recipient of the National Overseas High-level Young Talent Program. Joined the School of Life Sciences and Medicine at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in February 2023. Graduated with a Ph.D. from Tongji University in 2014. From 2015 to 2023, served as a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and as a research scientist at the Houston Methodist Research Institute. Focuses on immune response and regulatory mechanisms against infections and tumors, achieving significant academic results. Published as first or corresponding author in prestigious journals such as Immunity, Nature Cell Biology (2 articles), Nature Communications, and Journal of Experimental Medicine (2 articles). Received the MD Anderson Cancer Center's Center for Inflammation and Cancer Scholar Award and the A. Lavoy Moore Endowment Fund for Lung Cancer Research. Co-recipient of the Ministry of Education's 2020 First Prize in Natural Science for Outstanding Scientific Research in Higher Education.
Main Research Interests and Directions:
1. Regulation of T cells in tumors, infections, and autoimmune diseases.
2. Mechanisms of immune evasion and tolerance in tumors.
3. Development of targeted drugs for immunotherapy in tumors and autoimmune diseases.
Key Academic Papers (Chronological Order):
(1) L.L. Zhu#, X.F. Zhou, M. Gu, J. Kim, Y.C. Li, C-J Ko, X.P. Xie, T.X. Gao, X.H. Cheng, and S. C. Sun# (2022). Dapl1 controls NFATc2 activation to regulate CD8+ T cell exhaustion and responses in chronic infection and cancer. Nat Cell Biol，24(7):1165-1176. (#co-corresponding author).
(2) Gao, T., T. Liu, C. J. Ko, L. Zhang, D. Joo, X. Xie, L.L. Zhu, Y. Li, X. Cheng and S. C. Sun (2022). Myeloid cell TBK1 restricts inflammatory responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 119(4).
(3) M.Gu, X. Zhou, J. H. Sohn, L.L. Zhu, Z. Jie, J. Y. Yang, X. Zheng, X. Xie, J. Yang, Y. Shi, H. D. Brightbill, J. B. Kim, J. Wang, X. Cheng and S. C. Sun (2021). NF-kappaB-inducing kinase maintains T cell metabolic fitness in antitumor immunity. Nat Immunol 22(2): 193-204.
(4) Li, Y., X. Xie, Z. Jie, L.L. Zhu, J. Y. Yang, C. J. Ko, T. Gao, A. Jain, S. Y. Jung, N. Baran, M. Y. Konopleva, X. Cheng and S. C. Sun (2021). DYRK1a mediates BAFF-induced noncanonical NF-kappaB activation to promote autoimmunity and B-cell leukemogenesis. Blood 138(23): 2360-2371.
(5) Xie, X., L.L. Zhu, Z. Jie, Y. Li, M. Gu, X. Zhou, H. Wang, J. H. Chang, C. J. Ko, X. Cheng and S. C. Sun (2021). TRAF2 regulates T cell immunity by maintaining a Tpl2-ERK survival signaling axis in effector and memory CD8 T cells. Cell Mol Immunol 18(9): 2262-2274.
(6) Ko, C. J., L. Zhang, Z. Jie, L.L. Zhu, X. Zhou, X. Xie, T. Gao, J. Y. Yang, X. Cheng and S. C. Sun (2021). The E3 ubiquitin ligase Peli1 regulates the metabolic actions of mTORC1 to suppress antitumor T cell responses. EMBO J 40(2): e104532.
(7) Zhang, L., C. J. Ko, Y. Li, Z. Jie, L.L. Zhu, X. Zhou, X. Xie, T. Gao, T. Liu, X. Cheng and S. C. Sun (2021). Peli1 facilitates NLRP3 inflammasome activation by mediating ASC ubiquitination. Cell Rep 37(4): 109904.
(8) Z.Jie, C. J. Ko, H. Wang, X. Xie, Y. Li, M. Gu, L.L. Zhu, J. Y. Yang, T. Gao, W. Ru, S. J. Tang, X. Cheng and S. C. Sun (2021). Microglia promote autoimmune inflammation via the noncanonical NF-kappaB pathway. Sci Adv 7(36): eabh0609.
(9) L.L. Zhu, Y. Li, X. Xie, X. Zhou, M. Gu, Z. Jie, C. J. Ko, T. Gao, B. E. Hernandez, X. Cheng and S. C. Sun (2019). TBKBP1 and TBK1 form a growth factor signalling axis mediating immunosuppression and tumourigenesis. Nat Cell Biol 21(12): 1604-1614.
(10) L.L. Zhu, X. Xie, L. Zhang, H. Wang, Z. Jie, X. Zhou, J. Shi, S. Zhao, B. Zhang, X. Cheng and S. C. Sun (2018). TBK-binding protein 1 regulates IL-15-induced autophagy and NKT cell survival. Nat Commun 9(1): 2812.
(11) Z. Jie, J. Y. Yang, M. Gu, H. Wang, X. Xie, Y. Li, T. Liu, L.L. Zhu, J. Shi, L. Zhang, X. Zhou, D. Joo, H. D. Brightbill, Y. Cong, D. Lin, X. Cheng and S. C. Sun (2018). NIK signaling axis regulates dendritic cell function in intestinal immunity and homeostasis. Nat Immunol 19(11): 1224-1235.
(12) L.L. Zhu, T. M. Luo, X. Xu, Y. H. Guo, X. Q. Zhao, T. T. Wang, B. Tang, Y. Y. Jiang, J. F. Xu, X. Lin and X. M. Jia (2016). E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b negatively regulates C-type lectin receptor-mediated antifungal innate immunity. J Exp Med 213(8): 1555-1570.
(13) X.M. Jia*, B. Tang*, L.L. Zhu*, Y. H. Liu, X. Q. Zhao, S. Gorjestani, Y. M. Hsu, L. Yang, J. H. Guan, G. T. Xu and X. Lin (2014). CARD9 mediates Dectin-1-induced ERK activation by linking Ras-GRF1 to H-Ras for antifungal immunity. J Exp Med 211(11): 2307-2321. (*co-first author).
(14) L.L. Zhu, X. Q. Zhao, C. Jiang, Y. You, X. P. Chen, Y. Y. Jiang, X. M. Jia and X. Lin (2013). C-type lectin receptors Dectin-3 and Dectin-2 form a heterodimeric pattern-recognition receptor for host defense against fungal infection. Immunity 39(2): 324-334.
Recruitment:
1. The lab is actively recruiting postdoctoral researchers and associate researchers with backgrounds in bioinformatics, immunology, cell biology, and oncology.
2. Undergraduate and graduate students interested in these research directions are warmly welcome to engage in exchanges, pursue doctoral degrees, or conduct undergraduate thesis research.
Contact:
lzhu6@ustc.edu.cn