Education:

Postdoctoral Training, University of California, Los Angeles

Ph.D. Microbiology, University of California, Davis

M.Sc. Food Microbiology, University of California, Davis

B.Sc. Biology, Peking University, Beijing , China

Research Overview:

1. A major focus in the Yang lab is on the fascinating myxobacteria. These “single-celled” organisms have a multicellular life cycle that culminates with the development of often brightly colored fruiting bodies (see above). Myxo cells move on surfaces during both development and vegetative growth. The question we are interested in is how myxo cells sense and respond to environmental cues to regulate its gliding motility. Much of the work here falls into the field of bacterial motility and signal transduction. See the BLAST webpage for more info on the research community on bacterial locomotion, signal transduction and chemotaxis. See this review for an introduction to Myxobacteria. We have collaborated with various labs including those of Drs. David Zusman (UC Berkeley) , Larry Shimkets (UGA) , Wenyuan Shi (UCLA) and Mike Manson (Texas A&M).
2. We have started working on mycobacteria which include some of the deadliest pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We are using M. smegmatis as a model system to identify chemotherapeutic targets and to study the biology of mycobacteria. This work is in collaboration with Dr. Joe Falkinham (VT).
3. Type IV pili (Tfp) are important virulence determinants for many bacterial pathogens. They are also amazing biological nano-motors capable of generating superman-like pulling forces. We are collaborating with Dr.Florian Schubot (VT) on the Tfp research project.
4. Biofilm is the predominant form of existence for microbes in nature. Microbial biofilms are the leading cause of infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and in individuals with indwelling medical devices (IMDs). In collaboration with Dr. Bahareh Behkam (VT), we are initiating research on the interactions between surfaces and microbial biofilms.

Please feel free to contact me and thanks for your virtual visit!

Publications:

1. Black WP, Xu Q, Cadieux CL, Suh SJ, Shi W and Z. Yang. Isolation and Characterization of a Suppression Mutation that Restores Myxococcus xanthus Exopolysaccharide Production. Microbiology, In press, 2009.
2. Blacks WP, Julien B, Rodriguez E and Z. Yang. Genetic manipulation of myxobacteria. Chapter 41 Manual of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, 3rd ed. Arnold Demain, Julian Davies and Richard Baltz, Editors in Chief. ASM Press. In press, 2009.
3. Xu Q, Black WP, Cadieux CL, and Yang, Z.  Independence and interdependence of Dif and Frz chemosensory pathways in Myxococcus xanthus chemotaxis. Molecular Microbiology. 69 (3): 714-723, Aug, 2008
4. Søgaard-Andersen L and Yang Z.  Programmed cell death: role for MazF and MrpC in Myxococcus multicellular development. Current Biology. 18(8):R337-9, Apr,  2008
5. Belas R, Zhulin IB, and Yang Z. Bacterial signaling and motility: sure bets. Journal of Bacteriology. 190(6):1849-1856, Mar, 2008
6. Xu Q., WP Black, EMF Mauriello, DR Zusman and Z. Yang. Chemotaxis mediated by NarX-FrzCD chimeras and non-adapting repellent responses in Myxococcus xanthus. Molecular Microbiology. 66 (6): 1370-1381, Dec, 2007.
7. Yang, Z., X. Duan, M. Esmaeiliyan and HB Kaplan. Composition, Structure and Function of the Myxococcus xanthus Cell Envelope. In Multicellularity and Differentiation Among the Myxobacteria and Their Neighbors. Heidi B. Kaplan and David Whitworth, editors. ASM Press. 2008.
8. Zusman, DR, AE Scott, Z Yang and JR Kirby. Chemosensory pathways, motility and development in Myxoccocus xanthus. Nature Reviews Microbiology.5(11):862-72. Nov, 2007.
9. Bonner, PJ, W. Black, Z. Yang, and L. Shimkets. A Branched Pathway Mediates Fruiting Body Formation in Myxococcus xanthus . Molecular Microbiology. Molecular Microbiology. 61(2): 1283-1293, Sept, 2006
10. Black, W., Q. Xu and Z. Yang. Type IV pili function upstream of the Dif chemotaxis pathway in Myxococcus xanthus EPS regulation. Molecular Microbiology. 61(2): 447-456, July, 2006
11. Xu, Q., W. Black, S. Ward and Z. Yang. Nitrate-dependent Activation of the Dif Signaling Pathway of Myxococcus xanthus Mediated by a NarX-DifA Inter-species Chimera. Journal of Bacteriology. 187(18), Sept, 2005
12. Bonner, PJ, Q. Xu, W. Black, Z. Li, Z. Yang, and L. Shimkets. The Dif chemosensory pathway is directly involved in phosphatidylethanolamine sensory transduction in Myxococcus xanthus . Molecular Microbiology. 57(5): 1499-1508, Sept 2005
13. Yang, Z. and Z. Li.  Demonstration of interactions among Myxococcus xanthus Dif chemotaxis-like proteins by the yeast two-hybrid system. Archives of Microbiology. 183(4):243-52. May, 2005.
14. Lu A, Cho K, Black WP, Duan XY, Lux R, Yang Z, Kaplan HB, Zusman DR, Shi W. Exopolysaccharide biosynthesis genes required for social motility in Myxococcus xanthus. Molecular Microbiology. 55(1):206-20. Jan 2005.
15. Black, W. P. and Z. Yang. Myxococcus xanthus chemotaxis homologs DifD and DifG negatively regulate fibril polysaccharide production. Journal of Bacteriology. 186(4):1001-1008, Feb, 2004
16. Bellenger K, Ma X, Shi W, Yang Z. A CheW homologue is required for Myxococcus xanthus fruiting body development, social gliding motility, and fibril biogenesis. Journal of Bacteriology. 184(20): 5654-60, Oct 2002
17. Yang Z, Guo D, Bowden MG, Sun H, Tong L, Li Z, Brown AE, Kaplan HB, Shi W. The Myxococcus xanthus wbgB gene encodes a glycosyltransferase homologue required for lipopolysaccharide O-antigen biosynthesis. Archives of Microbiology. 174(6): 399-405, Dec 2000
18. Shi W, Yang Z, Sun H, Lancero H, Tong L. Phenotypic analyses of frz and dif double mutants of Myxococcus xanthus . Fems Microbiology Letters. 192(2): 211-5, Nov 2000
19. Yang Z, Ma X, Tong L, Kaplan HB, Shimkets LJ, Shi W. Myxococcus xanthus dif genes are required for biogenesis of cell surface fibrils essential for social gliding motility. Journal of Bacteriology. 182(20): 5793-8, Oct 2000
20. Sun H, Yang Z, Shi W. Effect of cellular filamentation on adventurous and social gliding motility of Myxococcus xanthus . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). 96(26): 15178-83, Dec 1999
21. Yang Z, Geng Y, Xu D, Kaplan HB, Shi W. A new set of chemotaxis homologues is essential for Myxococcus xanthus social motility. Molecular Microbiology. 30(5): 1123-30, Dec 1998
22. Geng Y, Yang Z, Downard J, Zusman D, Shi W. Methylation of FrzCD defines a discrete step in the developmental program of Myxococcus xanthus . Journal of Bacteriology. 180(21): 5765-8, Nov 1998
23. Shi W, Yang Z, Geng Y, Wolinsky LE, Lovett MA. Chemotaxis in Borrelia burgdorferi. Journal of Bacteriology. 180(2): 231-5, Jan 1998
24. Yang Z, Geng Y, Shi W. A DnaK homolog in Myxococcus xanthus is involved in social motility and fruiting body formation. Journal of Bacteriology. 180(2): 218-24, Jan 1998
25. Yang Z, Bisson LF. The SKS1 protein kinase is a multicopy suppressor of the snf3 mutation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast. 12(14): 1407-19, Nov 1996