Xuming Zhang is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine. He holds a Ph.D. from Justus-Liebig University of Giessen, Germany, with postdoctoral training at Louisiana State University and the University of Southern California School of Medicine. His research focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms of coronavirus pathogenesis, particularly using murine coronavirus (MHV) as a model to study multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases. Key interests include viral RNA persistence in central nervous system (CNS) cells, viral-induced apoptosis in oligodendrocytes, and regulation of viral RNA synthesis through cellular signaling pathways such as MEK/ERK. His lab also explores antiviral drug discovery and development of viral vectors for vaccine applications. Recent work highlights studies on resveratrol's antiviral effects via sirtuins, identification of anti-coronavirus compounds, and analysis of coronavirus stability on food surfaces. His research bridges molecular virology, neuroimmunology, and host-pathogen interactions, with implications for developing therapies against viral CNS infections. Dr. Zhang's laboratory investigates cellular gene regulation during coronavirus infection, including over 200 differentially expressed genes identified via microarray analysis. Current efforts focus on mechanisms linking viral persistence to oligodendrocyte dysfunction and the role of transcription factors like Egr-1 in viral replication.










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