Joseph Zaia

joseph-zaiaProfessor
Associate Director, Center for Biomedical Mass Spectrometry

Boston University School of Medicine
670 Albany Street, Office: Rm. 509; Lab: Suite 505
Boston, MA 02118

Phone: 617-638-6762
Lab Phone: 617-638-6762
Fax: 617-638-6761

Email: jzaia@bu.edu

For more information click here Joseph Zaia

Education

BS, Bates College, Lewiston, ME
PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

People

Nancy Leymarie
Senior Research Scientist		 Vanessa Gill
Postdoctoral Associate		 Xiaofeng Shi
Research Scientist
Qi Wang
Postdoctoral Associate		 Yang Mao 
Postdoctoral Associate		  
Han Hu
Student		 Yu Huang
Student		 Chun Shao                                                         Student
     

Research Interests

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear oligosaccharides attached to proteoglycan core proteins in virtually every animal species and tissue.  A large number of proteins bind GAGs including those involved in blood clotting, many growth factors, and several extracellular matrix proteins.  Mutation in GAG biosynthetic genes leads to severe malformations, indicating the critical roles these carbohydrates play in development.  Much of proteoglycan biological activity is mediated though protein-binding interactions.

The group develops new bioanalytical methods to meet the emerging needs of biomedicine related to GAG function and is building a structural understanding of the roles of GAG during development, adult physiological processes and disease states.  Dynamic regulation of GAG expression serves as a mechanism to elaborate the functions of the relatively limited number of proteoglycan gene products.  This gives rise to the elaborate signaling feedback mechanisms required for higher animal physiological processes.   The group aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of the roles of GAG expression related to human health.

Specific projects include investigations into

(1) heparan sulfate-growth factor interactions;

(2) heparan sulfate phenotypes in vascular disease processes;

(3) post-biosynthetic enzymatic and chemical modification to heparan sulfate structure and function;

(4) use of tandem mass spectrometry for structural analysis of GAGs.  These projects focus on development and use of cutting edge mass spectrometric technology.

Research Themes

ECM/Cellular Injury; Proteomics & Glycomics

Representative Publications

Pubmed

  • Thelin, M.; Svensson, K. J.; Shi, X.; Bagher, M.; Axelsson, J.; Isinger-Ekstrand, A.; van Kuppevelt, T. H.; Johansson, J.; Nilbert, M.; Zaia, J.; Belting, M.; Maccarana, M.; Malmstrom, A. Dermatan sulfate is involved in the tumorigenic properties of Esophagus Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Cancer Res. 2012, 72, 1943-1952. Pubmed Link
  • Leymarie, N.; Zaia, J. Effective use of mass spectrometry for glycan and glycopeptide structural analysis. Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 3040-8. Pubmed Link
  • Wang, Q.; Shi, X.; Leymarie, N.; Madico, G.; Sharon, J.; Costello, C. E.; Zaia, J. A Typical Preparation of Francisella tularensisO-Antigen Yields a Mixture of Three Types of Saccharides. Biochemistry 2011, 50, 10941-50. Pubmed Link
  • Huang, Y.; Shi, X.; Yu, X.; Leymarie, N.; Staples, G. O.; Yin, H.; Killeen, K.; Zaia, J. Improved LC-MS/MS of Heparan Sulfate Oligosaccharides via Chip-based Pulsed Make-up Flow. Anal. Chem. 2011, 83, 8222-8229. Pubmed Link
  • Zaia, J. At last, functional glycomics. Nat Methods 2011, 8, 55-7. Pubmed Link
  • Staples, G. O.; Zaia, J. In Carbohydrate Recognition; John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011, pp 257-300.
  • Staples, G. O.; Shi, X.; Zaia, J. Glycomics analysis of mammalian heparan sulfates modified by the human extracellular sulfatase HSulf2. PLoS ONE 2011, 6, e16689. Pubmed Link
  • Schumacher, V. A.; Schlotzer-Schrehardt, U.; Karumanchi, S. A.; Shi, X.; Zaia, J.; Jeruschke, S.; Zhang, D.; Pavenstaedt, H.; Drenckhan, A.; Amann, K.; Ng, C.; Hartwig, S.; Ng, K. H.; Ho, J.; Kreidberg, J. A.; Taglienti, M.; Royer-Pokora, B.; Ai, X. WT1-Dependent Sulfatase Expression Maintains the Normal Glomerular Filtration Barrier. J Am Soc Nephrol 2011, 22, 1286-96. Pubmed Link
  • Naimy, H.; Buczek-Thomas, J. A.; Nugent, M. A.; Leymarie, N.; Zaia, J. Highly sulfated non reducing end-derived heparan sulfate domains bind fibroblast growth factor-2 with high affinity and are enriched in biologically active fractions. J Biol Chem 2011, 286, 19311-19319. Pubmed Link
  • Leymarie, N.; McComb, M.; Naimy, H.; Staples, G.; Zaia, J. Differential Characterization and Classification of Tissue Specific Glycosaminoglycans by Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Statistical Methods. Int J Mass Spectrom 2011, Accepted 7/13/11.
  • Langsdorf, A.; Schumacher, V.; Shi, X.; Tran, T.; Zaia, J.; Jain, S.; Taglienti, M.; Kreidberg, J. A.; Fine, A.; Ai, X. Expression regulation and function of heparan sulfate 6-O-endosulfatases in the spermatogonial stem cell niche. Glycobiology 2011, 21, 152-61. Pubmed Link
  • Dreyfuss, J. M.; Jacobs, C.; Gindin, Y.; Benson, G.; Staples, G. O.; Zaia, J. Targeted analysis of glycomics liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry data. Anal Bioanal Chem 2011, 399, 727-35. Pubmed Link
  • Bielik, A. M.; Zaia, J. Multistage Tandem Mass Spectrometry of Chondroitin Sulfate and Dermatan Sulfate. Int J Mass Spectrom 2011, 305, 131-137. Pubmed Link
  • Zaia, J. Mass spectrometry and glycomics. OMICS 2010, 14, 401-18. Pubmed Link
  • Staples, G. O.; Shi, X.; Zaia, J. Extended NS domains reside at the non-reducing end of heparan sulfate chains. J Biol Chem 2010, 285, 18336-18343. Pubmed Link
  • Staples, G. O.; Naimy, H.; Yin, H.; Kileen, K.; Kraiczek, K.; Costello, C. E.; Zaia, J. Improved hydrophilic interaction chromatography LC/MS of heparinoids using a chip with postcolumn makeup flow. Anal. Chem. 2010, 82, 516-22. Pubmed Link
  • Naimy, H.; Leymarie, N.; Zaia, J. Screening for anticoagulant heparan sulfate octasaccharides and fine structure characterization using tandem mass spectrometry. Biochemistry 2010, 49, 3743-3752. Pubmed Link
  • Bowman, M. J.; Zaia, J. Comparative glycomics using a tetraplex stable-isotope coded tag. Anal. Chem. 2010, 82, 3023-31. Pubmed Link
  • Bielik, A. M.; Zaia, J. Extraction of chondroitin/dermatan sulfate glycosaminoglycans from connective tissue for mass spectrometric analysis. Methods Mol Biol 2010, 600, 215-25. Pubmed Link
  • Bielik, A. M.; Zaia, J. Historical overview of glycoanalysis. Methods Mol Biol 2010, 600, 9-30. Pubmed Link