Zhilong Yang
Associate Department Head (Research & Graduate Studies)Research and Scholarly Interests
The overarching research goal of my laboratory is to understand the mechanisms governing viral replication, with the rationale that the discoveries from my research will expand our knowledge of both viruses and their hosts, and facilitate the development of novel strategies to combat viral and non-viral diseases. A parallel goal of my laboratory is to provide a highly supportive environment to train the next generations of scientists. My ongoing research focuses on how viruses interact with two cellular housekeeping processes: protein synthesis and metabolism. I currently mainly use vaccinia virus as the research model. Vaccinia virus is the prototypic member of poxviruses that significantly impact public health, with many presently causing morbidity and mortality in humans and many economically important animals, including deadly zoonotic pathogens (e.g., monkeypox virus). In addition, despite the eradication of smallpox, one of the most (if not the most) devastating diseases in human history, smallpox resurgence remains a serious biothreat. Poxviruses are also widely developed as veterinary and human vaccine vectors and as cancer treatment agents. Poxviruses provide numerous precious tools to understand many aspects of cell biology and dissect complex life processes, as their large DNA genomes encode hundreds of genes that engage many key nodes of cellular life. We are also interested in developing vaccinia virus-based anti-cancer agents and vaccines against other infectious diseases through collaborative efforts.
I started my journey to explore viruses in 2002 when I started my Ph.D. research to study Kaposi's sarcoma-associated virus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My study unveiled a regulatory circuit that Kaposi's sarcoma-associated virus (KSHV) transcriptional activator RTA and its repressors use to modulate KSHV latency and reactivation. I conducted my postdoctoral research on vaccinia virus at the National Institutes of Health in 2008. During my postdoctoral research, I used the then newly developed high-throughput next-generation sequencing techniques to investigate poxvirus gene expression and host interactions. In late 2013, I started my independent research program at Kansas State University to study mechanisms regulating protein synthesis during vaccinia virus infection and virus-induced metabolic reprogramming. My laboratory moved to Texas A&M University in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical sciences in 2021.
EDUCATION
- Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2002-2007
- M.S., Nankai University, 1999-2002
- B.S., Nankai University, 1995-1999
POSTDOC FELLOWSHIP
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 2008-2013
POSITIONS AND EMPLOYMENT
- Associate Professor, Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2021- Present
- Associate Professor, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 2020-2021
- Assistant Professor, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 2013-2020
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/SERVICE
- Member, American Society for Virology (ASV)
- Member, ASV Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Fellow Travel Award Committee
- Member, American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
- Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- Affiliated Faculty, Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Texas A&M University
HONORS AND AWARDS
- Professor of The Week, Kansas State University, 2019
- Innovative Research Awards, Johnson Cancer Research Center, Kansas State University, 2014, 16, 17, 20
- Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), National Institutes of Health, 2012-2016
- Finalist, Earl Stadtman Symposium on Virology, National Institutes of Health, 2012
- Finalist, Norman P. Salzman Memorial Award in Virology, Foundation for the NIH, 2010, 2011
- Fellow Award for Research Excellence (FARE), NIH, 2009, 2011
- Virology
- Virus-host Interactions
- Poxviruses and Their Translational Applications
- Gene Expression and Regulation
- Protein Synthesis and Regulation
- Metabolic Reprogramming During Viral Infection
- Education
My current research focuses on how virus interacts with two cellular house-keeping processes: protein synthesis and metabolism. All viruses rely on host translation machinery and metabolism for replication. These cellular processes are interfaces of highly active virus-host interactions. We aim to elucidate the mechanisms of how a virus (mainly using vaccinia virus as the model) exploits/modulates these cellular functions during infection. We integrate biochemical, molecular, and many omics (genomics, transcriptomics, translatomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) approaches to answer our questions. Taking advantage of our in-depth knowledge of the poxvirus replication and virus-host interactions, we are also developing vaccinia virus-based anti-cancer agents and vaccines against other infectious diseases through collaborative efforts.
HIGHLIGHTED RESEARCH SUPPORT
- NIH/NIAID (R01), Yang (PI), Mechanism regulating poxvirus post-replicative protein synthesis, 2019-2024
- NIH/NIGMS/K-INBRE (P20 Bridging Award), Yang (PI), Poxvirus-induced cellular metabolic reprogramming and transcriptional silencing, 2020-2021
- NIH/NIAID (R21), Yang (PI) Selective translation conferred by the poly(A) leader of vaccinia virus mRNAs, 2016-2019
- NIH/NIGMS (P20 Research Project 3), Yang (PI), Genomic and chemical approaches for discovering novel anti-poxvirus strategies, 2016-2019
- NIH/NIAID (K99/R00), Yang (PI), Host innate immune response induction and shutoff during poxvirus infection, 2012-2016
My overall goals of teaching are to effectively deliver scientific knowledge and instill scientific thinking. I am interested in teaching courses on topics related to virology and molecular and cellular biology. I have taught undergraduate and graduate courses in the past, including Advanced Cell Biology, Modern Molecular Approaches, and Principle of Biology.
Current courses taught: coming soon!
Research training in the laboratory is critical to train the next generations of scientists. I strive to provide a highly supportive environment for trainees. The ultimate goal is to instill critical thinking skills and facilitate the trainees' independence in catching critical scientific questions, designing/carrying out experiments, and analyzing/synthesizing the results. Since 2014, my laboratory has hosted over 20 trainees, including graduate students, visiting students, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduate students.
Don't hesitate to contact me if you are interested in joining an enthusiastic team to understand viruses and their hosts. We are recruiting trainees at various levels!
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH
- Shuai Cao (2014-2021, currently a Research Scientist in my lab)
- Chen Peng (2016-2017)
GRADUATE DIRECTED STUDIES
- Lara Dsouza, Ph.D. Student (2020-Present)
- Joshua Molina, Ph.D. Student (2019- Present)
- Candy Hernandez, Ph.D. Student (2019-Present)
- Dalton Dacus, Rotation Graduate Student (2017)
- Yanan Zhou, M.S. Student (2017-2018)
- Zhixun Zhao, Visiting Ph.D. Student (2016-2017)
- Yongquan Lin, Visiting Ph.D. Student (2016-2017)
- Anil Pant, M.S, Ph.D. Student (2015-2021)
- Julhasur M. Rahman, Rotation Graduate Student (2014)
- Pragyesh Dhungel, Ph.D. Student (2014-2019)
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
- Josh Spradlin (2019-2021)
- Eric Cheng (2018-2020)
- Lake Winter (2019-2021)
- Marlene Campos Guerrero (2016-2019)
- Joshua May (2015-2017)
- Ana Simental (2015-2016)
- Alexander Roeder (2015-2016)
- Dalton Dacus (2014-2016)
- Laura VanLerberg (2014-2016)
- Canaan Coker (2014-2015)
- Zachary Demars (2013-2014)
Publication list links
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/zhilong.yang.1/bibliography/public/
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-CzPeZIAAAAJ&hl=en
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS (*CORRESPONDING AUTHOR)
- Pant A, Dsouza L, Cao S, Peng C, Yang Z*. Viral growth factor- and STAT3 signaling-dependent elevation of the TCA cycle intermediate levels during vaccinia virus infection. PLoS Pathog. 2021 Feb 2;17(2):e1009303. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009303. eCollection 2021 Feb.PMID: 33529218
- Cantu F, Cao S, Hernandez C, Dhungel P, Spradlin J, Yang Z*. Poxvirus-encoded decapping enzymes promote selective translation of viral mRNAs. PLOS Pathog.2020 Oct 8;16(10):e1008926. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008926.eCollection 2020 Oct.
- Pant A, Cao S, Yang Z*. Asparagine is a critical limiting metabolite for vaccinia virus protein synthesis during glutamine deprivation. 2019. J Virol. 2019 Jun 14;93(13): e01834-18. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01834-18.
- Dhungel P, Cao S, Yang Z*. The 5'-poly(A) leader of poxvirus mRNA confers a translational advantage that can be achieved in cells with impaired cap-dependent translation. PLoS Pathog. 2017 Aug 30;13(8):e1006602.
- Dai A, Cao S, Dhungel P, Luan Y, Liu Y, Xie Z*, Yang Z*. Ribosome Profiling Reveals Translational Upregulation of Cellular Oxidative Phosphorylation mRNAs During Vaccinia Virus-induced Host Shutoff. J. Virol. 2017 Mar vol. 91 no. 5 e01858-16
- Yang Z*, Cao S, Martens CA, Porcella SF, Xie Z, Ma M, Shen M and Moss B*. Deciphering Poxvirus Gene Expression by RNA Sequencing and Ribosome Profiling. J Virol., 89 (13): 6874-6886, 2015.
- Yang Z, Reynolds SE, Martens CA, Bruno DP, Porcella SF, Moss B. Expression Profiling of the Intermediate and Late Stages of Poxvirus Replication. J Virol. 85 (19):9899-9908, 2011.
- Yang Z, Bruno DP, Martens CA, Porcella SF, Moss B. Simultaneous high-resolution analysis of vaccinia virus and host cell transcriptomes by deep RNA sequencing. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 107(25):11513-8, 2010.
- Yang Z, Yan Z, Wood C. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus transactivator RTA promotes degradation of the repressors to regulate viral lytic replication. J Virol. 82(7):3590-603, 2008.