifer Kyu
Laboratory Technician
Na Sun
Graduate Student
Lab Alumni
Research Faculty:
Shiyang Li (2018 – 2019)
Postdoctoral Fellows:
Ju Qiu (2009 – 2014)
Olga Malykhina (2011)
Lei He (2011 – 2014)
Jianlei Hao (2012 – 2013)
Aki Ueda (2012 – 2014)
Yetao Wang (2013 – 2015)
Shiyang Li (2013 – 2018)
Jian Ye (2014 – 2018)
Zheng Fu (2015 – 2020)
Graduate Students:
Jennifer Heller (2010 – 2014)
Aki Ueda (2010 – 2012)
John Bostick (2014 – 2019) Joseph Dean (2018 – 2022)
Undergraduate Students:
Kyoo Seok Shim (UIC) (2010)
Ari Lederman (2011 – 2012)
Aileen Lee (2011 – 2014)
Jacob Weiderman (UF) (2016 – 2018)
Technicians/Lab Managers:
Priscilla Shamulailatpam (2014 – 2015)
Hui Li (2015 – 2018) Kristen Oliff (2018 – 2022)
