Li Zhang

Li Zhang is a biologist currently working at University of Texas at Dallas. She is a professor of Biological Sciences and the Cecil H. and Ida Green Distinguished Chair in Systems Biology Science at the University of Texas at Dallas. During her 20+ years of independent research, Li Zhang has made major contributions to the understanding of Heme signaling and function in gene regulation, and lung cancer bioenergetics. Heme is central to oxygen sensing and utilization in virtually all living organisms. Professor Li Zhang's studies on the Hap1-heme system are a classical example of how heme acts to mediate cellular signaling and gene regulation. Recent work in her lab has demonstrated that elevated heme synthesis and uptake underpin intensified oxidative metabolism and tumorigenic functions in non-small-cell lung cancer cells. Furthermore, Zhang's lab is interested in investigating the role of heme in Alzheimer's Disease. Heme promotes transcriptional and demethylase activities of Gis1, a member of the histone demethylase JMJD2/KDM4 family; Heme, an essential nutrient from dietary proteins, critically impacts diverse physiological and pathological processes; A holistic view of cancer bioenergetics: Mitochondrial function and respiration play fundamental roles in the development and progression of diverse tumors; Elevated heme synthesis and uptake underpin intensified oxidative metabolism and tumorigenic functions in non-small cell lung cancer cells. in 2011. The Second edition titled Heme biology: heme acts as a versatile signaling molecule regulating diverse biological processes released in 2020, details the myriad functions of heme and outlines the latest research about the molecule.