Dekai Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.

Ph.D., 1998, University of Hong Kong
Assistant Professor
Phone: (713) 677-7565
Fax: (713) 677-7576
E-mail: mailto:dzhang@ibt.tamhsc.edu

Dekai Zhang earned his M.S. and M.D. in Internal Medicine at Harbin Medical University and his Ph.D. in Cancer and Cell Biology at the University of Hong Kong. At Yale University School of Medicine, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, he undertook postdoctoral studies for Cancer Research and Immunobiology. Before he joined theIBT in September 2005, he was a research associate scientist in the Department of Immunobiology at Yale University. Currently he is an assistant professor in the Center for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases at the Institute of Biosciences & Technology, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center.


Our laboratory is studying the molecular mechanisms of innate immune recognition by identification and analysis of receptors involved in innate immune recognition and activated signaling pathways. We are particularly interested in the recently identified family of Toll-like receptors, which play a critical role in the mounting of innate immune responses. We wish to understand the mechanisms by which TLRs recognize different pathogen associate molecular patterns (PAMPs), as well as the regulatory mechanisms of TLR signal pathways that lead to NF- k B activation. We are also interested in studying the important links between chronic infection, inflammation and cancer by utilizing biochemical as well as whole animal approaches.


Yarovinsky F., Zhang D., Andersen J., Bannenberg GL., Serhan C., Hieny S., Flavell RA., Ghosh S., Sher A. TLR11 activation of dendritic cells by a protozoan profilin-like protein. Science 2005, 308:1626-9 .

Zhang D. , Zhang GL, Hayden MS, Greenblatt M, Bussey C., Flavell R., and Ghosh S. A novel Toll-like receptor that prevents infection by uropathogenic bacteria. Science 2004, 303:1522-6. (highly cited). www.esi-topics.com/nhp/2005/may-05-Ghosh_Hayden_Zhang.html

Cao D., Russell R., Zhang D., Leffert J., and Pizzorno G. Uridine phosphorylase (-/-) murine embryonic stem cells clarify the key role of this enzyme in the regulation of the pyrimidine salvage pathway and in the activation of fluoropyrimidines. Cancer Res. 2002, 62(8):2313-7.

Zhang D., Cao D., Russell R., and Pizzorno G. p53-dependent Suppression of Uridine Phosphorylase Gene Expression through Direct Promoter Interaction. Cancer Res . 2001, 61: 6899-6905.

Russell RL, Cao D, Zhang D., Handschumacher RE, Pizzorno G. Uridine phosphorylase association with vimentin. Intracellular distribution and localization. J Biol Chem. 2001, 276(16):13302-7.

Yang X, Sham JS, Ng MH, Tsao SW, Zhang D., Lowe SW, Cao L. LMP1 of Epstein-Barr virus induces proliferation of primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts and cooperatively transforms the cells with a p16-insensitive CDK4 oncogene. J Virol. 2000, 74(2):883-91.

Cao DL, Immakayalu MA, Wang FY, Zhang D., Handschumacher RE, Bray-Ward P, Pizzorno G., Genomic structure, chromosomal mapping, and promoter region analysis of murine uridine phosphorylase gene. Cancer Res. 1999, 59:4997-5001.

For complete list of publications, go to PubMed and enter zhang d