| Medical College of Georgia | |
| IMMAG Home | |
| Letter from Director |
| History of IMMAG |
| Facilities |
| Funding |
| Educational Programs |
| People |
| Seminars |
| IMMAG Retreat 2005 |
| Contact Information |
| News Release |
|
Guichao
Zeng, PhD
Associate Professor
Developmental Neurobiology Program
Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics
E-mail: gzeng@mcg.edu
My research is focusing on the biological function of glycosphingolipids during brain development and cancer progression, as well as the regulatory mechanisms of sialyltransferase gene expression for ganglioside biosynthesis. Recently, our research led us to discover a novel protein kinase WNK1, which contributed, at least in part, to proliferation and migration of neuroblastoma cells. WNK1 is a MAP4K in the ERK5 signaling pathway and is required for activation of ERK5 by EGF. However, functions of WNK1 outside the kidney have not yet been studied. Therefore, as a new line of my research, we are investigating the function of WNK1 in malignancy, such as progression of prostate cancer cells from androgen dependence to independence. We are also interested in defining the role of WNK1 in neuronal survival and differentiation, particularly in correlation with brain gangliosides.
Zeng, G., Gao, L., Birkle, S., and Yu, R.K. (2000) Suppression of
ganglioside GD3 expression in rat F-11 cells reduces tumor growth,
angiogenesis and vascular endothelial growth factor production. Cancer
Research 60:6670-6676.
Xia, T., Gao, L., Yu, R.K. and Zeng, G. (2003) Characterization of the promoter and transcription factors for the mouse UDP-Gal:betaGlcNac beta 1,3-gactosyltransferase gene. Gene 309:117-123.
Zeng, G., Gao, L., Xia, T., Gu, Y., and Yu, R.K. (2005) Expression of the mouse WNK1 gene in correlation with ganglioside GD3 and functional analysis of the mouse WNK1 promoter. Gene, 344:233-239.