Update Your ProfileAcademic Title:
Assistant Professor
Primary Appointment:
Physiology
Email:
Location:
BIOPARK1 217
Phone (Primary):
410-706-8041
Education and Training
I obtained my PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Jilin University, China. I was trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the American Red Cross Holland Laboratory at Rockville, Maryland. I joined the faculty of the University of Maryland, School of Medicine in 2007 as a Research Associate. In 2010, I was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology. My research is supported by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Maryland Stem Cell Research Found (MSCRF).
Research/Clinical Keywords
integrin CD11b/CD18 signaling, macrophages, neutrophils, NETS, atherosclerosis mouse model, multiple sclerosis mouse model
Highlighted Publications
Yakovlev S; Cao C; Galisteo R; Zhang L; Strickland DK; Medved L. Fibrin-VLDL Receptor-Dependent Pathway Promotes Leukocyte Transmigration by Inhibiting Src Kinase Fyn and is a Target for Fibrin β15-42 Peptide., Thromb Haemost 2019; 119(11): 1816-1826. PMCID: PMC7179994
Su EJ; Cao C; Fredriksson L; Nilsson I; Stefanitsch C; Stevenson TK; Juanjuan Z; Margret Ragsdale M; Sun Y; Manuel Yepes M; Kuan C; Eriksson U; Strickland DK; Lawrence DA; Zhang L. Microglial-mediated PDGF-CC activation increases cerebrovascular permeability during ischemic stroke. Acta Neuropathol. 2017 Oct;134(4):585-604. PMCID: PMC5587628
Zhan T; Cao C; Li L; Gu N; Civin CI; Zhan X. MIM REGULATES THE TRAFFICKING OF BONE MARROW CELLS VIA MODULATING SURFACE EXPRESSION OF CXCR4. Leukemia. 2016 Jun; 30(6): 1327–1334. PMCID: PMC4889520
Cao C; Zhao J; Doughty EK; Migliorini M; Strickland DK; Kann MG; Zhang L. Mac-1 Regulates IL-13 Activity in Macrophages by Directly Interacting with IL-13Rα1. J Biol Chem. 2015 Aug 28; 290(35): 21642–21651. PMCID: PMC4571887
Yakovlev S; Mikhailenko I; Cao C; Zhang L; Strickland DK; Medved L. Identification of VLDLR as a novel endothelial cell receptor for fibrin that modulates fibrin-dependent transendothelial migration of leukocytes. Blood. 2012 Jan 12; 119(2):637-44. PMCID: PMC3257021
Cao C; Gao Y; Li Y; Antalis TM; Castellino FJ; Zhang L. The efficacy of activated protein C in murine endotoxemia is dependent on integrin CD11b. J Clin Invest 120(6):1971-80 (2010). PMCID: PMC2877939
Li Y; Cao C; Jia W; Yu L; Mo M; Wang Q; Huang Y; Lim J; Ishihara M; Wells L; Azadi P; Robinson H; He Y; Zhang L and Mariuzza RA. Structure of the F-spondin domain of mindin, an integrin ligand and pattern recognition molecule. EMBO J 2009 28(3):286-97. PMCID: PMC2637340
Cao C; Lawrence DA; Li Y; Von Arnim CA; Herz J; Hyman BT; Strickland D; and Zhang L. Fibrinolytic inhibitor PAI-1 and endocytic receptor LRP coordinate Mac-1-dependent macrophage migration into the lymphatic system. EMBO J 2006; 25:1860–1870. PMCID: PMC1456942
Cao C; Lawrence DA; Strickland D; and Zhang, L. A specific role of integrin mac-1 in accelerated macrophage efflux to the lymphatics. Blood 2005; 106:3234-3241. PMCID: PMC1895336
Research Interests
My research focuses on macrophage integrin CD11b/CD18 and its roles in both physiological and pathological processes. In particular, my studies focus on the molecular mechanisms that allow macrophages to migrate within inflammatory process and identify the signaling pathways via integrin CD11b/CD18. The information generated from these studies will assist us in the design of therapeutic reagents to treat inflammation related diseases, such as atherosclerosis, cancer, arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases.