The Jing Zhang Laboratory
Faculty > Jing Zhang
Jing Zhang
Assistant Professor, Oncology
zhang@oncology.wisc.edu
Jing Zhang Laboratory Home Page
Organ System/Disease Focus: mouse hematopietic system/leukemia and lymphoma/p>
Aligned Research Focus: basic stem cell research
Research Description
My laboratory focuses on studying the mechanisms underlying the normal as well as oncogenic self-renewal of stem cells using the hematopoietic compartment as a model system. One of the molecules we have been studying is K-ras. K-ras is one of the most frequently mutated genes identified in human patients with various hematopoietic malignancies. The oncogenic mutations in the K-ras gene are acquired either as the first genetic change (1st hit) during leukemogenesis or one of the later genetic changes during leukemia progression. However, its precise roles in leukemogenesis and leukemia progression remain elusive. Using recipient mice transplanted with bone marrow cells expressing oncogenic K-ras from its endogenous promoter, we found that oncogenic K-ras mutations induce hematopoietic malignancies in multiple lineages. Based on our preliminary results, we hypothesize that when oncogenic K-ras mutations act as the 1st hit in leukemogenesis, its primary target is HSCs. Oncogenic K-ras mutations further co-operate with additional genetic change(s) occurring in lineage-committed progenitors to initiate and maintain hematopoietic malignant phenotypes.
Selected References
Zhang, J., Wang, J., Fleming, M., Jacks, T., and Lodish, H.F.. (2007) Endogenous oncogenic K-ras targets hematopoietic stem cells to induce hematopoietic malignancies in multiple lineages. manuscript in preparation.