Mengwei  Zang, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Mengwei Zang is a faculty member in the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging as well as the Department of Molecular Medicine. The Zang lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity, diabetes and chronic liver disease related to aging.

Zang lab seeks to develop new therapeutic strategies for obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease by building a better understanding of molecular mechanisms of nutrient sensing network. Studies from Zang laboratory have identified several nutrient sensors, such as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), the NAD-dependent deacetylase (SIRT1), mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), and the hepatocyte-derived hormone FGF21. Dysregulation of AMPK or SIRT1 signaling appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of fatty liver disease and adipose tissue fibrosis in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Zang Lab has also elucidated AMPK-dependent inhibition of de novo lipogenesis as a molecular mechanism for the beneficial effects of metformin, the most widely prescribed type 2 diabetes drugs, and polyphenols, on hepatic steatosis, hyperlipidemia, and atherogenesis in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Further studies demonstrated that SIRT1 is functionally linked to FGF21 and the regulation of fatty acid metabolism, providing major therapeutic targets for the treatment of fatty liver disease. These important findings were published in high impact journals such as Cell Metabolism, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Diabetes.

Zang Lab’s research utilizes a variety of biochemical, cellular biology, metabolic and screening approaches both in cell culture and whole animals to identify the molecular mechanisms by which mammalian cells sense, communicate, and respond to nutrients. The ultimate goal is to provide new insight into the pathological mechanisms of diabetes and obesity as well as to identify potential therapeutic interventions of metabolic disease and age-associated metabolic diseases.

Other profile: See more at: https://barshopinstitute.uthscsa.edu/team-member/zang-mengwei/

• Professional Background

  Education

  • 2003 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Diabetes and Signal Transduction - Boston University School of Medicine
  • 1999 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Gastroenterology and Pharmacology - Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
  • 1998 - PhD - Pharmacology - Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
  • 1987 - MS - Pathophysiology - Henan Medical University
  • 1984 - MD - Medicine - Wannan Medical College

  Appointments

  • 2004-2010 - Assitant Professor of Medicine - Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
  • 2011-2015 - Associate Professor of Medicine - Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
  • 2016-2019 - Associate Professor of Molecular Medicine - University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
  • 2020-present - Professor of Molecular Medicine - University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX

• Instruction & Training

  • 2016 - Present, Post-Doctoral Student Supervision, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
  • 2016 - Present, Post-Doctoral Student Supervision, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
  • 2016 - Present, Pre-Doctoral Student Supervision, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
  • 2016 - Present, High School/Junior High School Student Supervision, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
  • 2016 - Present, Biomedical Science (IBMS 5000), UT Health San Antonio
  • 2016 - Present, Ph.D. Dissertations Directed, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio

• Research & Grants

  Grants

   

  Federal

   

  Funding Agency NIH/NIDDK

  Title: Hepatokine Control of Metabolic Crosstalk and Insulin Resistance

  The major goal of this project is to understand how the NAD+-dependent deacetylase SIRT1 regulates hepatokines that are secreted by the liver and whether this process affects the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetes.

   

  Funding Agency NIH/NIAAA

  Title: Alcohol-induced Dysregulation of Thiol Homeostasis and Endothelial Function

  The major goal of this study is to investigate whether Glutaredoxin-1, a specific de-glutathionylation thioreductase, controls redox hemostasis and improves chronic alcohol-induced endothelial dysfunction.

   

  Funding Agency NIH/NIDDK

  Title: Retinoic Acid receptor, Lipid Metabolism, and Fatty Liver Disease

  The overall objective of this project is to define the metabolic consequence, intervention, and mechanism of vitamin A-related retinoic acid receptor on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD),one of the most common chronic liver diseases in the United States.

   

  Funding Agency American Diabetes Association

  Title: Retinoic Acid Receptor Functions as a Novel Regulator of Lipid Metabolism in Diabetes

  The major goal of this ADA Basic Science Award is to investigate the effect of retinoic acid receptor on whole-body energy balance and insulin resistance in diabetes and obesity, a major public health issue in more than one-third adults (over 72 million people) in the United States.

• Service

  Institutional

   

  Associate Director of the MSTP (MD/PhD) Program

  University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio,

  San Antonio, TX

  National Service

   

  Regular Members for NIH Study Sections/Grant Review Committee Appointments       

  NIH/NIDDK Grant Review Committee, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Disease (DDK-B) Study Section

  The Research Grant Review Committee (RGRC) for the American Diabetes Association (ADA)

  American Heart Association (AHA) Grant Committee, Molecular Signaling-Basic Science 3

   

  Global

   

  Editorial Boards

   

  FASEB Journal (Impact Factor, 5.595)

  Hepatology (Impact Factor, 14.95)

• Publications

   

  Selective Publications

   

  Morita M, Siddiqui N, Katsumura S, Rouya C, Larsson O, Nagashima T, Hekmatnejad B, Takahashi A, Kiyonari H, Zang M, St-Arnaud R, Oike Y, Giguère V, Topisirovic I, Okada-Hatakeyama M, Yamamoto T, Sonenberg N. Hepatic posttranscriptional network comprised of CCR4–NOT deadenylase and FGF21 maintains systemic metabolic homeostasis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2019; 116: 7973-7981.PMID: 30926667.

  Hongdong Wang H, Shen L, Sun X, , Liu F, Feng W, Jiang C, Chu X, Ye X, Jiang C, Wang Y, Pengzi Zhang P, Zang M, Zhu D, Bi Y. Adipose group 1 innate lymphoid cells promote adipose tissue fibrosis and diabetes in obesity. Nature Communications. 2019; 10 (1):3254. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11270-1.

  Chen H, Shen F, Sherban A, Nocon A, Li Y, Wang H, Rui X, Han J, Jiang B, Li N, Keyhani-Nejad F, Fan J, Liu F, Kamat A, Musi N, Pacher P, Gao B, Zang M. DEP domain-containing mTOR-interacting protein suppresses lipogenesis and ameliorates hepatic steatosis and acute-on-chronic liver injury in alcoholic liver disease. Hepatology. 2018; 68:496-514.

  Ramirez T, Li YM, Yin S, Xu MJ, Feng D, Zhou Z, Zang M, Mukhopadhyay P, Varga ZV, Pacher P, Gao B, Wang H. Aging aggravates alcoholic liver injury and fibrosis in mice by downregulating Sirtuin 1 expression. J Hepatol. 2017; 66: 601-609. 

  Luo T, Nocon A, Fry J, Sherban A, Rui X, Jiang B, Xu XJ, Han J, Yan Y, Yang Q, Li Q, Zang M. AMPK activation by metformin suppresses abnormal adipose tissue extracellular matrix remodeling and ameliorates insulin resistance in obesity. Diabetes. 2016; 65:2295-2310. 

  Han J, Weisbrod RM, Shao D, Watanabe Y, Yin X, Bachschmid MM, Seta F, Janssen-Heininger YM, Matsui R, Zang M, Hamburg NM, Cohen RA. The redox mechanism for vascular barrier dysfunction associated with metabolic disorders: Glutathionylation of Rac1 in endothelial cells. Redox Biology. 2016; 306-319. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2016.09.003. 

  Gong Q, Hu Z, Zhang F, Cui A, Chen X, Jiang H, Gao J, Chen X, Han Y, Liang Q, Ye D, Shi L, Eugene Chin Y, Wang Y, Xiao H, Guo F, Liu Y, Zang M, Xu A, Li Y. Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Improves Hepatic Insulin Sensitivity by Inhibiting Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1. Hepatology. 2016; 64:425-438.

  Li XY, Kover K, Heruth D, Watkins DJ, Moore WV, Zang M, Clements M, and Yun Yan. New insight into metformin action: regulation of ChREBP and FoXO1 activities in endothelial cells. Molecular Endocrinology. 2015; 29:1184-94.

  Li Y, Wong K, Giles A, Lee JW, Jiang J, Adams AC, Kharitonenkov A, Yang Q, Gao B, Guarente L, Zang M. Hepatic SIRT1 attenuates hepatic steatosis and controls energy balance in mice by inducing fibroblast growth factor 21. Gastroenterology. 2014; 146: 539-549.

  Li Y, Xu S, Jiang B, Cohen RA, Zang M* (*Corresponding author). Activation of sterol regulatory element binding protein and NLRP3 inflammasome in atherosclerotic lesion development in diabetic pigs. PLoS One. 2013; 8: e67532. doi:10.1371. PMID: 23825667.

  Li Y, Wong K, Walsh K, Gao B, Zang M. Retinoic acid receptor β stimulates hepatic induction of fibroblast growth factor 21 to promote fatty acid oxidation and control whole-body energy homeostasis in mice. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2013; 288: 10490-10540.

  Li Y,  Xu S, Mihaylova M, Zheng B, Hou X, Jiang B, Park O, Luo Z, Lefai E, Shyy JY, Gao B, Wierzbicki M, Verbeuren TJ, Shaw RJ, Cohen RA, Zang M. AMPK phosphorylates and inhibits SREBP activity to attenuate hepatic steatosis and atherosclerosis in diet-induced insulin resistant mice. Cell Metabolism. 2011; 13: 376-388. Selected as the most cited article in Cell Metabolism in 2011

  Li Y, Xu S, Giles A, Nakamura K, Lee JW, Hou X, Donmez G, Li J, Luo Z, Walsh K, Guarente L, Zang M. Hepatic overexpression of SIRT1 in mice attenuates endoplasmic reticulum stress and insulin resistance in the liver. FASEB Journal. 2011; 25: 1664-1679.

  Hou X, Xu S, Maitland-Toolan KA, Sato K, Jiang B, Ido Y, Lan F, Walsh K, Wierzbicki M, Verbeuren TJ, Cohen RA, Zang M. SIRT1 regulates hepatocyte lipid metabolism through activating AMP-Activated protein kinase. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2008; 283: 20015-20026. Faculty of 1000 Biology.

   

  Book Chapter

   

  Zang M. Chapter 2: The molecular basis of hepatic de novo lipogenesis in insulin resistance. In: James
  M. Ntambi PhD, eds. Hepatic De novo Lipogenesis and Regulation of
  Metabolism. 2015.

   

  Editorial

   

  Zang M. Targeting AMPK-SREBP nutrient sensing pathway has the therapeutic
  implication on insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome Chinese Journal
  of Diabase Mellitus 2015 Jan;7:200-204.

   

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