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Faculty Detail    
Name GUANGJIE CHENG
 
Campus Address THT 513- Zip 0006
Phone  (205) 975-8919
E-mail  gjcheng@uab.edu
Other websites
     


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Center  UAB Immunology Institute  UAB Immunology Institute Associate Professor
Center  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci Associate Professor
Primary  Med - Pulmonary/Allergy/Critical Care  Med - Pulmonary/Allergy/Critical Care Associate Professor
Secondary  Pathology Chair Office  Pathology Chair Office Associate Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations
Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine 

Biographical Sketch 
Dr. Cheng is Associate Professor in Medicine and Pathology. His research program focuses on Nox- and heme peroxidase-mediated cell signaling and inflammatory responses. He completed his medical education at Hunan Medical University. He continued his graduate training at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, and Hunan Medical University. Dr. Cheng served as vice chairman of the Center for Molecular Biology at Hunan Medical University from 1993 to 1996. He completed additional postdoctoral training at the Kimball Research Institute at New York Blood Center and Emory University School of Medicine. At Emory University, he started his research on the Nox enzymes and heme peroxidases. He was recruited to the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & CCM, Department of Medicine at UAB in 2009. Dr. Cheng has spent more than two decades in studies on biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology and has discovered nine new human genes in the NADPH oxidase and heme peroxidase families. He holds ten patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
American Society for Microbiology  Member   
American Heart Association  Member   
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology  Member   
American Society for Cell Biology  Member   
Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine  Member   



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Nox- and heme peroxidase-mediated cell signaling and inflammatory diseases
Description
In the past decade, Dr. Cheng has identified and characterized five novel members of NADPH oxidases (Nox enzymes) family, two regulatory proteins of Nox enzymes, and two new members of heme-containing peroxidase family (e.g. Nox3, Nox4, Nox5, NOXO1, NOXA1, VPO1 and VPO2). Based on the intrinsic association of the two enzyme families, his group now focuses on understanding the synergistic functions of these two enzyme families in maintaining the balance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells, and in pathology, the outcome of ROS imbalance in cardiovascular and respiratory systems (i.e. the regulatory mechanism of expression and activation of Nox enzymes and heme peroxidases). Accumulating evidence indicates that H2O2 functions as a signaling molecule in eukaryotic cellular systems. Recently, Dr. Cheng's group has identified that VPO1 is an endogenous negative regulator of H2O2-mediated cellular signaling. Current working hypothesis is that VPO1 mediates diverse physiological and pathological processes via H2O2 on cell proliferation, differentiation, and inflammatory responses. Heme peroxidases catalyze peroxidive reactions and halide oxidation, and may produce toxic oxidants. VPO1 is highly expressed in the cardiovascular system and lung, leading to the hypothesis that VPO1 plays an important role in host defense, pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases such as asthma and fibrosis. In addition, VPOs may be also involved in the metabolism of nitric oxide, the formation of di-tyrosine cross-link and the chlorination of proteins.

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Bernard, K., Hecker, L., Luckhardt, TR., Cheng, G and Thannickal, VJ. (2014) NADPH Oxidases in Lung Health and Disease. Antioxid Redox Signal. [Epub ahead of print]
 
24093231 
Yang, L., Bai, B., Li, N., Hu, C., Peng, J., Cheng, G., Zheng, G and Shi, R. (2013) Vascular VPO1 expression is related to the endothelial dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 439(4):511-516.
 
24021280 
Qin, J., Xie, Y., Huang, L., Mei, W., Yuan, X., Hu, G., Cheng, G., Tao, L and Peng, Z. (2013) Fluorofenidone inhibits NADPH oxidase via PI3K/Akt pathway in the pathogenesis of renal interstitial fibrosis. Nephrology. 18:690-699.
 
23841831 
Yang, Y., Cao, Z. and Cheng, G.* (2013) VPO1 Mediates ApoE Oxidation and Impairs the Clearance of Plasma Lipids. PLOS ONE. 8(2):e57571.   23451244 
Leoni, G., Alam, A., Neumann, PA., Lambeth, JD., Cheng, G., McCoy, J. Higarth, RS., Kund, K., Murthy, N., Kusters, D., Reutelingsperger, C., Perretti, M., Parkos, CA., Neish, AS. And Nusrat, A. (2013) Annexin A1, formyl peptide receptor, and NOX1 orchestrate epithelial repair. J Clin Invest. 123(1): 443–454.  23241962 
Hecker, L., Cheng, J. and Thannickal, V.J. (2012) Targeting NOX enzymes in pulmonary fibrosis. Cell Mol Life Sci. 69(14): 2365-71.  22618245 
Li, H., Cao, Z., Moor, D.R., Jackson, P.L., Barnes, S., Lambeth, J.D., Thannickal, V.J. and Cheng, G. (2012) Microbicidal Activity of VPO1 in Human Plasma via generation of HOCl. Infection and Immunity 80 (7): 2528-2537
An Articles of Significant Interest Selected from This Issue by the Editors 
22526679 
Bai, Y.P., Hu, C.P., Yuan, Q., Peng, J., Shi, R., Yang, T.L., Cao, Z., Li, Y.J., Cheng, G. * and Zhang, G. * (2011) Role of VPO1, a newly identified heme-containing peroxidase, in ox-LDL induced endothelial cell apoptosis. Free Radical Biology & Medicine. 51:1492-500.  21820048 
Cheng, G*., Li, H., Cao, Z., Qiu, X., McCormick, S., Thannickal, V.J., and Nauseef, W., (2011) VPO1 is Rapidly Secreted, Circulates in Plasma, and Supports Dityrosine Cross-linking Reactions and HOCl Generation. Free Radical Biology & Medicine. 51(7):1445-53.  21798344 
Shi, R., Hu, C., Yuan, Q., Lu, T., Li, S., Bai, Y., Fu, Q., Cao, Z., Li, Y., Cheng, G*. and Zhang, G*. (2011) Involvement of vascular peroxidase 1 in angiotensinII-induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. Cardiovascular Research. 91: 27-36.  21292788 
Cheng, G*., Salerno, JC., Cao, Z., Pagano, PJ. and Lambeth JD. (2008) Identification and characterization of VPO1, a new animal heme-containing peroxidase. Free Radical Biology & Medicine. 45(12):1682-1694.  18929642 
Cheng, G, Diebold, BA., Hughes, Y. and Lambeth, JD. (2006) NOX1-dependent reactive oxygen generation if regulation by Rac1.. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 281: 17718-17726.  16636067 
Cheng, G. and Lambeth, J.D. (2005) Alternative mRNA Splice Forms of NOXO1: Differential Tissue Expression and Regulation of Nox1 and Nox3. Gene. 356:118-26.  15949904  
Cheng, G., Ritsick, D. and Lambeth JD. (2004) Nox3 regulation by NOXO1, p47phox and p67phox. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 279(33): 34250-34255.  15181005  
Cheng G. Lambeth JD. (2004) NOXO1: Regulation of lipid binding, localization and activation of Nox1 by the PX domai,n. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 279: 4737-4742.  14617635 
Edens, W*., Sharling, L*., Cheng, G*., Shapira, R., Kinkade, J.M., Lee, T., Edens, H.A., Tang, X., Sullards, C., Flaherty, D.B., Benian, G.M., and Lambeth, J. D. (2001) Tyrosine Cross-linking of Extracellular Matrix is catalyzed by Duox, a multidomain oxidase/peroxidase with homology to the phagocyte oxidase subunit gp91phox. Journal of Cell Biology. 154(4): 879-91.   11514595 
Cheng, G., Cao, Z., Xu, X., Meir, EG.and Lambeth, JD. (2001) Homologs of gp91phox: cloning and tissue expression of Nox3, Nox4, and Nox5. Gene. 269(1-2): 131-140.  11376945 

Keywords
Reactive oxygen species, Nox enzymes, Heme peroxidases, Cell signaling, Cardiovascular, Inflammation