BIOLOGICAL SCIENCEFACULTY MEMBER Dr. Fanxiu Zhu
Assistant Professor Ph.D., Wuhan University, 1995 POSITIONS AVAILABLE for postdoctoral investigators, graduate students, and undergraduate students. E-mail Dr. Zhu at fzhu@bio.fsu.edu. Research and Professional Interests: My lab studies Kaposi’s sarcoma–associated herpesvirus (KSHV), a human DNA tumor virus associated with several human malignancies, including Kaposi’s sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman’s disease. I am interested in viral proteins that are localized in the tegument layer, a space between capsid and envelope in the virus particle. The tegument comprises at least a dozen proteins that are delivered into cells upon infection, so they have the opportunity to exert their functions at the very beginning in the infection process. The unique temporal and spatial expressions of tegument proteins put them in the forefront of coping with the host cellular environment. We discovered that KSHV tegument protein ORF45 interacts with interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF-7) and antagonizes host antiviral response. Recently, we found that ORF45 also interacts with p90 ribosomal S6 kinases (RSKs) and modulates the ERK/RSK MAPK signaling pathway, which plays critical roles in KSHV lytic replication. We are now exploring the mechanisms by which ORF45 evades innate immune response and modulates ERK/RSK signaling. We are also interested in the structural analysis of herpesvirus tegument by cryoEM. The structural organization and morphogenesis of herpesviral tegument are largely unknown. We use various approaches to investigate why and how viral proteins are selectively assembled into the tegument. Selected Publications:
Kuang, E., F. Wu, and F. Zhu. 2009. Mechanism of sustained activation of ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) and ERK by Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus ORF45: multiprotein complexes retain active phosphorylated ERK and RSK and protect them from dephosphorylation. J. Biol. Chem.284:13958-13968. PDF Narayanan, S., F. X. Zhu, and Y. Yuan. 2009. Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus ORF45 interacts with kinesin-2 transporting viral capsid-tegument complexes along microtubules. PLoS Pathog.5:e1000332. PDF Li, X., and F. Zhu. 2009. Identification of the nuclear export and adjacent nuclear localization signals for ORF45 of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. J. Virol. 83:2531-2539. PDF Kuang, E., Q. Tang, G. G. Maul, F. Zhu. 2008. Activation of p90 ribosomal S6 kinase by ORF45 of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and its role in viral lytic replication. J. Virol. 82:1838-1850. PDF Zhu, F. X., X. Li, F. Zhou, S.-J. Gao, and Y. Yuan. 2006. Functional characterization of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus ORF45 by BAC-based mutagenesis. J. Virol. 80:12187-12196. PDF Zhu, F. X., J. M. Chong, L. Wu, and Y. Yuan. 2005. Virion proteins of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. J. Virol. 79:800-811. PDF Wang, Y., H. Li, M. Y. Chan, F. X. Zhu, D. M. Lukac, and Y. Yuan. 2004. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus ori-Lyt-dependent DNA replication: cis-acting requirements for replication and ori-Lyt-associated RNA transcription. J. Virol. 78:8615-8629. PDF Zhu, F. X., and Y. Yuan. 2003. The ORF45 protein of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is associated with purified virions. J. Virol. 77:4221-4230. PDF
Lin, C. L., H. Li, Y. Wang, F. X. Zhu, S. Kudchodkar, and Y. Yuan. 2003. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus lytic origin (ori-Lyt)-dependent DNA replication: identification of the ori-Lyt and association of K8 bZip protein with the origin. J. Virol. 77:5578-5588. PDF Biswas, S. B., S. M. Khopde, Fx. F. Zhu, E. E. Biswas. 2003. Subunit interactions in the assembly of Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase α. Nucleic Acids Res. 31:2056-2065. PDF Zhu, F. X., S. M. King, E. J. Smith, D. E. Levy, and Y. Yuan. 2002. A Kaposi’s Sarcoma-associated herpesviral protein inhibits virus mediated induction of type I interferon by blocking IRF-7 phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99:5573-5578. PDF Saveliev, A., F. X. Zhu, and Y. Yuan. 2002. Transcription mapping and expression patterns of genes in the major immediate-early region of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. Virology 299:301-314. PDF Zhu, F. X., T. Cusano, and Y. Yuan. 1999. Identification of immediately early genes of Kaposi’s sarcoma herpesvirus. J. Virol. 73:5556-5567. PDF Sun, R., S.-F. Lin, L. Gradoville, Y. Yuan, F. Zhu, and G. Miller. 1998. A viral gene that activates lytic cycle expression of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:10866-10871. PDF Zhu, F. X., E. E. Biswas, S. B. Biswas. 1997. Purification and characterization of the DNA polymerase α associated exonuclease: the RTH1 gene product. Biochemistry 36:5947-5954. PDF Biswas, E. E., F. X. Zhu, S. B. Biswas. 1997. Stimulation of RTH1 nuclease of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by replication protein A. Biochemistry 36:5955-5962. PDF Zhu, F. X., Y. P. Qi, Y. X. Huang, Q. Bing. 1996. A baculovirus vector derived from immediately early gene promoter of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus. J. Virol. Methods 62:71-79. PDF Postdoctoral Associates:Graduate Students: |
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Dr. Fanxiu Zhu - FSU Biological Science Faculty Member
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