Rui Zhou, PH.D

E-mail Address: ruizhou@whu.edu.cn

Office Address: 185# DongHu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071

Position(s):

Professor

Affiliation(s):

Department of Human Parasitology

Research interests / Specialties:

Innate immune response following pathogen infection/ the role of non-coding RNA in immune system

Education and Training

B.S., 1996-2000 Central China Normal University, China

Ph.D., 2000-2003 Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China

Post-doctoral training, 2007-2011 Creighton University, U.S.A

Assistant research professor

Research Description

My laboratory is interested in the molecular basis underlying ncRNA regulation of immune homeostasis, in particular, the role of ncRNAs in pathogen-epithelial cell interaction, as well as its relevance to the pathogenesis of inflammatory/infectious diseases in the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary systems.

We have also investigated the regulation of innate immune response following c. parvum infection. C. parvum is a protozoan parasite that infects the gastrointestinal epithelium and causes diarrheal disease worldwide. We are in interested in the mechanism of host–parasite interaction and the immune defense against C. parvum.

Selected Publications:

1. Zhou R, Feng Y, Chen XM. Non-coding RNAs in epithelial immunity to Cryptosporidium infection. Parasitology. 2014, 141(10):1233-43.

2．Zhou R, Gong AY, Chen D, Miller RE, Eischeid AN, Chen XM. Histone deacetylases and NF-κB signaling coordinate expression of CX3CL1 in epithelial cells in response to microbial challenge by suppressing miR-424 and miR-503. PLoS One. 2013, 8(5):e65153.

3．Zhou R, Gong AY, Eischeid AN, Chen XM. miR-27b regulates RNA stability to coordinate TLR4/NF-kappaB-mediated epithelial anti-C. parvum defense by targeting KSRP. PLoS Pathogen. 2012, 8: e1002702.

4．Zhou R, Li X, Hu G, Gong AY, Drescher KM, Chen XM. miR-16 Targets Transcriptional Corepressor SMRT and Modulates NF-kappaB-Regulated Transactivation of Interleukin-8 Gene. PLoS One. 2012, 7(1): e30772.

5． Zhou R, O'Hara SP, Chen XM. MicroRNA regulation of innate immune responses in epithelial cells. Cell Mol Immunol. 2011, 8 (5):371-9.

6．Zhou R, Hu G, Gong AY, and Chen XM. Binding of NF-kappaB p65 subunit to the promoter elements is involved in LPS-induced transactivation of miRNA genes in human biliary epithelial cells. Nucleic Acids Research. 2010, 38(10): 3222-32.

7．Zhou R, Hu G, Liu J, Gong AY, Drescher KM, and Chen XM. NF-kappaB p65-dependent transactivation of miRNA genes following Cryptosporidium parvum infection stimulates epithelial cell immune responses. PLoS Pathog. 2009, 5(12): e1000681.