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Zhenzhi Tang, Ph.D.

Zhenzhi Tang, Ph.D.

Contact

Office (585) 275-7108

About Me

Feb 2014-Present Research Assistant Professor,
University of Rochester, Department of Neurology
Project advisor: Dr. Charles Thornton

July 2009-Jan 2014 Postdoctoral fellow,
University of Rochester, Department of Neurology
Project title: The pathological mechanism in myotonic d...
Feb 2014-Present Research Assistant Professor,
University of Rochester, Department of Neurology
Project advisor: Dr. Charles Thornton

July 2009-Jan 2014 Postdoctoral fellow,
University of Rochester, Department of Neurology
Project title: The pathological mechanism in myotonic dystrophy
Project advisor: Dr. Charles Thornton

July 2006-July 2009 Postdoctoral Research Associate,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
University of California, Los Angeles (HHMI at UCLA)
Project title: Molecular mechanism in regulating alternative splicing of Cav1.2 L-type voltage-gated calcium channel
Project advisor: Dr. Douglas Black

2001-June 2006 Ph.D. (January 2006)
National University of Singapore, Department of Physiology
Dissertation: Molecular and functional study of splice variations of the L-type voltage-gated calcium channel Cav1.2 ??-subunit
Supervisor: Dr. Tuck Wah Soong

1993 - 2000 Registered Pharmacist,
Xiamen Pharmaceutical Corporation,
Fujian, China

1993 B.Sc. (Hons)
Shanghai Medical University, China Department of Pharmacology

Faculty Appointments

Research Assistant Professor - Department of Neurology, NMD (SMD)

Credentials

Education

PhD | Singapore-National Univ of Singapore. Physiology. 2006

BSc | China-Shanghai Medical Univ. Pharmacology. 1993

Research

My current study aims to investigate whether aberrant splicing in calcium signaling relevant genes may play roles in muscle wasting and weakness in Myotonic Dystrophy (DM) patients. I am also working on the projects to generate novel DM1 and DM2 transgenic mice expressing 440-CTG repeats and 1100-CC...
My current study aims to investigate whether aberrant splicing in calcium signaling relevant genes may play roles in muscle wasting and weakness in Myotonic Dystrophy (DM) patients. I am also working on the projects to generate novel DM1 and DM2 transgenic mice expressing 440-CTG repeats and 1100-CCTG repeats in skeletal muscles. In addition, I am trying to generate a novel mouse model for the devastating motor neuron disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Publications

Journal Articles

FORCE platform overcomes barriers of oligonucleotide delivery to muscle and corrects myotonic dystrophy features in preclinical models.

Weeden T, Picariello T, Quinn B, Spring S, Shen PY, Qiu Q, Vieira BF, Schlaefke L, Russo RJ, Chang YA, Cui J, Yao M, Wen A, Hsia N, Evron T, Ovington K, Tsai PN, Yoder N, Lan B, Venkatesan R, Hall J, Desjardins CA, Qatanani M, Hilderbrand S, Najim J, Tang Z, Tanner MK, Subramanian R, Thornton CA, Ibraghimov-Beskrovnaya O, Zanotti S

Communications medicine.. 2025 January 185 (1):22. Epub 01/18/2025.

Targeted splice sequencing reveals RNA toxicity and therapeutic response in myotonic dystrophy.

Tanner MK, Tang Z, Thornton CA

Nucleic acids research.. 2021 February 2649 (4):2240-2254. Epub 1900 01 01.

A Small Molecule that Binds an RNA Repeat Expansion Stimulates Its Decay via the Exosome Complex.

Angelbello AJ, Benhamou RI, Rzuczek SG, Choudhary S, Tang Z, Chen JL, Roy M, Wang KW, Yildirim I, Jun AS, Thornton CA, Disney MD

Cell chemical biology.. 2021 January 2128 (1):34-45.e6. Epub 11/05/2020.

CDK12 inhibition reduces abnormalities in cells from patients with myotonic dystrophy and in a mouse model.

Ketley A, Wojciechowska M, Ghidelli-Disse S, Bamborough P, Ghosh TK, Morato ML, Sedehizadeh S, Malik NA, Tang Z, Powalowska P, Tanner M, Billeter-Clark R, Trueman RC, Geiszler PC, Agostini A, Othman O, Bösche M, Bantscheff M, Rüdiger M, Mossakowska DE, Drewry DH, Zuercher WJ, Thornton CA, Drewes G, Uings I, Hayes CJ, Brook JD

Science translational medicine.. 2020 April 2912 (541)Epub 1900 01 01.

Biophysical mechanisms for QRS- and QTc-interval prolongation in mice with cardiac expression of expanded CUG-repeat RNA.

Tylock KM, Auerbach DS, Tang ZZ, Thornton CA, Dirksen RT

The Journal of general physiology.. 2020 February 3152 (2)Epub 1900 01 01.

Detection of expanded RNA repeats using thermostable group II intron reverse transcriptase.

Carrell ST, Tang Z, Mohr S, Lambowitz AM, Thornton CA

Nucleic acids research.. 2018 January 946 (1):e1. Epub 1900 01 01.

Features of modularly assembled compounds that impart bioactivity against an RNA target.

Rzuczek SG, Gao Y, Tang ZZ, Thornton CA, Kodadek T, Disney MD

ACS chemical biology.. 2013 October 188 (10):2312-21. Epub 09/13/2013.

Muscle weakness in myotonic dystrophy associated with misregulated splicing and altered gating of Ca(V)1.1 calcium channel.

Tang ZZ, Yarotskyy V, Wei L, Sobczak K, Nakamori M, Eichinger K, Moxley RT, Dirksen RT, Thornton CA

Human molecular genetics.. 2012 March 1521 (6):1312-24. Epub 12/02/2011.

Identical de novo mutation in the type 1 ryanodine receptor gene associated with fatal, stress-induced malignant hyperthermia in two unrelated families.

Groom L, Muldoon SM, Tang ZZ, Brandom BW, Bayarsaikhan M, Bina S, Lee HS, Qiu X, Sambuughin N, Dirksen RT

Anesthesiology.. 2011 November 115 (5):938-45. Epub 1900 01 01.

Regulation of the mutually exclusive exons 8a and 8 in the CaV1.2 calcium channel transcript by polypyrimidine tract-binding protein.

Tang ZZ, Sharma S, Zheng S, Chawla G, Nikolic J, Black DL

The Journal of biological chemistry.. 2011 March 25286 (12):10007-16. Epub 01/31/2011.

An inducible change in Fox-1/A2BP1 splicing modulates the alternative splicing of downstream neuronal target exons.

Lee JA, Tang ZZ, Black DL

Genes & development.. 2009 October 123 (19):2284-93. Epub 09/17/2009.

Developmental control of CaV1.2 L-type calcium channel splicing by Fox proteins.

Tang ZZ, Zheng S, Nikolic J, Black DL

Molecular and cellular biology.. 2009 September 29 (17):4757-65. Epub 06/29/2009.

Differential splicing patterns of L-type calcium channel Cav1.2 subunit in hearts of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats and Wistar Kyoto Rats.

Tang ZZ, Liao P, Li G, Jiang FL, Yu D, Hong X, Yong TF, Tan G, Lu S, Wang J, Soong TW

Biochimica et biophysica acta.. 2008 January 1783 (1):118-30. Epub 11/19/2007.

Signature combinatorial splicing profiles of rat cardiac- and smooth-muscle Cav1.2 channels with distinct biophysical properties.

Tang ZZ, Hong X, Wang J, Soong TW

Cell calcium.. 2007 May 41 (5):417-28. Epub 09/18/2006.

Smooth muscle-selective alternatively spliced exon generates functional variation in Cav1.2 calcium channels.

Liao P, Yu D, Lu S, Tang Z, Liang MC, Zeng S, Lin W, Soong TW

The Journal of biological chemistry.. 2004 November 26279 (48):50329-35. Epub 09/20/2004.

Transcript scanning reveals novel and extensive splice variations in human l-type voltage-gated calcium channel, Cav1.2 alpha1 subunit.

Tang ZZ, Liang MC, Lu S, Yu D, Yu CY, Yue DT, Soong TW

The Journal of biological chemistry.. 2004 October 22279 (43):44335-43. Epub 08/06/2004.