Weiquan (Wendy) Zhu

Weiquan (Wendy) Zhu, PhD

Languages spoken: English, Chinese

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences , Adjunct - Pathology

Academic Office Information

weiquan.zhu@u2m2.utah.edu

Dr. Zhu earned her PhD in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, where she investigated the mechanisms by which transplanted stem cells improve heart function following myocardial infarction. In 2007, she joined Dr. Dean Y. Li’s lab at the University of Utah for postdoctoral training, focusing on pathways that disrupt vascular stability—key contributors to both acute and chronic inflammatory conditions such as sepsis, influenza, arthritis, and various eye diseases.

Dr. Zhu established her independent research program in 2015 within the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah. In 2024, she transitioned to the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Her lab, the Zhu Lab, investigates the critical role of vascular dysfunction in the onset and progression of inflammatory diseases and aging, particularly within the central nervous system (CNS), including the retina. The primary goal of her research is to elucidate how vascular instability drives disease pathology and to identify potential therapeutic targets for conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.

Research Statement

My research interests are on vascular stability and its relationship to disease. I have a broad background in molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology, as well as specific expertise in signaling cascades that are required for studying essential cellular responses in vascular biology and pathology. I conducted my postdoctoral training with Dr. Dean Y. Li at the University of Utah where I studied the function of the small GTPase ARF6 and the protective role of ARF6 inhibition in animal models of sepsis and arthritis. This work led to two first author publications: 1) the discovery that the interleukin receptor activates a MYD88-ARNO-ARF6 cascade to disrupt vascular stability and how these effects are central to inflammatory arthritis (Nature, 2012) and 2) the first indication that Slit-Robo can serve as a target to blunt the cytokine storm associated with sepsis and influenza (Sci. Transl. Med., 2010).

As an independent investigator, I have expanded my research into new arenas, such as the nexus between inflammation, infection, and immune-related diseases. My laboratory’s research focuses on examining whether ARF6 activation acts as a common convergence point to regulate multiple inflammatory and angiogenic pathways and determining whether blocking ARF6 activation promotes vascular stability and can be used as a novel strategy to treat sepsis, cytokine storm related syndromes, and vascular eye disease. Most recently, we discovered that ARF6 activation triggers inflammation-induced endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) in the central nervous system (CNS), breaks down the blood-CNS-barrier (BCNSB), and contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of the neuroinflammatory disease multiple sclerosis (Neuron, 2022). This work has triggered our interest in determining whether ARF6 activation-induced EndoMT would also contribute to CNS fibrosis in MS or subretinal fibrosis in diabetic retinopathy.

Education History

Doctoral Training Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
 PhD
Fellowship University of Utah
 Postdoctoral Fellow

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Zhu W, Chen J, Cong X, Hu S, Chen (2006). Hypoxia and serum deprivation-induced apoptosis in mesenchymal stem cells. Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio), 24(2), 416-25.
  2. Chen J, Baydoun AR, Xu R, Deng L, Liu X, Zhu W, Shi L, Cong X, Hu S, Chen (2008). Lysophosphatidic acid protects mesenchymal stem cells against hypoxia and serum deprivation-induced apoptosis. Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio), 26(1), 135-45.
  3. Gibson CC, Zhu W, Davis CT, Bowman-Kirigin JA, Chan AC, Ling J, Walker AE, Goitre L, Delle Monache S, Retta SF, Shiu YT, Grossmann AH, Thomas KR, Donato AJ, Lesniewski LA, Whitehead KJ, Li D (2015). Strategy for identifying repurposed drugs for the treatment of cerebral cavernous malformation. Circulation, 131(3), 289-99.
  4. Wang Y, Chen X, Zhu W, Zhang H, Hu S, Cong (2006). Growth inhibition of mesenchymal stem cells by aspirin: involvement of the WNT/beta-catenin signal pathway. Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology, 33(8), 696-701.
  5. Chen J, Han Y, Zhu W, Ma R, Han B, Cong X, Hu S, Chen (2006). Specific receptor subtype mediation of LPA-induced dual effects in cardiac fibroblasts. FEBS letters, 580(19), 4737-45.
  6. Chen J, Chen Y, Zhu W, Han Y, Han B, Xu R, Deng L, Cai Y, Cong X, Yang Y, Hu S, Chen (2008). Specific LPA receptor subtype mediation of LPA-induced hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes and involvement of Akt and NFkappaB signal pathways. Journal of cellular biochemistry, 103(6), 1718-31.
  7. Davis CT, Zhu W, Gibson CC, Bowman-Kirigin JA, Sorensen L, Ling J, Sun H, Navankasattusas S, Li D (2014). ARF6 inhibition stabilizes the vasculature and enhances survival during endotoxic shock. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md., 192(12), 6045-52.
  8. Zhu W, London NR, Gibson CC, Davis CT, Tong Z, Sorensen LK, Shi DS, Guo J, Smith MC, Grossmann AH, Thomas KR, Li D (2012). Interleukin receptor activates a MYD88-ARNO-ARF6 cascade to disrupt vascular stability. Nature, 492(7428), 252-5.
  9. Yiquan Wang, Zhu W, Lei Huang, et a (2006). Genetic diversity of Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) revealed by AFLP analysis: an implication on the management. Biodiversity and conservation, 2945-55.
  10. Whitehead KJ, Chan AC, Navankasattusas S, Koh W, London NR, Ling J, Mayo AH, Drakos SG, Jones CA, Zhu W, Marchuk DA, Davis GE, Li D (2009). The cerebral cavernous malformation signaling pathway promotes vascular integrity via Rho GTPases. Nature medicine, 15(2), 177-84.
  11. Jones CA, Nishiya N, London NR, Zhu W, Sorensen LK, Chan AC, Lim CJ, Chen H, Zhang Q, Schultz PG, Hayallah AM, Thomas KR, Famulok M, Zhang K, Ginsberg MH, Li D (2009). Slit2-Robo4 signalling promotes vascular stability by blocking Arf6 activity. Nature cell biology, 11(11), 1325-31.
  12. Sawada J, Urakami T, Li F, Urakami A, Zhu W, Fukuda M, Li DY, Ruoslahti E, Komatsu (2012). Small GTPase R-Ras regulates integrity and functionality of tumor blood vessels. Cancer cell, 22(2), 235-49.
  13. Yu J, Zhang X, Kuzontkoski PM, Jiang S, Zhu W, Li DY, Groopman J (2014). Slit2N and Robo4 regulate lymphangiogenesis through the VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 pathway. Cell communication and signaling, 12, 25.
  14. Zhang X, Yu J, Kuzontkoski PM, Zhu W, Li DY, Groopman J (2012). Slit2/Robo4 signaling modulates HIV-1 gp120-induced lymphatic hyperpermeability. PLoS pathogens, 8(1), e1002461.
  15. Prasad A, Kuzontkoski PM, Shrivastava A, Zhu W, Li DY, Groopman J (2012). Slit2N/Robo1 inhibit HIV-gp120-induced migration and podosome formation in immature dendritic cells by sequestering LSP1 and WASp. PloS one, 7(10), e48854.
  16. London NR, Zhu W, Bozza FA, Smith MC, Greif DM, Sorensen LK, Chen L, Kaminoh Y, Chan AC, Passi SF, Day CW, Barnard DL, Zimmerman GA, Krasnow MA, Li D (2010). Targeting Robo4-dependent Slit signaling to survive the cytokine storm in sepsis and influenza. Science translational medicine, 2(23), 23ra19.
  17. Sun Z, Zhao H, Fang D, Davis CT, Shi DS, Lei K, Rich BE, Winter JM, Guo L, Sorensen LK, Pryor RJ, Zhu N, Lu S, Dickey LL, Doty DJ, Tong Z, Thomas KR, Mueller AL, Grossmann AH, Zhang B, Lane TE, Fujinami RS, Odelberg SJ, Zhu (2022). Neuroinflammatory disease disrupts the blood-CNS barrier via crosstalk between proinflammatory and endothelial-to-mesenchymal-transition signaling. Neuron, 110(19), 3106-3120.e7.
  18. Zhu X, Yang M, Zhao P, Li S, Zhang L, Huang L, Huang Y, Fei P, Yang Y, Zhang S, Xu H, Yuan Y, Zhang X, Zhu X, Ma S, Hao F, Sundaresan P, Zhu W, Yang (2021). Catenin ¿ 1 mutations cause familial exudative vitreoretinopathy by overactivating Norrin/ß-catenin signaling. The Journal of clinical investigation, 131(6),
  19. Pei J, Cai L, Wang F, Xu C, Pei S, Guo H, Sun X, Chun J, Cong X, Zhu W*, Zheng Z*, Chen X (2022). LPA(2) Contributes to Vascular Endothelium Homeostasis and Cardiac Remodeling After Myocardial Infarction. Circulation research, 131(5), 388-403.
  20. Gebremariam T, Zhang L, Alkhazraji S, Gu Y, Youssef EG, Tong Z, Kish-Trier E, Bajji A, de Araujo CV, Rich B, French SW, Li DY, Mueller AL, Odelberg SJ, Zhu W, Ibrahim A (2020). Preserving Vascular Integrity Protects Mice against Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacterial Infection. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 64(8),
  21. Jiang W, Chen H, Tai Z, Li T, Luo L, Tong Z, Zhu (2020). Apigenin and Ethaverine Hydrochloride Enhance Retinal Vascular Barrier In Vitro and In Vivo. Translational vision science & technology, 9(6), 8.
  22. Xiao X, Zhuang X, Xu C, Chen H, Zhu W, Pang C, Zhang (2020). ROBO4 deletion ameliorates PAF-mediated skin inflammation via regulating the mRNA translation efficiency of LPCAT1/LPCAT2 and the expression of PAF receptor. International journal of biological sciences, 16(6), 1086-1095.
  23. Gong B, Zhang H, Huang L, Chen Y, Shi Y, Tam PO, Zhu X, Huang Y, Lei B, Sundaresan P, Li X, Jiang L, Yang J, Lin Y, Lu F, Chen L, Li Y, Leung CK, Guo X, Zhang S, Huang G, Wu Y, Zhou T, Shuai P, Tham CC, Weisschuh N, Krishnadas SR, Mardin C, Reis A, Yang J, Zhang L, Zhou Y, Wang Z, Qu C, Shaw PX, Pang CP, Sun X, Zhu W, Li DY, Pasutto F, Yang (2019). Mutant RAMP2 causes primary open-angle glaucoma via the CRLR-cAMP axis. Genetics in medicine, 21(10), 2345-2354.
  24. Pan T, Sun Z, Lai X, Orozcoterwengel P, Yan P, Wu G, Wang H, Zhu W, Wu X, Zhang (2019). Hidden species diversity in Pachyhynobius: A multiple approaches species delimitation with mitogenomes. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 137, 138-145.
  25. Grossmann AH, Zhao H, Jenkins N, Zhu W, Richards JR, Yoo JH, Winter JM, Rich B, Mleynek TM, Li DY, Odelberg S (2019). The small GTPase ARF6 regulates protein trafficking to control cellular function during development and in disease. Small GTPases, 10(1), 1-12.
  26. Zhu W, Shi DS, Winter JM, Rich BE, Tong Z, Sorensen LK, Zhao H, Huang Y, Tai Z, Mleynek TM, Yoo JH, Dunn C, Ling J, Bergquist JA, Richards JR, Jiang A, Lesniewski LA, Hartnett ME, Ward DM, Mueller AL, Ostanin K, Thomas KR, Odelberg SJ, Li D (2017). Small GTPase ARF6 controls VEGFR2 trafficking and signaling in diabetic retinopathy. The Journal of clinical investigation, 127(12), 4569-4582.
  27. Yoo JH, Shi DS, Grossmann AH, Sorensen LK, Tong Z, Mleynek TM, Rogers A, Zhu W, Richards JR, Winter JM, Zhu J, Dunn C, Bajji A, Shenderovich M, Mueller AL, Woodman SE, Harbour JW, Thomas KR, Odelberg SJ, Ostanin K, Li D (2016). ARF6 Is an Actionable Node that Orchestrates Oncogenic GNAQ Signaling in Uveal Melanoma. Cancer cell, 29(6), 889-904.
  28. Gibson CC, Davis CT, Zhu W, Bowman-Kirigin JA, Walker AE, Tai Z, Thomas KR, Donato AJ, Lesniewski LA, Li D (2015). Dietary Vitamin D and Its Metabolites Non-Genomically Stabilize the Endothelium. PloS one, 10(10), e0140370.