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IFI TRAINEES AND ASSOCIATES
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| Zhenming XU |
| Fields of Study: |
| Drak2 and AID-interacting proteins |
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| Research Interests: |
| Antibody diversity is underpinned by the sequential genetic changes of the Ig locus, i.e. V(D)J recombination, somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR). SHM occurs mainly in the germinal centers of secondary lymphoid organs and introduces mostly point-mutations into rearranged V(D)J DNA segments, thereby providing the structural substrate for selection by antigen of higher affinity mutants. CSR replaces the constant m (Cm) region of the H chain with a downstream Cg, Ca, Ce region, thereby endowing antibodies with new biological effector functions. Dr. Xu research is focused on molecular mechanisms of SHM, CSR and the germinal center reaction and consists of three projects.
• Identification of 14-3-3 as IgH S region-binding proteins and functional analysis of 14-3-3 in mediating CSR
• Identification of novel natural occurring antisense transcripts in the IgH locus and analysis of their functions in SHM and CSR
• Functional analysis of Drak2 in the germinal center reaction and affinity maturation |
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| Office Address/Phone: |
Casali Lab-3101 Hewitt Hall, Bldg. 843
949.824.0193 |
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| Lab Address/Phone: |
3101 Hewitt Hall, Bldg. 843
949.824.4457 |
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| Email: zhenming@uci.edu |
| Web Site: http://casalilab.bio.uci.edu/ |
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