Dr. Zhijie Jiang received his PhD in Evolutionary Biology from Louisiana State University in 2006, and then spent one year working on genome annotation projects at Scripps, Florida (The Scripps Research Institute). His main projects at CCS can be divided into two categories: The first is genome assembling using next generation sequencing (NGS) data and genome annotation, his expertise includes both prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes, run on two different NGS platforms; the second focus is gene expression analysis, working with microarray data as well as NGS data. This latter focus allows him to maintain an active interest in gene regulatory networks and promoter prediction.

Dr. Jiang is working in collaboration with the (John P.) Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and UM’s Department of Biology.

Publications:

1. Jiang, Z., Jones, D.H., Khuri, S., Tsinoremas, N.F., Wyss, T., Jander, G., Wilson, A.C. “Comparative analysis of genome sequences from four strains of the Buchnera aphidicola Mp endosymbiont of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae” BMC Genomics. 2013 Dec. 24; 14:917. Doi:10.1186/1471-2164-14-917
2. Jiang Z, Jones DH, Khuri S, Tsinoremas NF, Wyss T, Jander G, Wilson AC. Comparative analysis of genome sequences from four strains of the Buchnera aphidicola Mp endosymbion of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae. BMC Genomics. 2013 Dec 24;14:917. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-917.
3. Wierenga, K.J., Jiang, Z., Yang, A., Mulvihill, J.J., Tsinoremas, N.F. A clinical evaluation tool for SNP arrays, especially for autosomal recessive conditions in offspring of consanguinity. Genetics in Medicine. Accepted.
4. Jing, Y., Kovacs, K., Kurisetty, V., Jiang, Z., Tsinoremas, N., Merchan, J.R. “Role of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 in Urokinase’s Paradoxical In vivo Tumor suppressing or Promoting Effects” Mol. Cancer Res. 2012 Aug. 21 doi:10.1158/15141-7786.MCR-12-0145.
5. Bravo-Egana, V., Rosero, S., Klein, D., Jiang, Z.J., Vargas, N., Tsinoremas, N., Doni, M., Podetta, M., Ricordi, C., Molano, R.D., Pileggi, A., Pastori, R.L. “Inflammation-Mediated Regulation of MicroRNA Expression in Transplanted Pancreatic Islets” J. Transplant, 2012; 2012:723614. Epub (2012) May 10.
6. Winters, K.A., Jiang, Z., Xu, W., Li, S., Ammous, Z., Jayakar, P., Wierenga, K.J. Re-assigned Diagnosis of D4ST1-Deficient Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (Adducted Thumb-Clubfoot Syndrome) After Initial Diagnosis of Marden-Walker Syndrome. American Journal of Medical Genetics. In press.   
7.  Edwards, Y.J.K., Beecham, G.W., Scott, W.K., Khuri, S., Bademci, G., Tekin, D., Martin, E.R., Jiang Z.J., Mash, D.C., ffrenc-Mullen, J., Pericak-Vance, M.A., Tsinoremas, N., Vance, J.M. “Identifying Consensus Disease Pathways in Parkinson’s disease using an Integrative Systems Biology Approach.” PLoS ONE 6(2): e16917.
8. Rosero, S., Bravo-Egana, V., Jiang, Z.J., Khuri, S., Tsinoremas, N., Klein, D., Sabates, E., Correa-Medina, M., Ricordi, C., Domingues-Bendala, J., Diez, J., Pastori, R.L. “MicroRNA signature of the human developing pancreas”, BMC Genomics 2010, 11:509.  
9. Castoe, T.A., Gu,W., Koning, J., Daza, J.M., Jiang, Z.J., Parkinson, C.L., and Pollock, D.D. “Dynamic nucleotide mutation gradients and control region usage in squamate reptile mitochondrial genomes”, Cytogenetic and Genome Research, Published online: March 8, (2010)
10. Castoe, T.A., Jason de Koning, A.T., Kim, H.M., Gu, W., Noonan, B.P., Gavin, N., Jiang, Z.J., Parkinson C.L., and Pollock, D.D., “Evidence for an ancient adaptive episode of convergent molecular evolution”, PNAS  (2009) Apr 28.
11.  Castoe*, T.A., Jiang*, Z.J., Gu, W., Wang, Z.O., Pollock, D.D., 2008 Adaptive evolution and functional redesign of core metabolic proteins in snakes. PLoS ONE. (2008) May 21; 3(5):e2201.
12. Jiang*, Z.J., Castoe*, T.A., Austin, C.C., Burbrink, F.T., Herron, M.D., McGuire, J.A., Parkinson, C.L., and Pollock, D.D. “Comparative mitochondrial genomics of snakes: extraordinary substitution rate dynamics and functionality of the duplicate control region.” BMC Evolutionary Biology (2007) 7:123.
13. Nahum, L.A., Reynolds, M.T., Wang, Z.O., Faith, J.J., Jonna, R., Jiang, Z.J., Meyer, T.J., and Pollock, D.D. “EGenBio: A Data Management System for Evolutionary Genomics and Biodiversity.” BMC Bioinformatics (2006) Sep 26.