Zhongyuan Zuo, MS
Senior Staff ScientistCards
About
Research
Publications
2026
Electromotility can be disassociated from gating charge movement in outer hair cells of conditional alpha2 spectrin knockout mice
Bai J, Stankewich M, Yang J, Tan W, Zuo Z, Song Q, Khan S, Wang L, Morrow J, Santos-Sacchi J, Navaratnam D. Electromotility can be disassociated from gating charge movement in outer hair cells of conditional alpha2 spectrin knockout mice. Journal Of Biological Chemistry 2026, 302: 111226. PMID: 41638427, PMCID: PMC12955104, DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2026.111226.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCytoskeletal networkPlasma membraneCuticular plateCircumferential actin filamentsSubsurface cisternaeActin filamentsLateral plasma membraneEmbryonic hair cellsMammalian outer hair cellsHair cellsSpectrin filamentsSpectrinOuter hair cell’s lateral plasma membraneAuditory phenotypeProtein prestinOuter hair cellsKnockout miceStereociliaKnockoutMembraneFilamentsGating charge movement
2025
Cerebellar deep brain stimulation rescues Purkinje cell mitochondrial density in a genetic mouse model of cerebellar ataxia
Miterko-Myers L, Peacoe L, Duraine L, Zuo Z, Sillitoe R. Cerebellar deep brain stimulation rescues Purkinje cell mitochondrial density in a genetic mouse model of cerebellar ataxia. Brain Research Bulletin 2025, 234: 111704. PMID: 41453498, DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111704.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCerebellar deep brain stimulationEndoplasmic reticulumMitochondrial densityDeep brain stimulationPurkinje cellsMitochondria-ER contactsER contactsGenetic mouse modelsMitochondrial sizeSubcellular structuresBrain stimulationEffects of deep brain stimulationDeep brain stimulation treatmentAbsence of stimulationCerebellar ataxiaMouse modelCell activationCerebellar disordersClinical usePurkinjeMovement diseasePutative contactsTherapeutic neuromodulationCellsAtaxia
2024
Cdk8/CDK19 promotes mitochondrial fission through Drp1 phosphorylation and can phenotypically suppress pink1 deficiency in Drosophila
Liao J, Chung H, Shih C, Wong K, Dutta D, Nil Z, Burns C, Kanca O, Park Y, Zuo Z, Marcogliese P, Sew K, Bellen H, Verheyen E. Cdk8/CDK19 promotes mitochondrial fission through Drp1 phosphorylation and can phenotypically suppress pink1 deficiency in Drosophila. Nature Communications 2024, 15: 3326. PMID: 38637532, PMCID: PMC11026413, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47623-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMitochondrial fissionRNA polymerase IINon-nuclear functionsDrp1-mediated fissionPhosphorylation of Drp1Elevated levels of ROSMitochondrial kinaseBang sensitivityLevels of PINK1Polymerase IIFly lifespanPhosphorylated Drp1PINK1 deficiencyDrp1 phosphorylationTranscriptional controlElongated mitochondriaLevels of ROSOverexpression of CDK8CDK8Drp1Mitochondrial dysmorphologyBehavioral defectsPINK1DrosophilaCytoplasm
2023
A defect in mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis impairs iron metabolism and causes elevated ceramide levels
Dutta D, Kanca O, Byeon S, Marcogliese P, Zuo Z, Shridharan R, Park J, Lin G, Ge M, Heimer G, Kohler J, Wheeler M, Kaipparettu B, Pandey A, Bellen H. A defect in mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis impairs iron metabolism and causes elevated ceramide levels. Nature Metabolism 2023, 5: 1595-1614. PMID: 37653044, PMCID: PMC11151872, DOI: 10.1038/s42255-023-00873-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFatty acid synthesisFe-S cluster biogenesisMitochondrial fatty acid synthesisCeramide levelsMost eukaryotic cellsElevated ceramide levelsIron metabolismCluster biogenesisEukaryotic cellsLoss of functionCellular lipidomeEnoyl coenzymeNeurodegenerative phenotypeIron homeostasisHuman-derived fibroblastsMechanistic linkAcid synthesisCeramideMECRMetabolismNeurodegenerationMtFASBiogenesisLast stepMitochondriaDaam2 phosphorylation by CK2α negatively regulates Wnt activity during white matter development and injury
Wang C, Zuo Z, Jo J, Kim K, Madamba C, Ye Q, Jung S, Bellen H, Lee H. Daam2 phosphorylation by CK2α negatively regulates Wnt activity during white matter development and injury. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2023, 120: e2304112120. PMID: 37607236, PMCID: PMC10469030, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304112120.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOL developmentWhite matter injuryCentral nervous systemWnt/β-cateninWhite matter developmentWnt activityNeonatal hypoxiaBehavioral recoveryMyelin repairMyelin restorationNervous systemProtective roleOligodendrocyte developmentΒ-cateninWnt pathwayInjuryMyelinationBiological mechanismsNew biological mechanismsEarly differentiationPhosphorylationDemyelinationPathwayVery-long-chain fatty acids induce glial-derived sphingosine-1-phosphate synthesis, secretion, and neuroinflammation
Chung H, Ye Q, Park Y, Zuo Z, Mok J, Kanca O, Tattikota S, Lu S, Perrimon N, Lee H, Bellen H. Very-long-chain fatty acids induce glial-derived sphingosine-1-phosphate synthesis, secretion, and neuroinflammation. Cell Metabolism 2023, 35: 855-874.e5. PMID: 37084732, PMCID: PMC10160010, DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.03.022.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsExperimental autoimmune encephalomyelitisMultiple sclerosisAdministration of fingolimodFunctions of S1PNF-κB activationSphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) synthesisS1P receptor antagonistsElevated VLCFAAutoimmune encephalomyelitisFatty acidsMacrophage infiltrationReceptor antagonistImmune cellsMouse modelTreatment avenuesVLCFA levelsFly gliaLong-chain fatty acidsGliaS1P pathwayS1PNeuroinflammationFingolimodVLCFAAbundant fatty acidsExploring therapeutic strategies for infantile neuronal axonal dystrophy (INAD/PARK14)
Lin G, Tepe B, McGrane G, Tipon R, Croft G, Panwala L, Hope A, Liang A, Zuo Z, Byeon S, Wang L, Pandey A, Bellen H. Exploring therapeutic strategies for infantile neuronal axonal dystrophy (INAD/PARK14). ELife 2023, 12: e82555. PMID: 36645408, PMCID: PMC9889087, DOI: 10.7554/elife.82555.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPatient-derived neural progenitor cellsNeural progenitor cellsPatient-derived neuronsPediatric neurodegenerative disorderRetromer functionMitochondrial morphologyEndolysosomal pathwayMitochondrial defectsProlong lifespanNeurodegenerative phenotypeProgenitor cellsMouse modelRecessive variantsNeurodegenerative disordersGene therapy approachesPathwayInfantile neuroaxonal dystrophyHomologCellsTherapeutic strategiesAzoramidePurkinje cellsFliesPhenotypeMetabolism
2022
Two neuronal peptides encoded from a single transcript regulate mitochondrial complex III in Drosophila
Bosch J, Ugur B, Pichardo-Casas I, Rabasco J, Escobedo F, Zuo Z, Brown B, Celniker S, Sinclair D, Bellen H, Perrimon N. Two neuronal peptides encoded from a single transcript regulate mitochondrial complex III in Drosophila. ELife 2022, 11: e82709. PMID: 36346220, PMCID: PMC9681215, DOI: 10.7554/elife.82709.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSmall open reading framesClasses of genesShares sequence similarityOpen reading frameSequence similarityBicistronic transcriptBiological functionsPhenotypic analysisMitochondrial functionImportant regulatorThousands of peptidesNeuronal functionGenesWealth of informationTranscriptsAnimal lethalityPeptidesRecent studiesParalogsDrosophilaSmORFsMitochondriaRegulatorRegulatesNeuronal peptidesNeuronal activity induces glucosylceramide that is secreted via exosomes for lysosomal degradation in glia
Wang L, Lin G, Zuo Z, Li Y, Byeon S, Pandey A, Bellen H. Neuronal activity induces glucosylceramide that is secreted via exosomes for lysosomal degradation in glia. Science Advances 2022, 8: eabn3326. PMID: 35857503, PMCID: PMC9278864, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn3326.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAn expanded toolkit for Drosophila gene tagging using synthesized homology donor constructs for CRISPR-mediated homologous recombination
Kanca O, Zirin J, Hu Y, Tepe B, Dutta D, Lin W, Ma L, Ge M, Zuo Z, Liu L, Levis R, Perrimon N, Bellen H. An expanded toolkit for Drosophila gene tagging using synthesized homology donor constructs for CRISPR-mediated homologous recombination. ELife 2022, 11: e76077. PMID: 35723254, PMCID: PMC9239680, DOI: 10.7554/elife.76077.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
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Whole cell model was generated with Apeer and reconstructed with Arivis Vision 4D.