Lab Leader: Qing Zhong

Lab Name: Laboratory of Autophagy and Necrosis in Human Diseases

Lab Info：Qing Zhong’s lab has long been devoted to the study of biochemical regulation of autophagy in mammalian cells. Autophagy is a process by which cells process and recycle their components through lysosomes. Autophagy is essential for maintenance of cellular homeostasis and its dysfunction has been linked to major human diseases, including cancer, neurodegeneration, and immune diseases. Zhong’s group is specifically interested in dissecting the biochemical mechanisms of autophagy, including lipid modification, lipid transfer, autophagic membrane elongation, tethering, fusion, and membrane integrity sensing and repair. Zhong’s group has made many achievements in this field. The group has elaborated on formation of autophagosomes (PNAS 2008, 2010, 2011), recognition of autophagic substrates (Nature 2013), and fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes (Mol Cell 2012, Nature 2015, JCB 2022). Understanding these key regulatory steps in autophagy will allow us to develop new therapeutic tools for human diseases. Furthermore, Zhong’s group is also interested in dissecting the biochemical mechanism and physiological functions of emerging necrotic cell death pathways, and their interconnection with autophagy.

Lab Members: