W. Zac Stephens

W. Zac Stephens, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Pathology

Lab

Education History

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

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Petersen C, Bell R, Klag KA, Lee S, Soto R, Ghazaryan A, Buhrke K, Ekiz HA, Crotty S4, Boudina S2, O¿Connell RM, Cox JE, Villanueva JC, Stephens WZ*, Round JL (2019). T cell–mediated regulation of the microbiota protects against obesity. Science (New York, N.Y.), 365(6461), eaat9351 (*Co-senior authors).
  2. Burns AR, Stephens WZ, Stagaman K, Wong S, Rawls JF, Guillemin K, Bohannan B (2016). Contribution of neutral processes to the assembly of gut microbial communities in the zebrafish over host development. The ISME journal, 10(3), 655-664. (Read full article)
  3. Stephens WZ, Burns AR, Stagaman K, Wong S, Rawls JF, Guillemin K, Bohannan B (2016). The composition of the zebrafish intestinal microbial community varies across development. The ISME journal, 10(3), 644-654. (Read full article)
  4. Kubinak JL, Petersen C, Stephens WZ, Soto R, Bake E, O'Connell RM, Round J (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)
  5. 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, O'Connell R, Jacob V, Scherl E, Crawford C, Stephens WZ, Casjens SR, Longman RS, Round J (2019). Expansion of Bacteriophages Is Linked to Aggravated Intestinal Inflammation and Colitis. Cell host & microbe, 25(2), 285-299.
  6. 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 (2020). Altered Immunity of Laboratory Mice in the Natural Environment Is Associated with Fungal Colonization. Cell host & microbe, 27(5), 809-822.
  7. 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 J (2017). A member of the gut mycobiota modulates host purine metabolism exacerbating colitis in mice. Science translational medicine, 8(9), 380.
  8. Kubinak JL, Stephens WZ, Soto R, Petersen C, Chiaro T, Gogokhia L, Bell R, Ajami NJ, Petrosino JF, Morrison L, Potts WK, Jensen PE, O'Connell RM, Round J (2015). MHC variation sculpts individualized microbial communities that control susceptibility to enteric infection. Nature communications, 6, 8642. (Read full article)
  9. Stephens WZ, Wiles TJ, Martinez ES, Jemielita M, Burns AR, Parthasarathy R, Bohannan BJ, Guillemin (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)
  10. Ost KS, O'Meara 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, O'Connell RM, Cormack B, Ibrahim AS, Palm NW, Noble SM, Round J (2021). Adaptive immunity induces mutualism between commensal eukaryotes. Nature, 596(7870), 114-118. (Read full article)
  11. Stephens WZ, Kubinak JL, Ghazaryan A, Bauer KM, Bell R, Buhrke K, Chiaro TR, Weis AM, Tang WW, Monts JK, Soto R, Ekiz HA, O'Connell RM, Round J (2021). Epithelial-myeloid exchange of MHC class II constrains immunity and microbiota composition. Cell reports, 37(5), 109916. (Read full article)
  12. Miljkovic M, Seguin A, Jia X, Cox JE, Catrow JL, Bergonia H, Phillips JD, Stephens WZ, Ward D (2023). Loss of the mitochondrial protein Abcb10 results in altered arginine metabolism in MEL and K562 cells and nutrient stress signaling through ATF4. The Journal of biological chemistry, 299(7), 104877. (Read full article)
  13. 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 C (2023). Neonatal NET-Inhibitory Factor improves survival in the cecal ligation and puncture model of polymicrobial sepsis by inhibiting neutrophil extracellular traps. Frontiers in immunology, 13, 1046574. (Read full article)
  14. 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 (New York, N.Y.), 387(6738), eadn0953 (*Co-senior author). (Read full article)
  15. Murphy MA, Brown DG, Bell RS, Weis AM, Barrios LA, Stephens WZ, Round J (2025). Draft genome of a human gut-derived Blautia sp. that ameliorates colitis and colitis-associated sociability deficits in mice. Microbiology resource announcements, 14(1), e0072624. (Read full article)
  16. 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, O'Connell RM, Stephens WZ*, Round JL (2025). 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)
  17. Aljobaily N, Allard D, Perkins B, Raugh A, Galland T, Jing Y, Stephens WZ, Bettini ML, Hale JS, Bettini (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)
  18. 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 C (2024). Fusobacterium nucleatum Abundance is Associated with Cachexia in Colorectal Cancer Patients: The ColoCare Study. Cancer medicine, 13(22), e70431. (Read full article)
  19. Weis AM, Klag KA, Bell R, Stephens WZ, Round J (2024). Genomes of diverse Clostridia isolated from a spore forming community in mice that were associated with protection against metabolic syndrome and obesity. Microbiology resource announcements, 13(7), e0035124. (Read full article)
  20. Brown DG, Murphy M, Cadeddu R, Bell R, Weis A, Chiaro T, Klag K, Morgan J, Coon H, Stephens WZ, Bortolato M, Round J (2024). Colitis reduces active social engagement in mice and is ameliorated by supplementation with human microbiota members. Nature communications, 15(1), 2769. (Read full article)
  21. 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, O'Connell R (2022). CD11c+ myeloid cell exosomes reduce intestinal inflammation during colitis. JCI insight, 7(19), (Read full article)
  22. Weinstein SB, Stephens WZ, Greenhalgh R, Round JL, Dearing M (2022). Wild herbivorous mammals (genus Neotoma) host a diverse but transient assemblage of fungi. Symbiosis (Philadelphia, Pa.), 87(1), 45-58. (Read full article)
  23. Klag KA, Weis AM, Stephens WZ, Round J (2024). Draft Turicibacter sp. genome isolated from a spore-forming community in mice. Microbiology resource announcements, 13(8), e0038524. (Read full article)