Xiaomin Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geriatrics at UAMS. Dr. Zhang received his medical degree from Nantong Medical College in China and his Ph.D. degree from University of Montpellier II in France. He did his postdoctoral training at the Division on Aging of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Institutes of Medicine (HIM)/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Dr. Zhang is experienced in molecular biology, transgenesis and the genetic aspects of disease and aging. He is interested in experimental in vivo models for mammalian aging. In particular, he is investigating the transcriptional regulation of gene expression in the aging process. He has recently cloned a novel transcription cofactor, p49/STRAP.  Dr. Zhang’s research indicates that p49/STRAP may be an important transcription cofactor in the transcriptional regulation of mammalian cardiac muscle genes throughout the life span.

Selected Publications:

Azhar G, Liu L, Zhang X, Wei JY. 1999. Influence of age on hypoxia/ reogygenation-induced DNA fragmentation and bcl-2, bcl-x1, bax and fas in the rat heart and brain. Mech Aging Dev. 112: 5-25.

Zhang X, Azhar G, Chai J, Sheridan P, Nagano K, Brown T, Yang J, Khrapko K, Borras AM, Lawitts J, Misra RP, Wei JY. 2001. Cardiomyopathy in transgenic mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of serum response factor. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 280:H1782-92.

Zhang X, Chai J, Azhar G, Sheridan P, Borras AM, Furr MC, Khrapko K, Lawitts J, Misra RP, Wei JY. 2001. Early postnatal cardiac changes and premature death in transgenic mice overexpressing a mutant form of serum response factor. J Biol Chem. 276: 40033-40.

Zhang X, Azhar G, Nagano K, Wei JY. 2001. Differential vulnerability to oxidative stress in rat cardiac myocytes versus fibroblasts. J Am Coll Cardiol. 38:2055-62.

Zhang X, Azhar G, Furr MC, Zhong Y, Wei JY. 2003. Model of functional cardiac aging: young adult mice with mild overexpression of serum response factor. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 285:R552-60.

Zhang X, Azhar G, Zhong Y, Wei JY. 2004. Identification of a novel serum response factor cofactor in cardiac gene regulation. J Biol Chem. 279: 55626-55632.