Education
PhD in genetics, Institute of Hydrobiology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Master of Science in biology, Shanxi University, China
Bachelor of Science in biology, Henan Normal University, China
Research Interests
The research in my lab has focused on immunology and cancer biology with a specific emphasis on alcohol-related immunotoxicology and tumor immunology and immunotherapy.
In alcohol-related immunotoxicology, we have systematically studied the mechanism of how alcohol consumption affects the immune system, especially NK cells and T cells, under steady state conditions as well as in cancers and infectious diseases. Our research has elucidated how chronic alcohol consumption reduces NK cell numbers, impairs NK cell development and cytolytic activity, enhances iNKT cell activation and maturation, and compromises T cell memory and antitumor and antiviral functions. We are among the first to explore and decode the immunological aspects of how chronic alcohol consumption affects tumor growth, metastasis, and host survival. Additionally, our research has revealed how alcohol consumption exacerbates cancer-associated cachexia. This aspect of our research has been funded by NIH/NIAAA.
In tumor immunology, we discovered that CD4+ tissue-resident T (TRM) cells and double-negative T (DN T) cells are essential in initiating the antitumor immune response and shaping the tumor microenvironment. These pioneering findings not only greatly advance our understanding of tumor immunology, but also provide potential targets to develop more effective cancer immunotherapy. The long-term goal of our research is to develop innovative and more effective approaches for cancer immunotherapy. Our current research interests focus on deciphering DN T cell antitumor immunity and developing DN T cell-based cancer immunotherapy. This research is currently funded by an NIH/NCI R01 grant.
Selected Publications
Zhang H*, Zhu Z, Modrak S, Little, A. Tissue-resident memory CD4+ T cells play a dominant role in the initiation of antitumor immunity. J Immunol. 2022;208(12):2837-2846. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100852. PMID: 35589124 (* Corresponding author)
Zhang H*, Zhang F, Modrak S. Effects of TNF-α deletion on iNKT cell development, activation, and maturation in the steady-state and chronic alcohol-consuming mice. J Leukoc Biol. 2022;112(2):233-241. doi: 10.1002/JLB.1A0821-466R. PMID: 34766371 (* Corresponding author)
Dakup PP, Porter KI, Little AA, Zhang H, Gaddameedhi S. Sex differences in the association between tumor growth and T cell response in a melanoma mouse model. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2020; 69(10):2157-2162. doi: 10.1007/s00262-020-02643-3. PMID: 32638080
Yuanfei Li, Faya Zhang, Samantha Modrak, Alex Little, Hui Zhang*. Chronic alcohol consumption enhances skeletal muscle wasting in mice bearing cachectic cancers: the role of TNF-a/myostatin axis. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2020; 44(1):66-77. doi: 0.1111/acer.14221. Epub 2019 Nov 11. PMID: 31657476
Alex Little, Yuanfei Li, Faya Zhang, Hui Zhang*. Chronic alcohol consumption exacerbates murine cytomegalovirus infection via impairing nonspecific and specific NK activation in mice. FASEB BioAdvancves. 2019; 1(1): 18-31. https://doi.org/10.1096/fba.1019. PMID: 32123809
Panshak P. Dakup, Kenneth I. Porter, Alexander A. Little, Rajendra P. Gajula, Hui Zhang, Elena Skornyakov, Michael G. Kemp, Hans P.A. Van Dongen, and Shobhan Gaddameedhi. The circadian clock regulates cisplatin-induced toxicity and tumor regression in melanoma mouse and human models. Oncotarget. 2018; 9:14524-14538. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.24539
Bo Wang,* Faya Zhang,* Hui Zhang#, Zhixiu Wang, Yan-Nan Ma, Mei-Jun Zhu, and Min Du#. Alcohol intake aggravates adipose browning and muscle atrophy in cancer-associated cachexia. Oncotarget. 2017 Nov 21; 8(59): 100411–100420. Published online 2017 Nov 1. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.22243. PMCID: PMC5725030 (*These authors have contributed equally to this work, #co-corresponding authors).
Wang B, Wang Z, de Avila JM, Zhu MJ, Zhang F, Gomez NA, Zhao L, Tian Q, Zhao J, Maricelli J, Zhang H, Rodgers BD, Du M. 2017. Moderate alcohol intake induces thermogenic brown/beige adipocyte formation via elevating retinoic acid signaling. FASEB J. 2017 Oct;31(10):4612-4622. doi: 10.1096/fj.201700396R. PMID: 28679528
Zhang F, Little A, Zhang H*. Chronic alcohol consumption inhibits peripheral N.K. cell development and maturation by decreasing the availability of IL-15. J Leukoc Biol. 2017.101(4):1015-1027. doi: 10.1189/jlb.1A0716-298RR. PMID: 27837016
Gaither K, Little L, McBride A, Garcia S, Brar K, Zhu Z, Zhang F, Meadows G*, Zhang H*. The immunomodulatory, antitumor and antimetastatic responses of melanoma-bearing normal and alcoholic mice to Sunitinib and ALT-803: A combinatorial treatment approach. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2016. 65(9):1123-34. doi: 10.1007/s00262-016-1876-8. PMID: 27481107. (*Co-Corresponding author).
Chu D, Zhao Q, Yu J, Zhang F, Zhang H, Wang Z. 2016. Nanoparticle Targeting of Neutrophils for Improved Cancer Immunotherapy. Adv Healthc Mater. 5(9):1088-1093. doi: 10.1002/adhm.201500998. PMID: 26989887.
Meadows, GG. and H. Zhang. 2015. Effects of Alcohol on Tumor Growth, Metastasis, Immune Response, and Host Survival. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 37(2): 311-330. PMID: 26695753.
Zhang F, Zhu Z, Meadows, GG, Zhang H*. 2015. Chronic alcohol consumption inhibits melanoma growth but decreases the survival of mice immunized with tumor cell lysate and boosted with alpha-galactosylceramide. International Immunopharmacology. 28(1):359-368. PMID: 26118634
Zhang H*, Zhu Z, Zhang F, Meadows GG. 2015. Alcohol consumption and antitumor immunity: dynamic changes from activation to accelerated deterioration of the immune system. Adv Exp Med Biol. 815:313-331, PMID: 25427915 (* Corresponding author).
Zhang H*, Zhang F, Zhu Z, Luong D, Meadows GG. 2015. Chronic alcohol consumption enhances iNKT cell maturation and activation. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol., 282(2):139-150. PMID: 25499027 (*Corresponding author).
Liu C, Zhang F, Munske G, Zhang H, Xian M. 2014. Isotope dilution mass spectrometry for the quantification of sulfane sulfurs. Free Radic Biol Med. 76:200-207, PMID: 25152234.
Park CM, Zhao Y, Zhu Z, Pacheco A, Peng B, Devarie-Baez NO, Bagdon P, Zhang H, Xian M. 2013. Synthesis and evaluation of phosphorodithioate-based hydrogen sulfide donors. Mol Biosyst. 9(10):2430-2434. doi: 10.1039/c3mb70145j. PMID: 23917226.
John Powers, Hui Zhang, Logan Battrell, Gary G. Meadows and Grant D. Trobridge. 2012. Establishment of an immunodeficient alcohol mouse model to study the effects of ethanol on human cells in vivo. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 73(6):933-937. PMID: 23036211.
Hui Zhang*, Zhaohui Zhu, and Gary G. Meadows. 2012. Chronic alcohol consumption impairs distribution and compromises circulation of B cells in B16BL6 melanoma-bearing mice. Journal of Immunology. 189(3):1340-1348. PMID: 22753935. (* Corresponding author).