The Zhang Lab

Welcome to the Zhang Lab at Wake Forest University Department of Biology

Areas of Study

Epigenetics, Genomics, Cell Biology

 Ph.D or MS graduate student positions are available.

We now know that it is the epigenome that tells those cells what they should be and how they should develop. However, how the epigenome is regulated in response to nuclear signaling networks, and how misregulation of the epigenome contributes to physiological and pathological processes remain enigmatic. Two fundamental mechanisms in epigenomic regulation intrigue me: 1) how RNAPII generated non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are produced and how their dysregulation leads to human diseases such as cancer; 2) how lysine methylation and deacetylation of histones and non-histone substrates functionally integrate nuclear signals to govern various cellular functions. Using fission yeast and mammalian cells as model systems, we will address these questions by combining genetic, biochemical, proteomic, and genomic approaches. Alterations in the epigenome, especially at the early stage of development, can cause lifelong health effects. Elucidating these mechanisms holds enormous promise for health prevention of intractable human diseases including birth defect and cancer.