Luchang Zhu

Luchang Zhu, PhD

Assistant Research Professor of Pathology & Genomic Medicine, Academic Institute
Assistant Research Member, Research Institute
Houston Methodist
Weill Cornell Medical College


Biography

Luchang Zhu received his Ph.D. in Pathobiology in 2013 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He then joined Dr. James Musser’s group at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute as a postdoctoral researcher. In 2020, Dr. Zhu received faculty appointments as Assistant Research Professor of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute, Assistant Research Member at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Assistant Professor of Research in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. 

Description of Research

Dr. Zhu’s research is focused on studying the molecular pathogenesis of Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus agalactiae, the two major human pathogens causing a wide range of clinical infections. Current projects include (i) molecular mechanisms underpinning the reduced susceptibility of Streptococcus to beta-lactam antibiotics, (ii) genetic basis for Streptococcus colonization of human mucosal surfaces, and (iii) host-pathogen interactions during Streptococcal invasive infections. 

Publications

Genome-Wide Transposon Mutagenesis Screens Identify Group A Streptococcus Genes Affecting Susceptibility to ß-Lactam Antibiotics
Zhu, L, Eraso, JM, Mangham, RE, Saavedra, MO, Olsen, RJ, Beres, SB & Musser, JM 2022, , Journal of bacteriology, vol. 204, no. 12. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.00287-22

A Chimeric Penicillin Binding Protein 2X Significantly Decreases in Vitro Beta-Lactam Susceptibility and Increases in Vivo Fitness of Streptococcus pyogenes
Olsen, RJ, Zhu, L, Mangham, RE, Faili, A, Kayal, S, Beres, SB & Musser, JM 2022, , American Journal of Pathology, vol. 192, no. 10, pp. 1397-1406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2022.06.011

Integrative Reverse Genetic Analysis Identifies Polymorphisms Contributing to Decreased Antimicrobial Agent Susceptibility in Streptococcus pyogenes
Beres, SB, Zhu, L, Pruitt, L, Olsen, RJ, Faili, A, Kayal, S & Musser, JM 2022, , mBio, vol. 13, no. 1, e03618. https://doi.org/10.1128/MBIO.03618-21

Genome-wide transposon mutagenesis screens identify group A streptococcus genes affecting susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics
Zhu, L, Eraso, JM, Mangham, R, Ojeda Saavedra, M, Olsen, RJ, Beres, SB & Musser, JM 2022, , Journal of bacteriology.

Functional insights into the high-molecular-mass penicillin- binding proteins of streptococcus agalactiae revealed by gene deletion and transposon mutagenesis analysis
Zhu, L, Yerramilli, P, Pruitt, L, Mishra, A, Olsen, RJ, Beres, SB, Waller, AS & Musser, JM 2021, , Journal of bacteriology, vol. 203, no. 17, e00234-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00234-21

Genetic basis underlying the hyperhemolytic phenotype of streptococcus agalactiae strain CNCTC10/84
Zhu, L, Beres, SB, Yerramilli, P, Pruitt, L, Cantu, CC, Olsen, RJ & Musser, JM 2020, , Journal of bacteriology, vol. 202, no. 23, e00504-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00504-20

Genome-wide assessment of streptococcus agalactiae genes required for survival in human whole blood and plasma
Zhu, L, Yerramilli, P, Pruitt, L, Saavedra, MO, Cantu, CC, Olsen, RJ, Beres, SB, Waller, AS & Musser, JM 2020, , Infection and Immunity, vol. 88, no. 10, e00357. https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00357-20

Population genomic molecular epidemiological study of macrolide-resistant streptococcus pyogenes in Iceland, 1995 to 2016: Identification of a large clonal population with a pbp2x mutation conferring reduced in vitro ß-Lactam Susceptibility
Southon, SB, Beres, SB, Kachroo, P, Saavedra, MO, Erlendsdóttir, H, Haraldsson, G, Yerramilli, P, Pruitt, L, Zhu, L, Musser, JM & Kristinsson, KG 2020, , Journal of Clinical Microbiology, vol. 58, no. 9, e00638-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00638-20

A Single Amino Acid Replacement in Penicillin-Binding Protein 2X in Streptococcus pyogenes Significantly Increases Fitness on Subtherapeutic Benzylpenicillin Treatment in a Mouse Model of Necrotizing Myositis
Olsen, RJ, Zhu, L & Musser, JM 2020, , American Journal of Pathology, vol. 190, no. 8, pp. 1625-1631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2020.04.014

Streptococcus pyogenes genes that promote pharyngitis in primates
Zhu, L, Olsen, RJ, Beres, SB, Saavedra, MO, Kubiak, SL, Cantu, CC, Jenkins, L, Waller, AS, Sun, Z, Palzkill, T, Porter, AR, DeLeo, FR & Musser, JM 2020, , JCI insight, vol. 5, no. 11, e137686. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.137686

Population genomic molecular epidemiological study of macrolide resistant Streptococcus pyogenes in Iceland, 1995-2016: Identification of a large clonal population with a pbp2x mutation conferring reduced in vitro b-lactam susceptibility
Southon, SB, Beres, SB, Kachroo, P, Saavedra, MO, Erlendsdóttir, H, Haraldsson, G, Yerramilli, P, Pruitt, L, Zhu, L, Musser, JM & Kristinsson, KG 2020, , Unknown Journal. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.12.090365

Polymorphisms in RocA Contribute to the Molecular Pathogenesis of Serotype M28 Group A Streptococcus
Bernard, PE, Kachroo, P, Eraso, JM, Zhu, L, Madry, JE, Linson, SE, Saavedra, MO, Cantu, CC, Musser, JM & Olsen, RJ 2020, , FASEB Journal, vol. 34 (S1), no. 1-1. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.03097

Genome-Wide Screens Identify Group A Streptococcus Surface Proteins Promoting Female Genital Tract Colonization and Virulence
Zhu, L, Olsen, RJ, Beres, SB, Ojeda Saavedra, M, Kubiak, SL, Cantu, CC, Jenkins, L, Yerramilli, P, Pruitt, L, Charbonneau, ARL, Waller, AS & Musser, JM 2020, , American Journal of Pathology, vol. 190, no. 4, pp. 862-873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2019.12.003

Reduced in vitro susceptibility of streptococcus pyogenes to ß-lactam antibiotics associated with mutations in the pbp2x gene is geographically widespread
Musser, JM, Beres, SB, Zhu, L, Olsen, RJ, Vuopio, J, Hyyryläinen, HL, Gröndahl-Yli-Hannuksela, K, Kristinsson, KG, Darenberg, J, Henriques-Normark, B, Hoffmann, S, Caugant, DA, Smith, AJ, Lindsay, DSJ, Boragine, DM & Palzkill, T 2020, , Journal of Clinical Microbiology, vol. 58, no. 4, e01993-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01993-19

New pathogenesis mechanisms and translational leads identified by multidimensional analysis of necrotizing myositis in primates
Kachroo, P, Eraso, JM, Olsen, RJ, Zhu, L, Kubiak, SL, Pruitt, L, Yerramilli, P, Cantu, CC, Saavedra, MO, Pensar, J, Corander, J, Jenkins, L, Kao, L, Granillo, A, Porter, AR, Deleo, FR & Musser, JM 2020, , mBio, vol. 11, no. 1, e03363-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.03363-19

Surfactant phospholipids act as molecular switches for premature induction of quorum sensing-dependent virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Kuang, Z, Bennett, RC, Lin, J, Hao, Y, Zhu, L, Akinbi, HT & Lau, GW 2020, , Virulence, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 1090-1107. https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2020.1809327

Genetic Basis Underlying the Hyperhemolytic Phenotype of Streptococcus agalactiae Strain CNCTC10/84
Zhu, L 2020, , Journal of bacteriology.

Group B streptococcus determinants required for survival in human blood: a genome-wide analysis
Zhu, L 2020, .

Polymorphisms in Regulator of Cov Contribute to the Molecular Pathogenesis of Serotype M28 Group A Streptococcus
Bernard, PE, Kachroo, P, Eraso, JM, Zhu, L, Madry, JE, Linson, SE, Ojeda Saavedra, M, Cantu, C, Musser, JM & Olsen, RJ 2019, , American Journal of Pathology, vol. 189, no. 10, pp. 2002-2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2019.06.009

Genetic heterogeneity of the Spy1336/R28 - Spy1337 virulence axis in streptococcus pyogenes and effect on gene transcript levels and pathogenesis
Eraso, JM, Kachroo, P, Olsen, RJ, Beres, SB, Zhu, L, Badu, T, Shannon, S, Cantu, CC, Saavedra, MO, Kubiak, SL, Porter, AR, DeLeo, FR & Musser, JM 2019, , Unknown Journal. https://doi.org/10.1101/777987

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