PI of the Laboratory

Ming Zheng, M.D., Ph.D. 

Dr. Zheng obtained her M.D. in 1993 from Xi'an Medical University and her Ph.D. in 2001 from Peking University. Currently Dr. Zheng’s research interests mainly focus on the changes and mechanisms of mitochondrial dynamics, mitochondrial networks, mitochondria-sarcoplasmic reticulum crosstalk and mitophagy during cardiovascular diseases and exercises. Dr. Zheng is now the Principal Investigator of several national grants.
Email: zhengm@bjmu.edu.cn

Research Directions

1. The network and quality control of cardiac mitochondria and the cross talk and molecular linkers of cardiac mitochondria with sarcoplasmic reticulum;

2. The regulation of skeletal muscle homeostasis during exercises;

   
   

Publications

1. Zhou Y, Jia S, Xiong Y, Gan L, Yan S, Zhao J, Leng M, Yang F, Zhao M, Liu L, Cao Y, Ye J, Zheng M*. Mitochondria-derived vesicles serve as reactors in response to stress in cardiomyocytes. Cell Commun Signal. 2025 Dec 18;24(1):40.

2. Leng M, Yang F, Zhao J, Xiong Y, Zhou Y, Zhao M, Jia S, Liu L, Zheng Q, Gan L, Ye J, Zheng M*. Mitophagy-mediated S1P facilitates muscle adaptive responses to endurance exercise through SPHK1-S1PR1/S1PR2 in slow-twitch myofibers. Autophagy. 2025 Oct;21(10):2111-2129

3. Weng L, Ye J, Yang F, Jia S, Leng M, Jia B, Xu C, Zhao Y, Liu R, Xiong Y, Zhou Y, Zhao J, Zheng M*. TGF-b1/SMAD3 Regulates Programmed Cell Death 5 That Suppresses Cardiac Fibrosis Post-Myocardial Infarction by Inhibiting HDAC3. Circ Res. 2023 Jul 21; 133:237-251

4. Liu RX, Xu CL, Zhang WL, Cao YP, Ye JJ, Li B, Jia S, Weng L, Liu YY, Liu L, Zheng M*. FUNDC1-mediated mitophagy and HIF1a activation drives pulmonary hypertension during hypoxia. Cell Death & Disease. 2022; 13:634

5. Xu C, Cao Y, Liu R, Liu L, Zhang W, Fang X, Jia S, Ye J, Liu Y, Weng L, Qiao X, Li B, Zheng M*. Mitophagy-regulated mitochondrial health strongly protects the heart against cardiac dysfunction after acute myocardial infarction. J Cell Mol Med. 2022;26:1315–1326

6. Cao YP, Xu CL, Ye YY, He QH, Zhang XZ, Jia S, Qiao X, Zhang CL, Liu RX, Weng L, Liu YY, Liu L, Zheng M*. Miro2 regulates inter-mitochondrial communication in the heart and protects against TAC-induced cardiac dysfunction. Circ Res. 2019 Sep 27; 125(8):728-743

7. Ye J, Zheng Q, Jia S, Qiao X, Cao Y, Xu C, Weng L, Zhao L, Chen Y, Liu J, Wang T, Cheng H, Zheng M*. Programmed Cell Death 5 Provides Negative Feedback on Cardiac Hypertrophy Through the Stabilization of SERCA2a Protein. Hypertension. 2018; 72(4): 889–901

8. Weng L, Jia S, Xu C, Ye J, Cao Y, Liu Y, Zheng M*. Nogo-C regulates post myocardial infarction fibrosis through the interaction with ER Ca2+ leakage channel Sec61α in mouse hearts. Cell Death & Disease. 2018, 9(6): 612.

9. Jia S, Qiao X, Ye J, Fang X, Xu C, Cao Y, Zheng M*. Nogo-C Regulates Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis during Mouse Myocardial Infarction. Cell Death & Disease. 2016,7(10): e2432

10. Huang X, Sun L, Ji S, Zhao T, Zhang W, Xu J, Zhang J, Wang Y, Wang X, Franzini-Amstrong C*, Zheng M*, Cheng P. Kissing and nanotunneling mediate intermitochondrial communication in the heart. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 2013; 110(8):2846-2851.

Grants

1. Mechanisms of EMC6/ERAD in regulating SR homeostasis during cardiac hypertrophy. National Natural Science Foundation of China (Ming Zheng)

2. Exercise on development and homeostasis. National Key Research and Development Program of China (Ming Zheng)

3. Mitochondria-sarcoplasmic reticulum interactions in cardiac mypertrophy. National Natural Science Foundation of China (Ming Zheng)

4. The role of PDCD5 in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy. National Natural Science Foundation of China (Ming Zheng)

5. The function and mechanism of PTPIP51 in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury. National Natural Science Foundation of China (Ming Zheng)

6. Mechanisms of cardiac inter-mitochondrial communication and the pathophysiological relevance. National Natural Science Foundation of China (Ming Zheng)

7. Mechanisms of mitochondria dysfunction in early heart failure. National Key Basic Research Program of China (Ming Zheng)

8. The function and mechanism of Nogo-C in regulation of cardiomyocyte sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium homeostasis. National Nature Science Foundation of China (Shi Jia)

   
   

Lab members