W. Zac Stephens

W. Zac Stephens, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Pathology

Lab

Research Interests

  • Air Pollution
  • Immunology
  • Host–Microbe Interaction
  • Microbial Ecology
  • Genomics

Education History

Postdoctoral Training University of Utah
 Postdoctoral Training
Doctoral Training University of Oregon, Institute of Molecular Biology
 PhD
Undergraduate University of Utah
 BS

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Hill JH, Bell R, Barrios L, Baird H, Ost K, Greenewood M, Monts JK, Tracy E, Meili CH, Chiaro TR, Weis AM, Guillemin K, Beaudin AE, Murtaugh LC, Stephens WZ, Round JL (2025). Neonatal fungi promote lifelong metabolic health through macrophage-dependent β cell development. Science, 387(6738), eadn0953 (*Co-senior author). (Read full article)
  2. Murphy MA, Brown DG, Bell RS, Weis AM, Barrios LA, Stephens WZ, Round JL (2024). Draft genome of a human gut-derived Blautia sp. that ameliorates colitis and colitis-associated sociability deficits in mice. Microbiol Resour Announc, 14(1), e0072624. (Read full article)
  3. Chiaro TR, Greenewood M, Bauer KM, Ost KS, Stephen-Victor E, Murphy M, Weis AM, Nelson MC, Hill JH, Bell R, Voth W, Jackson T, Klag KA, OConnell RM, Stephens WZ, Round JL (2023). Clec12a controls colitis by tempering inflammation and restricting expansion of specific commensals. Cell Host Microbe, 33(1), 89-103.e7 (*Co-senior authors). (Read full article)
  4. Aljobaily N, Allard D, Perkins B, Raugh A, Galland T, Jing Y, Stephens WZ, Bettini ML, Hale JS, Bettini M (2024). Autoimmune CD4(+) T cells fine-tune TCF1 expression to maintain function and survive persistent antigen exposure during diabetes. Immunity, 57(11), 2583-2596.e6. (Read full article)
  5. Ilozumba MN, Lin T, Hardikar S, Byrd DA, Round JL, Stephens WZ, Holowatyj AN, Warby CA, Damerell V, Li CI, Figueiredo JC, Toriola AT, Shibata D, Fillmore GC, Pickron B, Siegel EM, Kahlert C, Florou V, Gigic B, Ose J, Ulrich CM (2024). Fusobacterium nucleatum Abundance is Associated with Cachexia in Colorectal Cancer Patients: The ColoCare Study. Cancer Med, 13(22), e70431. (Read full article)
  6. Klag KA, Weis AM, Stephens WZ, Round JL (2024). Draft Turicibacter sp. genome isolated from a spore-forming community in mice. Microbiol Resour Announc, 13(8), e0038524. (Read full article)
  7. Weis AM, Klag KA, Bell R, Stephens WZ, Round JL (2024). Genomes of diverse Clostridia isolated from a spore forming community in mice that were associated with protection against metabolic syndrome and obesity. Microbiol Resour Announc, 13(7), e0035124. (Read full article)
  8. Brown DG, Murphy M, Cadeddu R, Bell R, Weis A, Chiaro T, Klag K, Morgan J, Coon H, Stephens WZ, Bortolato M, Round JL (2024). Colitis reduces active social engagement in mice and is ameliorated by supplementation with human microbiota members. Nat Commun, 15(1), 2769. (Read full article)
  9. Miljkovic M, Seguin A, Jia X, Cox JE, Catrow JL, Bergonia H, Phillips JD, Stephens WZ, Ward DM (2023). Loss of the mitochondrial protein Abcb10 results in altered arginine metabolism in MEL and K562 cells and nutrient stress signaling through ATF4. J Biol Chem, 299(7), 104877. (Read full article)
  10. de Araujo CV, Denorme F, Stephens WZ, Li Q, Cody MJ, Crandell JL, Petrey AC, Queisser KA, Rustad JL, Fulcher JM, Evangelista JL, Kay MS, Schiffman JD, Campbell RA, Yost CC (2023). Neonatal NET-Inhibitory Factor improves survival in the cecal ligation and puncture model of polymicrobial sepsis by inhibiting neutrophil extracellular traps. Front Immunol, 13, 1046574. (Read full article)
  11. Bauer KM, Nelson MC, Tang WW, Chiaro TR, Brown DG, Ghazaryan A, Lee SH, Weis AM, Hill JH, Klag KA, Tran VB, Thompson JW, Ramstead AG, Monts JK, Marvin JE, Alexander M, Voth WP, Stephens WZ, Ward DM, Petrey AC, Round JL, OConnell RM (2022). CD11c+ myeloid cell exosomes reduce intestinal inflammation during colitis. JCI Insight, 7(19). (Read full article)
  12. Weinstein SB, Stephens WZ, Greenhalgh R, Round JL, Dearing MD (2022). Wild herbivorous mammals (genus Neotoma) host a diverse but transient assemblage of fungi. Symbiosis, 87(1), 45-58. (Read full article)
  13. Stephens WZ, Kubinak JL, Ghazaryan A, Bauer KM, Bell R, Buhrke K, Chiaro TR, Weis AM, Tang WW, Monts JK, Soto R, Ekiz HA, OConnell RM, Round JL (2020). Epithelial-myeloid exchange of MHC class II constrains immunity and microbiota composition. Cell Rep, 37(5), 109916. (Read full article)
  14. Ost KS, OMeara TR, Stephens WZ, Chiaro T, Zhou H, Penman J, Bell R, Catanzaro JR, Song D, Singh S, Call DH, Hwang-Wong E, Hanson KE, Valentine JF, Christensen KA, OConnell RM, Cormack B, Ibrahim AS, Palm NW, Noble SM, Round JL (2021). Adaptive immunity induces mutualism between commensal eukaryotes. Nature, 596(7870), 114-118. (Read full article)
  15. Yeung F, Chen YH, Lin JD, Leung JM, McCauley C, Devlin JC, Hansen C, Cronkite A, Stephens WZ, Drake-Dunn C, Fulmer Y, Shopsin B, Ruggles KV, Round JL, Loke P, Graham AL, Cadwell K (2020). Altered Immunity of Laboratory Mice in the Natural Environment Is Associated with Fungal Colonization. Cell Host Microbe, 27(5), 809-822.
  16. Petersen C, Bell R, Klag KA, Lee S, Soto R, Ghazaryan A, Buhrke K, Ekiz HA, Crotty S4, Boudina S2, OConnell RM, Cox JE, Villanueva JC, Stephens WZ, Round JL (2019). T cell–mediated regulation of the microbiota protects against obesity. Science, 365(6461), eaat9351 (*Co-senior authors).
  17. Gogokhia L, Buhrke K, Bell R, Hoffman B, Brown DG, Hanke-Gogokhia C, Ajami NJ, Wong MC, Ghazaryan A, Valentine JF, Porter N, Martens E, OConnell R, Jacob V, Scherl E, Crawford C, Stephens WZ, Casjens SR, Longman RS, Round JL (2019). Expansion of Bacteriophages Is Linked to Aggravated Intestinal Inflammation and Colitis. Cell Host Microbe, 25(2), 285-299.
  18. Chiaro T, Soto R, Kubinak JL, Stephens WZ, Peterson C, Gogokhia L, Bell R, Delgado J, Cox J, Voth W, Brown J, Stillman D, O Connell RM, Tebo A, Round JL (2017). A member of the gut mycobiota modulates host purine metabolism exacerbating colitis in mice. Sci Transl Med, 8(9), 380.
  19. Stephens WZ, Burns AR, Stagaman K, Wong S, Rawls JF, Guillemin K, Bohannan BJ (2016). The composition of the zebrafish intestinal microbial community varies across development. ISME J, 10(3), 644-654. (Read full article)
  20. Burns AR, Stephens WZ, Stagaman K, Wong S, Rawls JF, Guillemin K, Bohannan BJ (2016). Contribution of neutral processes to the assembly of gut microbial communities in the zebrafish over host development. ISME J, 10(3), 655-664. (Read full article)
  21. Kubinak JL, Petersen C, Stephens WZ, Soto R, Bake E, OConnell RM, Round JL (2015). MyD88 signaling in T cells directs IgA-mediated control of the microbiota to promote health. Cell Host Microbe, 17(2), 153-63. (Read full article)
  22. Stephens WZ, Wiles TJ, Martinez ES, Jemielita M, Burns AR, Parthasarathy R, Bohannan BJ, Guillemin K (2015). Identification of Population Bottlenecks and Colonization Factors during Assembly of Bacterial Communities within the Zebrafish Intestine. mBio, 6(6), e01163-15. (Read full article)
  23. Kubinak JL, Stephens WZ, Soto R, Petersen C, Chiaro T, Gogokhia L, Bell R, Ajami NJ, Petrosino JF, Morrison L, Potts WK, Jensen PE, OConnell RM, Round JL (2015). MHC variation sculpts individualized microbial communities that control susceptibility to enteric infection. Nat Commun, 6, 8642. (Read full article)