See the full list of publications and citations for Dr. Gu

• Association of mitochondrial DNA variants with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) symptoms
  MR Hanson, Z Gu, A Keinan, K Ye, A Germain, P Billing-Ross
  Journal of Translational Medicine 14 (1), 342

• Genetic Evidence for Elevated Pathogenicity of Mitochondrial DNA Heteroplasmy in Autism Spectrum Disorder
  Y Wang, M Picard, Z Gu
  PLoS Genet 12 (10), e1006391

• Coordinated Evolution of Transcriptional and Post-Transcriptional Regulation for Mitochondrial Functions in Yeast Strains
  X Sun, Z Wang, X Guo, H Li, Z Gu
  PloS one 11 (4), e0153523

• RNA Sequencing: A Novel FADS2 Isoform Identified in Milk Fat Globule Suppresses FADS2 Mediated Delta 6-Desaturation of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  KSD Kothapalli, HG Park, X Guo, X Sun, J Zou, SS Hyon, X Qin...
  The FASEB Journal 30 (1 Supplement), 684.12-684.12

• Positive selection on a regulatory insertion-deletion polymorphism in FADS2 influences apparent endogenous synthesis of arachidonic acid
  KSD Kothapalli, K Ye, MS Gadgil, SE Carlson, KO O’Brien, JY Zhang, ...
  Molecular biology and evolution, msw049

• Mitochondrial DNA variants correlate with symptoms in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
  P Billing-Ross, A Germain, K Ye, A Keinan, Z Gu, MR Hanson
  Journal of translational medicine 14 (1), 19

• Very Short Mitochondrial DNA Fragments and Heteroplasmy in Human Plasma
  R Zhang, K Nakahira, X Guo, AMK Choi, Z Gu
  Scientific Reports 6

in the news:

• Mounting evidence links mitochondrial DNA to autism
• Mutations in mitochondria genes may raise autism risk
• Study shows link between mitochondrial DNA and autism
• Autism spectrum disorder linked to mutations in some mitochondrial DNA
• Internationalization grants awarded to faculty
• Healthy people carry disease-causing mitochondrial DNA mutations

Mitochondria evolved through an ancient symbiosis event about two billion years ago. Energetically this made the evolution of multicellularity possible. The mitochondrion is an essential organelle, as it functions as the "power plant" for the cell, producing most of a cell's energy in the form of ATP. Mitochondria are also the centers of signal transduction controlling many biological pathways. Mitochondrion is the only organelle with its own genetic materials (mtDNA), which is functionally compact with a much higher mutation rate (~50X) than the nuclear genome. Due to the functional importance of mitochondria and high mutation rate in mtDNA, we investigate the roles of mtDNA mutations in diseases. A combination of computational and experimental approaches are employed in our research. We are also interested in understanding the role of mitochondria in environmental adaptation.

Evolution of mitochondrial functions: We are interested in the evolution of yeast aerobic fermentation and the regulatory changes of mitochondria during this process. We are also conducting computational and experimental approaches to investigate the role of mtDNA mutations in organismal adaptation, including humans.

Role of mtDNA mutations in diseases: We are interested in understanding the role of mtDNA mutations in age-related diseases and some childhood diseases. In particular, we are trying to uncover the pattern of mtDNA mutations and their association with various diseases, understand the molecular consequences following mtDNA mutations, and come up with approaches to slow down or even eliminate mtDNA mutations.