Li Zhang

Conferences and Presentations:

• Poster presentation on " Metabolic Reprogramming and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in GDAP1-Related Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease:
  Insights from a Drosophila Model" at NeuroFly meeting, Birmingham, UK (09.2024).
• Oral presentation on "The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as an in vivo model of ferroptosis" at the 3rd Annual Meeting SPP2306 Ferroptosis: From Molecular Basics to Clinical Application, Heidelberg, Germany (11.2023).
• Oral presentation on “Investigating sex differences in ferroptosis in D. melanogaster" at the ReALity Workshop: Gender as a biological variable, Mainz (04.2023)
• Poster presentation for "Response of D. melanogaster strains to erastin-induced oxytosis/ferroptosis" at DFG PRIORITY PROGRAM 2377, Disruptive Memory Technologies, Dresden, Germany (09.2022).
• Poster presentation on "A Gdap1-knockout Drosophila model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease" at the Rhine – Main Neuroscience Network, 7th Biennial Meeting, Oberwesel, Germany (06.2022).
• Oral presentation on "Functional analysis on a mitochondrial inner membrane protein, TMBIM5" at the Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN), Schloss Waldthausen, Budenheim, Germany (09.2017).
• Oral and poster presentations on various topics related to Parkinson's disease and mitochondrial function at Regional Drosophila Meetings in Heidelberg (05.2014) and Osnabrück, Germany (10.2012), ASN Meeting in Cancun, Mexico (04.2013), and the 8th FENS Forum of Neuroscience in Barcelona, Spain (07.2012).

Scientific Talks:

• "The role of Transmembrane Bax inhibitor motif containing protein 5 (TMBIM5) in mitochondrial calcium homeostasis" at the Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, UK (07.2019).
• "Analyzing the Transmembrane Bax inhibitor motif containing protein (TMBIM) family in flies" at the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Signaling, KU Leuven, Belgium (01.2019).
• "The role of Transmembrane Bax inhibitor motif containing protein 5 (TMBIM5) in mitochondrial calcium homeostasis" at the Department of Physiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA (09.2018).
• "Trap1, a new player in Parkinson’s disease" at the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA (12.2016), and at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany (04.2016).

• L Zhang, P Karsten, S Hamm, JH Pogson, AK Müller-Rischart, N Exner, C Haass, AJ Whitworth, KF Winklhofer, JB Schulz, A Voigt. "TRAP1 rescues PINK1 loss-of-function phenotypes." Human Molecular Genetics. 2013 Jul 15; 22(14):2829-2841.
• J Navarro, S Heßner, S Yenisetti, F Bayersdorfer, L Zhang, A Voigt, S Schneuwly, J Botella. "Analysis of dopaminergic neuronal dysfunction in genetic and toxin-induced models of Parkinson’s disease in Drosophila." Journal of Neurochemistry. 2014 Jul 10. doi: 10.1111/jnc.12818.
• M Mallik, M Catinozzi, C Hug, L Zhang, M Wagner, J Bussmann, J Bittern, S Mersmann, C Klämbt, H Drexler, M Huynen, M Vaquerizas, E Storkebaum. "Xrp1 genetically interacts with the ALS-associated FUS ortholog caz and mediates its toxicity." Journal of Cell Biology. 2018 Sep 12. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201802151.
• G Picchiarelli, M Demestre, A Zuko, M Been, J Higelin, S Dieterlé, M-A Goy, M Mallik, C Sellier, J Scekic-Zahirovic, L Zhang, A Rosenbohm, C Sijlmans, A Aly, S Mersmann, I Sanjuan-Ruiz, A Hübers, N Messaddeq, M Wagner, N van Bakel, A-L Boutillier, A Ludolph, C Lagier-Tourenne, T M Boeckers, L Dupuis, E Storkebaum. "FUS-mediated regulation of acetylcholine receptor transcription at neuromuscular junctions is compromised in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis." Nature Neuroscience. 22 (11), 1793-1805, 2019.,
• B Seitaj*, F Maull*, L Zhang, V Wüllner, C Wolf, P Schippers, R La Rovere, U Distler, S Tenzer, JB Parys, G Bultynck, A Methner. "Transmembrane BAX Inhibitor-1 Motif Containing Protein 5 (TMBIM5) Sustains Mitochondrial Structure, Shape, and Function by Impacting the Mitochondrial Protein Synthesis Machinery." Cells. 2021; 9(10): 2147.
• F Dietsche, L Zhang, JW Elrod, A Methner. "MICU1 opens the gates to cold-induced death." Cell Calcium. 98, 102451, 2021.
• L Zhang, S Buhr, A Voigt, A Methner. "The Evolutionary Conserved Transmembrane BAX Inhibitor Motif Containing Protein Family Members 5 and 6 Are Essential for the Development and Survival of Drosophila." Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. 9, 2021.
• L Zhang*, F Dietsche*, B Seitaj*, L Rojas-Charry, N Latchman, D Tomar, R CI Wüst, A Nickel, K BM Frauenknecht, B Schoser, S Schumann, MJ Schmeisser, J v Berg, T Buch, S Finger, P Wenzel, C Maack, JW Elrod, JB Parys, G Bultynck, A Methner. "TMBIM5 loss of function alters mitochondrial matrix ion homeostasis and causes a skeletal myopathy." Life Science Alliance. 17 June 2022.
• S Bitar, T Baumann, C Weber, M Abusaada, L Rojas-Charry, P Ziegler, T Schettgen, IE Randerath, V Venkataramani, B Michalke, G Arena, R Krüger, L Zhang#, A Methner#. "Mitochondrial CISD1 is a downstream target that mediates PINK1 and Parkin loss-of-function phenotypes." bioRxiv. Posted September 29, 2023. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.28.559909

Actively supervised and mentored medical students, significantly contributing to their scientific training and academic development. This included guiding several students through their medical theses and fostering their involvement in research publications.

Notable Student Contributions:

• S Buhr contributed as the second author in "The Evolutionary Conserved Transmembrane BAX Inhibitor Motif (TMBIM) Containing Protein Family Members 5 and 6 Are Essential for the Development and Survival of Drosophila."
• T Baumann, C Weber, and M Abusaada co-authored "Mitochondrial CISD1 is a downstream target that mediates PINK1 and Parkin loss-of-function phenotypes."
• Currently mentoring two medical students on the Gdap1-knockout Drosophila model project, with a forthcoming publication.

• Intramural Mainz 2019 Stufe 1 for "The role of CISD in Parkinson's disease" (39.750 €, 2019-2020)
• Focus Program Translational Neurosciences fellowship (05.2017-04.2019)
• Max Planck Research fellowship (01.2015-09.2016)
• Travel grant for ISN-ASN Meeting 2013 (1200 USD)
• “Extraordinarily Excellent Student” at Huaqiao University, China (Top 0.5% of the university)
• Awards in City Physics Competition and City Olympic Mathematics Competitions, Changchun, China