Chao Zhong, Ph.D.

Department of Immunology, 

School of Basic Medical Sciences,

Peking University

Abstract

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), which functionally resemble the adaptive CD4 T helper cells, play critical roles in maintaining tissue homeostasis. The regulatory mechanisms beneath their development and function have garnered significant attention. We unearthed that the transcription factor GATA3 serves as a master regulator of the progenitors for all ILCs and determines different ILC linages at the developmental stage. Thereafter, its regulation is still necessary for different ILC subsets at their functional stage. Moreover, other transcription factors are also indispensably engaged during the activation of ILCs to ensure their optimal function. On the other hand, most ILCs reside in the gut which is abundant in diverse metabolites. We manifested that metabolic changes in ILC3s are also closely related to their activation. Intriguingly, alterations in transcription factor activities are found to be implicated in these metabolic regulations. Collectively, our findings imply that transcriptional and metabolic regulation, along with their mutual interplay, are imperative for optimized development and function of ILCs.

Biography

Chao Zhong, Ph.D, tenure-tracked associate professor in Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University. Chao obtained his Ph.D from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Thereafter, he conducted his postdoctoral training under Dr. Jinfang (Jeff) Zhu at the National Institute of Health, US. He began his independent research as a tenure-track investigator in the Peking University since 2017 and currently holds the position of an associated professor. His research interests mainly focus on the transcriptional and metabolic regulatory mechanisms underlying the development and function of different ILC subsets, aming to identify key regulators related to the development of immune-related major diseases. His representative studies have been published in Immunity (2020, 2024), Nature Immunology (2016), Nature Metabolism (2023, 2022), and Developmental Cell (2024).