Featured Publications

Nucleotide metabolic rewiring enables NLRP3 inflammasome hyperactivation in obesity.

Liu D, Zhou C, Wang X, Luo Z, Xu R, Huo S, Guo L, Luo X, Yang S, Click A, Vancil J, Barajas P, Mijares V, Baniasadi H, Yan N, Rehwinkel J, Hancks DC, Chen EH, Liang S, Zhong Z, 2026 Jan Science 6782 391 eadq9006

Prolonged hypernutrition impairs TREM2-dependent efferocytosis to license chronic liver inflammation and NASH development.

Wang X, He Q, Zhou C, Xu Y, Liu D, Fujiwara N, Kubota N, Click A, Henderson P, Vancil J, Marquez CA, Gunasekaran G, Schwartz ME, Tabrizian P, Sarpel U, Fiel MI, Diao Y, Sun B, Hoshida Y, Liang S, Zhong Z, 2022 Dec Immunity

New mitochondrial DNA synthesis enables NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Zhong Z, Liang S, Sanchez-Lopez E, He F, Shalapour S, Lin XJ, Wong J, Ding S, Seki E, Schnabl B, Hevener AL, Greenberg HB, Kisseleva T, Karin M 2018 Aug Nature 7717 560 198-203

Limiting inflammation - The negative regulation of NF-B and the NLRP3 inflammasome

Afonina IS, Zhong Z, Karin M, Beyaert R 2017 Jul Nat. Immunol. 8 18 861-869

Papilloma-pseudovirus eradicates intestinal tumours and triples the lifespan of ApcMin/+ mice.

Zhong Z, Zhai Y, Bu P, Shah S, Qiao L 2017 Nat Commun Apr 11 8 15004.

Autophagy, Inflammation, and Immunity: A Troika Governing Cancer and Its Treatment.

Zhong Z, Sanchez-Lopez E, Karin M 2016 Jul Cell 2 166 288-298

NF-?B Restricts Inflammasome Activation via Elimination of Damaged Mitochondria.

Zhong Z, Umemura A, Sanchez-Lopez E, Liang S, Shalapour S, Wong J, He F, Boassa D, Perkins G, Ali SR, McGeough MD, Ellisman MH, Seki E, Gustafsson AB, Hoffman HM, Diaz-Meco MT, Moscat J, Karin M 2016 Feb Cell 5 164 896-910

TRPM2 links oxidative stress to NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Zhong Z, Zhai Y, Liang S, Mori Y, Han R, Sutterwala FS, Qiao L 2013 Nat Commun 4 1611

TREM2-expressing macrophages in liver diseases.

Wang X, Qiu Z, Zhong Z, Liang S, 2025 May Trends Endocrinol Metab

Molecular signatures of long-term hepatocellular carcinoma risk in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Fujiwara N, Kubota N, Crouchet E, Koneru B, Marquez CA, Jajoriya AK, Panda G, Qian T, Zhu S, Goossens N, Wang X, Liang S, Zhong Z, Lewis S, Taouli B, Schwartz ME, Fiel MI, Singal AG, Marrero JA, Fobar AJ, Parikh ND, Raman I, Li QZ, Taguri M, Ono A, Aikata H, Nakahara T, Nakagawa H, Matsushita Y, Tateishi R, Koike K, Kobayashi M, Higashi T, Nakagawa S, Yamashita YI, Beppu T, Baba H, Kumada H, Chayama K, Baumert TF, Hoshida Y, 2022 Jun Sci Transl Med 650 14 eabo4474

Soluble a-synuclein-antibody complexes activate the NLRP3 inflammasome in hiPSC-derived microglia.

Trudler D, Nazor KL, Eisele YS, Grabauskas T, Dolatabadi N, Parker J, Sultan A, Zhong Z, Goodwin MS, Levites Y, Golde TE, Kelly JW, Sierks MR, Schork NJ, Karin M, Ambasudhan R, Lipton SA, 2021 Apr Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 15 118

Emerging Role of Mitochondrial DNA as a Major Driver of Inflammation and Disease Progression.

Zhong F, Liang S, Zhong Z, 2019 Nov Trends Immunol.

Murine macrophage autophagy protects against alcohol-induced liver injury by degrading interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) and removing damaged mitochondria.

Liang S, Zhong Z, Kim SY, Uchiyama R, Roh YS, Matsushita H, Gottlieb RA, Seki E, 2019 Jun J. Biol. Chem.

Choline Uptake and Metabolism Modulate Macrophage IL-1ß and IL-18 Production

Sanchez-Lopez E, Zhong Z, Stubelius A, Sweeney SR, Booshehri LM, Antonucci L, Liu-Bryan R, Lodi A, Terkeltaub R, Lacal JC, Murphy AN, Hoffman HM, Tiziani S, Guma M, Karin M, 2019 Apr Cell Metab.

NADPH Oxidase 1 in Liver Macrophages Promotes Inflammation and Tumor Development in Mice.

Liang S, Ma HY, Zhong Z, Dhar D, Liu X, Xu J, Koyama Y, Nishio T, Karin D, Karin G, Mccubbin R, Zhang C, Hu R, Yang G, Chen L, Ganguly S, Lan T, Karin M, Kisseleva T, Brenner DA 2018 Nov Gastroenterology

Inflammation-induced IgA+ cells dismantle anti-liver cancer immunity.

Shalapour S, Lin XJ, Bastian IN, Brain J, Burt AD, Aksenov AA, Vrbanac AF, Li W, Perkins A, Matsutani T, Zhong Z, Dhar D, Navas-Molina JA, Xu J, Loomba R, Downes M, Yu RT, Evans RM, Dorrestein PC, Knight R, Benner C, Anstee QM, Karin M 2017 Nov Nature 7680 551 340-345

p62, Upregulated during Preneoplasia, Induces Hepatocellular Carcinogenesis by Maintaining Survival of Stressed HCC-Initiating Cells.

Umemura A, He F, Taniguchi K, Nakagawa H, Yamachika S, Font-Burgada J, Zhong Z, Subramaniam S, Raghunandan S, Duran A, Linares JF, Reina-Campos M, Umemura S, Valasek MA, Seki E, Yamaguchi K, Koike K, Itoh Y, Diaz-Meco MT, Moscat J, Karin M 2016 06 Cancer Cell 6 29 935-948

Targeting colorectal cancer via its microenvironment by inhibiting IGF-1 receptor-insulin receptor substrate and STAT3 signaling.

Sanchez-Lopez E, Flashner-Abramson E, Shalapour S, Zhong Z, Taniguchi K, Levitzki A, Karin M, 2016 05 Oncogene 20 35 2634-44

Immunosuppressive plasma cells impede T-cell-dependent immunogenic chemotherapy.

Shalapour S, Font-Burgada J, Di Caro G, Zhong Z, Sanchez-Lopez E, Dhar D, Willimsky G, Ammirante M, Strasner A, Hansel DE, Jamieson C, Kane CJ, Klatte T, Birner P, Kenner L, Karin M 2015 May Nature 7550 521 94-8

ER stress cooperates with hypernutrition to trigger TNF-dependent spontaneous HCC development.

Nakagawa H, Umemura A, Taniguchi K, Font-Burgada J, Dhar D, Ogata H, Zhong Z, Valasek MA, Seki E, Hidalgo J, Koike K, Kaufman RJ, Karin M 2014 Sep Cancer Cell 3 26 331-343

Novel fate-tracing strategies show that hepatic stellate cells mediate fibrosis in vivo.

Liang S, Zhong Z, Seki E 2014 Jun Gastroenterology 7 146 1823-5

Interleukin-17 receptor a signaling in transformed enterocytes promotes early colorectal tumorigenesis.

Wang K, Kim MK, Di Caro G, Wong J, Shalapour S, Wan J, Zhang W, Zhong Z, Sanchez-Lopez E, Wu LW, Taniguchi K, Feng Y, Fearon E, Grivennikov SI, Karin M 2014 Dec Immunity 6 41 1052-63

Mitochondrial cardiolipin is required for Nlrp3 inflammasome activation.

Iyer SS, He Q, Janczy JR, Elliott EI, Zhong Z, Olivier AK, Sadler JJ, Knepper-Adrian V, Han R, Qiao L, Eisenbarth SC, Nauseef WM, Cassel SL, Sutterwala FS 2013 Aug Immunity 2 39 311-23