Jiang Lab

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Jiang Lab Research Focus:  

  1. Understanding the role of neutrophils in the development of obesity-related systemic inflammation, tissue damage and remodeling.
     Using a quantitative serum proteomic approach, we discovered that obesity leads to the imbalance between serine protease neutrophil elastase and serine protease inhibitor alpha-1-antitrypsin both in mouse models and human subjects. Our studies also revealed that obesogenic diet feeding induces alternation of hematopoiesis with dramatic increase of pro-inflammatory neutrophil production and pro-inflammatory phenotype in mice. Interestingly, mice lacking of neutrophil-specific protease neutrophil elastase are resistant not only to diet-induced neutrophil production but also obesogenic diet-induced vascular damage, adipose inflammation and fibrosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and insulin resistance. We are in the process to study how nutritional factors are involved in the regulation of neutrophil differentiation and how this process is related to the development of systemic inflammation, NASH, adipose tissue fibrotic remodeling, and metabolic disorders.

 

  1. Neutrophils play pivotal role in obesity-related vascular injury and vascular aging.
    Our study revealed that neutrophils contribute to obesity-related vascular leakage and immune cell infiltration in adipose tissue by releasing neutrophil elastase. The latter increases vascular permeability and leukocyte extravasation through activating protease activated receptor 2 (PAR2) and Rho kinase signaling in vascular endothelial cells. Our recent studies also revealed that neutrophils are involved in vascular aging and related arterial stiffness. We are currently investigating molecular and cellular mechanisms by which obesity and aging regulate the interactions between neutrophils and vascular cells. 

 

  1.  CDP138 and its signal networks related to glucose and lipid metabolisms in adipose tissues.
    Using a SILAC-based phosphoproteomic analysis, we identified a new phosphoprotein CDP138 that is involved in the regulation of vesicle trafficking. We are using the knockout mouse models to study the signal network of CDP138 and its role in the regulation of catecholamine release, fat browning, thermogenesis, and lipid metabolisms

Lab Members

Publications

Other Publications

Jiang ZY, Zhou QL, Holik J, Patel S, Leszyk J, Coleman K, Chouinard M and Czech MP. Identification of protein kinase WNK1 as a substrate of protein kinase B/Akt and a negative regulator of insulin-stimulated mitogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. J. Biol. Chem. 280:21622-8, 2005.

Jiang ZY, Zhou QL, Holik J, Patel S, Leszyk J, Coleman K, Chouinard M, Czech MP. Identification of WNK1 as a substrate of Akt/protein kinase B and a negative regulator of insulin-stimulated mitogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells.  J Biol Chem. 280(22):21622-8, 2005

Jiang ZY, Zhou QL, Coleman KA, Chouinard M, Boese Q, and Czech MP. Insulin Signaling Through Akt/PKB Analyzed by siRNA-mediated Gene Silencing. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100:7569-7574, 2003. PMID: 12808134 PMCID: PMC164627.

Jiang ZY, He Z, King BL, Kuroki T, Opland DM, Suzuma K, Suzuma I, Ueki K, Kulkarni RN, Kahn CR, King GL. Characterization of multiple signaling pathways of insulin in the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor expression in vascular cells and angiogenesis.  J Biol Chem. 278(34):31964-71, 2003.

Jiang ZY, He Z, King BL, Kuroki T, Opland DM, Suzuma K, Suzuma I, Ueki K, Kulkarni RN, Kahn CR, King GL. Characterization of multiple signaling pathways of insulin in the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor expression in vascular cells and angiogenesis.  J. Biol. Chem. 278: 31964-31971, 2003.

Bose A, Guilherme A, Robida SI, Nicoloro SM, Zhou QL, Jiang ZY, Pomerleau DP, Czech MP. Glucose transporter recycling in response to insulin is facilitated by myosin Myo1c. Nature 420(6917):821-4, 2002.

Kuboki K, Jiang ZY, Takahara N, Ha SW, Igarashi M, Yamauchi T, Feener EP, Herbert TP, Rhodes CJ, King GL. Regulation of endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase gene expression in endothelial cells and in vivo: a specific vascular action of insulin. Circulation 101:676-81, 2000. PMID: 10673261.

Jiang ZY, Lin YW, Clermont AC, Feener EP, Hein KD, Igarashi M, Yamauchi T, White MF and King GL. Selective resistance to insulin signaling in the vasculature of obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats. J. Clin. Invest. 104:447-457, 1999. PMID: 10449437 PMCID: PMC408521.

Jiang ZY, Zhou QL, Chatterjee A, Feener EP, Myers Jr. MG, White MF, and King GL. Endothelin-1 modulates insulin signaling through PI 3-kinase pathway in vascular smooth muscle cells. Diabetes 48:1120-1130, 1999

WCVI

Dr. Jiang and his group reported recently that neutrophil elastase (NE) regulates vascular endothelial cell permeability.

Dr. Jiang and his group reported recently that neutrophil elastase (NE), a protease secreted from neutrophils, regulates vascular endothelial cell permeability. NE cleaves and activates protease-activated receptor-2, leading to actomyosin cytoskeletal activation, cell junction molecule VE-cadherin degradation, and increased endothelial permeability. Inhibition and deletion of NE in mice protect obesogenic diet-induced vascular leakage and immune […]

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Zhen Jiang MD PhD

Employment Opportunity

Postdoctoral Associate Position: The Boston University School of Medicine seeks recent Ph.D. graduates with a metabolic or immunologic research background to join the Pharmacology and Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute as Post-doctoral Research Associates. The interests of the research group are focused on understanding the metabolic regulation of hematopoiesis, systemic inflammation related to obesity, fatty liver diseases, vascular […]

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