University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · BiochemistryAging and Inflammation Research Lab
Qi Zhang · Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Research Focus
Dr. Qi Zhang's lab focuses on understanding how aging affects inflammation at the molecular level, particularly involving a protein called cGAS, which plays a crucial role in the immune response. The team investigates how changes in the acetylation of histone proteins can activate cGAS, potentially leading to chronic inflammation and age-related diseases. By bridging molecular biology and biochemistry with aging research, this lab aims to uncover new therapeutic strategies for conditions associated with aging.
aginginflammationepigeneticscGAShistone acetylationneurodegenerationchronic diseasebiochemistrycell biology
Research Aims
3AIM 01Decipher the histone H4 acetylation patterns that regulate the activation of nucleosome-bound cGAS.
AIM 02Elucidate how H4 acetylation readers activate nucleosome-bound cGAS.
AIM 03Investigate the physiological roles of H4 acetylation-dependent nuclear cGAS activation in cellular senescence and aging.
Skills the Lab Values
chromatin biologycell cultureRNA sequencingCRISPRanimal modelsbiophysical assaysmicroscopybiochemical assaysdata analysis
Output against the department
Publications1,036top 2% of dept.7th of 402
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations26ktop 15% of dept.59th of 402
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.