Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Program Focus
Numerous bacterial pathogens use their type IV pilus (T4P) as critical virulence determinants in their infection and disease cycles. The Yang lab explores T4P as a target for the attenuation of T4P functions in bacterial pathogens with T4P-dependent processes.
Selected Publications
Sukmana, A, and Z Yang. 2018. The type IV pilus assembly motor PilB is a robust hexameric ATPase with complex kinetics. Biochem J 475 (11): 1979-1993
Black WP, L Wang, X Jing, RC Saldana, F Li, BE Scharf, FD Schubot, Z Yang. 2017. The type IV pilus assembly ATPase PilB functions as a signaling protein to regulate exopolysaccharide production in Myxococcus xanthus. Sci Rep 7:7263.
Mancl JM, WP Black, H, Robinson, Z Yang, FD Schubot. Crystal Structure of a Type IV Pilus Assembly ATPase: Insights into the Molecular Mechanism of PilB from Thermus thermophilus. Structure. 2016. (Highlighted in a preview)
Black, WP, L Wang, MY, Davis, Z Yang. The orphan response regulator EpsW is a substrate of the DifE kinase and it regulates exopolysaccharide in Myxococcus xanthus. Sci Rep: 5:17831. 2015
Yang, Z, C Li, C Friedric, and L Søgaard-Andersen.. Type IV pili and exopolysaccharide dependent motility in Myxococcus xanthus. Chapter in “Myxobacteria: Genomics, Molecular and Cellular”, Ed. Z. Yang and P Higgs. Caister Academic Press, 2014.
Li, C., RA Wallace, WP Black, YZ Li, Z Yang†. Type IV pilus proteins form an integrated structure extending from the cytoplasm to the outer membrane. PloS One. 8(7):e70144. 2013.
Belden, LK, WE Peterman, SA Smith, LR Brooks, EF Benfield, WP Black, Z Yang, and JM Wojdak. Metagonimoides oregonensis (Digenea, Heterophyidae) infection in pleurocerid snails and Desmognathus quadramaculatus salamander larvae in southern Appalachian streams Journal of Parasitology. 98(4):760-7, 2012
Xu, Q, WP Black, HM Nascimi and Z. Yang. DifA, an MCP-like sensory protein, uses a novel signaling mechanism to regulate exopolysaccharide production in Myxococcus xanthus. Journal of Bacteriology. 193: 759-767, 2011
Black, WP, FD Schubot, Z Li and Z Yang. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation among Dif chemosensory proteins essential for EPS regulation in Myxococcus xanthus. Journal of Bacteriology, 192:4267-4274, 2010.