Department of Surgery Faculty
Zhenyu Qin, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor / Research
Division: Vascular/Endovascular Surgery
Email: qinz@uthscsa.edu
Lab website: Vascular Metallomics Research Laboratory
Education:
MD, Xian Medical University, Shaanxi,China, 1994.
PhD, Dermatology and Venereology, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking, China, 2000.
MS, Dermatology and Venereology, Xian Medical University, Shaanxi,China, 1997.
Research interests: Vascular biology and physiology; molecular nutrition and copper homeostasis; macrophage biology and homeostasis; lipid biology
Ongoing and completed research support:
National Scientist Development Grant (07/01/2008-06/30/2012, AHA0835268N)
American Heart Association Title: Novel role of macrophage-derived ATP7A in
atherosclerosis. Role: PI.
Advanced Photon Source, US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Title: Role of Menkes protein in atherosclerosis. Role: PI.
URC Faculty Research Development Award (01/01/2008-12/31/2008) Title: Role of macrophage Menkes protein in atherosclerosis. Role: PI.
Publications:
Qin Z, Toursarkissian B, Lai B.
Synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence microscopy reveals a spatial
association of copper on elastic laminae in rat aortic media.
Metallomics, 2011, 3, 823-828
Qin Z, Caruso JA, Lai B, Matusch A, Becker JB. Trace metal imaging with high spatial resolution: Applications in biomedicine. Metallomics, 2011, 3, 28-37.
Becker JS, Breuer U, Hsieh HF, Osterholt T, Kumtabtim U, Wu B, Matusch A, Caruso JA, Qin Z. Bioimaging of Metals and Biomolecules in Mouse Heart by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem. 2010; 82: 9528-9533
Qin Z*, Konaniah ES, Neltner B, Nemenoff RA, Hui DY, Weintraub, NL. Participation of ATP7A in macrophage mediated oxidation of low density lipoprotein. J lipid Res. In press. (*corresponding author)
Easter RN, Chan Q, Lai B, Ritman EL, Caruso J, Qin Z. (2010) Vascular metallomics: copper in the vasculature. Vascular Medicine. 15(1):61-9. Featured article on MDLinx.com
Afton SE, Caruso JA, Britigan BE, Qin Z. (2009) Copper egress is induced by PMA in human THP-1 monocytic cell line. Biometals. 22(3):531-539
Sun H, Liu D, Li S, Qin Z. (2009) Transepithelial transport characteristics of the antihypertensive peptide, Lys-Val-Leu-Pro-Val-Pro, in human intestinal Caco-2 cell monolayers. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 73(2):293-8.
Qin Z, Gongora MC, Ozumi K, Itoh S, Akram K, Ushio-Fukai M, Harrison DG, Fukai T. (2008) Role of Menkes ATPase in Angiotensin II-induced Hypertension. A key modulator for extracellular superoxide dismutase function. Hypertension. 52(5):945-51.
Qin Z. (2008) Newly developed angiotensin II-infused experimental models in vascular biology. Regulatory Peptide. 150(1-3):1-6
Qin Z*. Reszka KJ, Fukai T, Weintraub NL. (2008) Extracellular superoxide dismutase (ecSOD) in vascular biology: an update on exogenous gene transfer and endogenous mediators of ecSOD. Transl Res. 151:68-78 (*corresponding author)
Qin Z, Itoh S, Jeney V, Ushio-Fukai M, Fukai T. (2006) Essential role for the Menkes ATPase in activation of extracellular superoxide dismutase: implication for vascular oxidative stress. FASEB J 20, 334-336
Presentations:
Vascular metallomics, copper and ATP7A. Central Division of Analytical Chemistry, Research Center Juelich,
Germany, December 2009
ATP7A-SOD3 axis in vasculature: a novel redox regulator in blood pressure. Georgia College of Medicine, Vascular Biology Center, September 2008 (invited)
ATP7A-SOD3 axis in vasculature: a novel redox sensor in blood pressure regulation. University of Texas Medical Branch, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, August 2008 (invited)
Role of Copper Metabolism in Vascular Biology - Old Question and New Strategies. Cincinnati Children's Medical Center Vascular Club, February 2008
Role of Copper Metabolism in Vascular Biology - Old Question and New Strategies. Peking University Health Science Center (China), December 2007 (invited)
Copper Trafficking and Cardiovascular Disease. University of Cincinnati, Genome Research Institute, September 2006
Copper Trafficking, Oxidative Stress and Cardiovascular Disease. University of Rochester, Cardiovascular Research Institute, February. 2006 (invited)
GenBank Submissions:
Accession No. FJ997615, 1405 bp, Homo sapiens ATP7A gene, promoter region and 5'
UTR.
Accession No. GU255954, 2257 bp, Homo sapiens ATPase, Cu++ transporting, alpha polypeptide (ATP7A) cDNA containing a host Escherichia coli gene sequence (#2 clone) (In press).
Accession No. GU300144, 2785 bp, Homo sapiens ATPase, Cu++ transporting, alpha polypeptide (ATP7A) cDNA containing a host Escherichia coli gene sequence (#4 clone) (In press).
Biosketch: Dr. Qin received a Master's and MD from Xian Medical University with a specialization in dermatology, and his PhD from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences at Peking Union Medical College, with both his Masters and PhD in microbial infections, inflammation and host-pathogen interactions that led to 7 publications. He was a postdoctoral fellow for one year at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, and a second 3-year postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University. He worked with Drs. Tohru Fukai and David Harrison on reactive oxygen species at Emory Cardiology. Before joining to UTHSCSA Division of Vascular Surgery, Dr. Qin also worked at the University of Cincinnati Division of Cardiovascular Disease for four years as a Research Instructor.
The driving force of Dr. Qin's project is due to advances in techniques and science, it is time to revisit the vascular function of copper, an essential nutrient in human. First, the sensitivity and application of metallomic techniques have greatly improved. Dr. Qin is utilizing a highly novel approach that combines cutting-edge X-ray fluorescence spectrometric (XRF) imaging with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to detect copper concentrations and localization in the blood vessel wall. Application of XRF imaging to biological samples in 2004 represented one of most exciting advances in metallomics. Dr. Barry Lai at the Argonne National Laboratory collaborates with Dr. Qin to apply this technique in vascular study. In addition, the emerging flow injection technique along with improved sample extraction methodology has produced a more powerful ICP-MS. The technique has been optimized and applied in Dr. Qin project in vascular tissues and cells via a close collaboration with Dr. Joseph Caruso in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati. Moreover, they established a novel concept, vascular metallomics, to bridge the gap between vascular biology and metallomics. Second, copper trafficking theory has been recently established and validated in several laboratories. This theory convincingly defines a group of proteins in the regulation of uptake, distribution, sequestration and export of copper. Among these proteins, ATP7A has attracted significant attention since the identification of its function as a copper egress pump and the discovery of mutations of ATP7A leading to human Menkes disease. Dr. Qin's approach is to study the physiopathology of the interaction between cardiovascular homeostasis and copper metabolism in vascular biology via dissecting the function of ATP7A.
Honors and awards:
Fellow of the American Heart Association, 2011
Guest Editor, Metallomics Journal, 2011
Young Investigator Award, Chinese Society of Dermatology, 1996
Chinese Postgraduate Scholarship, Xian Medical University, 1994-1997
Chinese Postgraduate Scholarship, CAMS, 1997-2000
International EID Fellowship, CDC&APHL, 2000
ASM George McCracken ID Fellow Travel Grant, 2002
URC Faculty Research Development Award, University of Cincinnati, 2008
Dean's List, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 2007(December), 2008 (June)
American Heart Association National Scientist Development Award, July 2008-June 2012
One US and European patent (Patent No: US 7427472B2 and EP1438429)
Peer Reviewer, American Heart Association Region II Basic Cell & Molecular Biology
2 peer review committee (Chaired by Dr. Peter Paul Sayeski), April 2009
Abstract grader, American Heart Association Nutrition Conference, 2009
User, Argonne National Laboratory, High End Instrumentation proposal to upgrade
a microprobe to a nanoprobe for X-ray fluorescence microscopy, 2009
Professional societies:
American Heart Association
