Guangming  Zhong, M.D., Ph.D.

The Zhong lab investigates microbial interactions with the host and develops vaccines using chlamydial infection in the female genital tract and colonization in the gut as the model system. Identifying both bacterial and host components involved in chlamydial interactions with the female genital tract should provide information on therapeutic targets. Revealing cellular and molecular basis of chlamydial interactions with gut microbiota should generate knowledge on modulating immune responses & inducing transmucosal immunity.

Related Diseases: Pathogenic fibrosis, Tubal factor infertility and female genital tract infection

Techniques:  Genetic manipulation, cell modeling, animal modeling, In-vivo imaging, microscopy and flow cytometry

• Professional Background

  Education

  • 1996 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Immunology - National Institutes of Health
  • 1993 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Molecular Biology - University of Missouri
  • 1992 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Microbiology - University of Manitoba
  • 1991 - PhD - Microbiology - University of Manitoba
  • 1987 - Research Fellowship - Pathology - University of California at Irvine
  • 1986 - MS - Microbiology and Respiratory Medicine - Xiangya Medical School, Central South University
  • 1983 - MD - Preventive Medicine - Xiangya Medical School, Central South University

  Appointments

  • 12/2019 - Director for T32 training grant on Immunology - University of Texas Health Science Center @ San Antonio
  • 1/2013 - Director of Xiangya Medical Student Exchange Program - University of Texas Health Science Center @ San Antonio
  • 1/2010 - Scientific Co-Director - San Antonio Vaccine Research and Development Center
  • 9/2005 - Professor and Not Applicable - University of Texas Health Science Center @ San Antonio, Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, San Antonio

• Research & Grants

  The Zhong lab investigates microbial interactions with the host and develops vaccines using chlamydial infection in the female genital tract and colonization in the gut as the model systems. Identifying both bacterial and host components involved in chlamydial interactions with the female genital tract should provide information on therapeutic targets. Revealing cellular and molecular basis of chlamydial interactions with gut microbiota should generate knowledge on modulating immune responses & inducing transmucosal immunity.

  Research profile

  Grants

  Federal

  Funding Agency NIAID Title In vitro passage selection for chromosomal mutants deficient in pathogenicity in vivo Status Active Period 7/2000 - 7/2022 Role Principal Investigator Grant Detail   Funding Agency NIAID Title Gut microbiome on chlamydial genital tract pathogenicity Status Active Period 2/2019 - 1/2021 Role Principal Investigator Grant Detail   Funding Agency NIAID Title Chlamydial plasmid-dependent pathogenicity Status Active Period 8/2016 - 7/2020 Role Principal Investigator Grant Detail   Funding Agency NIAID Title Global search for human chlamydial vaccine antigens using DR4 transgenic mice Status Complete Period 2/2016 - 1/2019 Role Principal Investigator Grant Detail  

• Publications

  Journal Article

  Lin H, He CH, Koprivsek J, Chen JL, Zhou ZG, Arulanandam B, Xu Z, Tang L, Zhong G. Antigen-specific CD4 T cell-derived IFNgamma is both necessary and sufficient for clearing Chlamydia from the small intestine but not the large intestine Infect. Immun 2019 Jan;. Hou S, Sun X, Dong X, Lin H, Tang L, Xue M, Zhong G. Chlamydial plasmid-encoded virulence factor Pgp3 interacts with human cathelicidin peptide LL-37 to modulate immune response Microbes Infect 2019 Jan;20(1):50-55. Zhang T, Huo Z, Ma J, He C, Zhong G. The Plasmid-Encoded pGP3 Promotes Chlamydia Evasion of Acidic Barriers in Both Stomach and Vagina Infect Immun 2019 Jan;87(5). Zhu C, Lin H, Tang L, Chen J, Wu Y, Zhong G. Oral Chlamydia vaccination induces transmucosal protection in the airway Vaccine 2018 Jan;36(16):2061-2068. Wang L, Zhu C, Zhang T, Tian Q, Zhang N, Morrison S, Morrison R, Xue M, Zhong G. Nonpathogenic Colonization with Chlamydia in the Gastrointestinal Tract as Oral Vaccination for Inducing Transmucosal Protection Infect Immun 2018 Jan;86(2). Shao L, Melero J, Zhang N, Arulanandam B, Baseman J, Liu Q and Zhong G. The cryptic plasmid is more important for Chlamydia muridarum to colonize the mouse gastrointestinal tract than to infect the genital tract PLoS One 2017 May;12(5). Shao L, Zhang T, Melero J, Huang Y, Liu Y, Liu Q, He C, Nelson DE, Zhong G. The Genital Tract Virulence Factor pGP3 Is Essential for Chlamydia muridarum Colonization in the Gastrointestinal Tract Infect Immun 2017 Jan;86(1). Wali S, Gupta R, Yu JJ, Lanka GKK, Chambers JP, Guentzel MN, Zhong G, Murthy AK, Arulanandam BP. Chlamydial protease-like activity factor mediated protection against C. trachomatis in guinea pigs Immunol Cell Biol 2017 Jan;95(5). Wang Y, Liu Q, Chen D, Guan J, Ma L, Zhong G, Shu H, Wu X. Chlamydial Lipoproteins Stimulate Toll-Like Receptors 1/2 Mediated Inflammatory Responses through MyD88-Dependent Pathway Front Microbiol 2017 Jan;8. Shao L, Zhang T, Liu Q, Wang J, Zhong G. Chlamydia muridarum with Mutations in Chromosomal Genes tc0237 and/or tc0668 Is Deficient in Colonizing the Mouse Gastrointestinal Tract Infect Immun 2017 Jan;85(8). Zhang Y, Shao L, Li X, Zhong G. Uterotubal junction prevents chlamydial ascension via innate immunity PLoS One 2017 Jan;12(8). Sun X, Tian Q, Wang L, Xue M, Zhong G. IL-6-mediated signaling pathways limit Chlamydia muridarum infection and exacerbate its pathogenicity in the mouse genital tract Microbes Infect 2017 Jan;19(11). Pal S, Tifrea DF, Zhong G, de la Maza LM. Transcervical Inoculation with Chlamydia trachomatis Induces Infertility in HLA-DR4 Transgenic and Wild-Type Mice Infect Immun 2017 Jan;86(1):e00722-e00727. Lam T, Kulp DV, Wang R, Lou Z, Taylor J, Rivera CE, Yan H, Zhang Q, Wang Z, Zan H, Ivanov DN, Zhong G, Casali P?, Xu Z?. Small molecule inhibitor of Rab7 impairs B cell class-class switching and plasma cell survival to dampen the autoantibody response in murine lupus J. Immunol 2016 Nov;197:3792-3805. Yang Z, Tang L, Shao L, Zhang Y, Zhang T, Schenken R, Valdivia R, Zhong G. The Chlamydia-Secreted Protease CPAF Promotes Chlamydial Survival in the Mouse Lower Genital Tract Infect Immun 2016 Jan;84(9). Wang L, Zhang Q, Zhang T, Zhang Y, Zhu C, Sun X, Zhang N, Xue M, Zhong G. The Chlamydia muridarum Organisms Fail to Auto-Inoculate the Mouse Genital Tract after Colonization in the Gastrointestinal Tract for 70 days PLoS One 2016 Jan;11(5). Dai J, Zhang T, Wang L, Shao L, Zhu C, Zhang Y, Failor C, Schenken R, Baseman J, He C, Zhong G. Intravenous Inoculation with Chlamydia muridarum Leads to a Long-Lasting Infection Restricted to the Gastrointestinal Tract Infect Immun 2016 Jan;84(8). Wali S, Gupta R, Yu JJ, Mfuh A, Gao X, Guentzel MN, Chambers JP, Abu Bakar S, Zhong G, Arulanandam BP. Guinea pig genital tract lipidome reveals in vivo and in vitro regulation of phosphatidylcholine 16:0/18:1 and contribution to Chlamydia trachomatis serovar D infectivity Metabolomics 2016 Jan;12(4). Sun X, Yang Z, Zhang H, Dai J, Chen J, Tang L, Rippentrop S, Xue M, Zhong G, Wu G. Chlamydia muridarum induction of glandular duct dilation in mice Infection and Immunity 2015 Jun;83(6):2327-2337. Conrad TA, Gong S, Yang Z, Matulich P, Keck J, Beltrami N, Chen C, Zhou Z, Dai J, Zhong G. The Chromosome-Encoded Hypothetical Protein TC0668 Is an Upper Genital Tract Pathogenicity Factor of Chlamydia muridarum Infect Immun 2015 Jan;84(2). Chen C, Zhou Z, Conrad T, Yang Z, Dai J, Li Z, Wu Y, Zhong G. In vitro passage selects for Chlamydia muridarum with enhanced infectivity in cultured cells but attenuated pathogenicity in mouse upper genital tract Infect Immun 2015 Jan;83(5). Tang L, Chen J, Zhou Z, Yu P, Yang Z, Zhong G. Chlamydia-secreted protease CPAF degrades host antimicrobial peptides Microbes Infect 2015 Jan;17(6). Yang Z, Tang L, Sun X, Chai J, Zhong G. Characterization of CPAF critical residues and secretion during Chlamydia trachomatis infection Infect Immun 2015 Jan;83(6). Chen J, Yang Z, Sun X, Tang L, Ding Y, Xue M, Zhou Z, Baseman J, Zhong G. Intrauterine infection with plasmid-free Chlamydia muridarum reveals a critical role of the plasmid in chlamydial ascension and establishes a model for evaluating plasmid-independent pathogenicity Infect Immun 2015 Jan;83(6). Flores R, Zhong G. The Chlamydia pneumoniae Inclusion Membrane Protein Cpn1027 Interacts with Host Cell Wnt Signaling Pathway Regulator Cytoplasmic Activation/Proliferation-Associated Protein 2 (Caprin2) PLoS One 2015 Jan;10(5). Chen C, Zhong G, Ren L, Lu C, Li Z, Wu Y. Identification of Plasmid-Free Chlamydia muridarum Organisms Using a Pgp3 Detection-Based Immunofluorescence Assay J Microbiol Biotechnol 2015 Jan;25(10). Zhang Q, Huang Y, Gong S, Yang Z, Sun X, Schenken R, Zhong G. In Vivo and Ex Vivo Imaging Reveals a Long-Lasting Chlamydial Infection in the Mouse Gastrointestinal Tract following Genital Tract Inoculation Infect Immun 2015 Jan;83(9). Hou S, Dong X, Yang Z, Li Z, Liu Q, Zhong G. Chlamydial plasmid-encoded virulence factor Pgp3 neutralizes the antichlamydial activity of human cathelicidin LL-37 Infect Immun 2015 Jan;83(12). Liu Y, Huang Y, Yang Z, Sun Y, Gong S, Hou S, Chen C, Li Z, Liu Q, Wu Y, Baseman J, Zhong G. Plasmid-encoded Pgp3 is a major virulence factor for Chlamydia muridarum to induce hydrosalpinx in mice Infection and immunity 2014 Jan;82(12):5327-5335. Bose R, Thinwa J, Chaparro P, Zhong Y, Bose S, Zhong G, Dube PH. Mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent interleukin-1a intracrine signaling is modulated by YopP during Yersinia enterocolitica infection Infect Immun 2012 Jan;80(1):289-297. Baseman JB; H. Zhang, Z. Zhou, J. Chen, G. Wu, Z. Yang, Z. Zhou, J. Baseman, J. Zhang, R. Reddick and G. Zhong. Lack of long lasting hydrosalpinx in A/J mice correlates with rapid but transient chlamydial ascension and neutrophil recruitment in the oviduct following intravaginal inoculation with Chlamydia muridarum Infection and Immunity 2001 Feb;82(7):2688-2696.

  Not Specified

  Lanka GK, Yu JJ, Gong S, Gupta R, Mustafa SB, Murthy AK, Zhong G, Chambers JP, Guentzel MN, Arulanandam BP. IgA modulates respiratory dysfunction as a sequela to pulmonary chlamydial infection as neonates Pathog Dis 2016 Jan;74(3). Dai J, Tang L, Chen J, Yu P, Chen Z, Zhong G. The p47phox deficiency significantly attenuates the pathogenicity of Chlamydia muridarum in the mouse oviduct but not uterine tissues Microbes Infect 2016 Jan;18(3). Dutow P, Wask L, Bothe M, Fehlhaber B, Laudeley R, Rheinheimer C, Yang Z, Zhong G, Glage S, Klos A. An optimized, fast-to-perform mouse lung infection model with the human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis for in vivo screening of antibiotics, vaccine candidates and modified host-pathogen interactions Pathog Dis 2016 Jan;74(2). Huang Y, Zhang Q, Yang Z, Conrad T, Liu Y, Zhong G. Plasmid-Encoded Pgp5 Is a Significant Contributor to Chlamydia muridarum Induction of Hydrosalpinx PLoS One 2015 Jan;10(4). Grayston JT, Belland RJ, Byrne GI, Kuo CC, Schachter J, Stamm WE, Zhong G. Infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae as a cause of coronary heart disease: the hypothesis is still untested Pathog Dis 2015 Jan;93(1):1-9.

  Other

  Fan H, Zhong G. 2017: beginning of a new era for Chlamydia research in China and the rest of the world Microbes Infect 2018 Jan;20(1):5-8.

  Review Article

  Zhong G. Chlamydia Spreading from the Genital Tract to the Gastrointestinal Tract - A Two-Hit Hypothesis Trends Microbiol 2018 Jan;26(7):611-623. Brothwell JA, Muramatsu MK, Zhong G, Nelson DE. Advances and Obstacles in the Genetic Dissection of Chlamydial Virulence Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2018 Jan;412:133-158. Zhong G, Brunham RC, de la Maza LM, Darville T, Deal C. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases workshop report: "Chlamydia vaccines: The way forward" Vaccine 2017 Oct;S0264(17). de la Maza LM, Zhong G, Brunham RC. Update on Chlamydia trachomatis Vaccinology Clin Vaccine Immunol 2017 Jan;24(4). Zhong G. Chlamydial Plasmid-Dependent Pathogenicity Trends Microbiol 2017 Jan;25(2):141-152.