Dr. Tang is currently a Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology. Dr. Tang has a broad background in Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Medicine, with specific training and expertise in protein kinases, phosphatases, and signal transduction. His research focuses on defining the molecular mechanisms that underlie the development of acute lung diseases. His group has extensively worked on the regulation of lung epithelial barrier function and permeability, lung epithelial cell signaling and cell death such as apoptosis and necroptosis under normal and inflammatory conditions in vitro and in vivo. He is particularly interested in understanding the role of necroptosis of pulmonary epithelial cells and macrophages in acute lung injuries resulting from infections to sterile inflammation. A major goal is to develop cell type-specific necroptosis inhibitors to treated various forms of acute lung injuries. Dr. Tang also investigates the role of transcription factor Runx3 in host immune response to lung infection and injury. His group has recently developed inducible general and conditional Runx3 knockout mouse models for the study of influenza infection.

Education & Training

Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN
Post Doc, Biochemistry, 1994-1998

Shanghai Medical University - Shanghai, China
PhD, Biochemistry, 1988-1993

Courses Taught

BIOT 5222/5222L: Advanced Metabolism: Sugars and Polysaccharides
BIOT 6311: Advanced Techniques in Molecular Biology
BIOT 5211/5211L: Advanced Biotechniques
BIOT 5132: Critical Reading II Class

Research Interest

• To identify the mediators that regulate necroptosis of lung tissue cells during acute lung injury
• To develop cell type specific necroptosis inhibitors for the treatment of acute lung injury and inflammation
• To define the role of Runx3 in host innate and adaptive immune responses to respiratory virus infection

Publication Highlights

• Hao Q, Kundu S, Shetty S, Tucker T, Idell S, and Tang H*. Inducible General Knockout of Runx3 Profoundly Reduces Pulmonary Cytotoxic CD8 + T Cells with Minimal Effect on Outcomes in Mice following Influenza Infection. Front. Immunol. 2022, 07 October, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.1011922. PMID: 36275778, PMCID: PMC9586250

• Venkatesan S, Fan L, Tang H*, Konduru NV, Shetty S. Caveolin-1 scaffolding domain peptide abrogates autophagy dysregulation in pulmonary fibrosis. Sci. Rep. 2022 Jun 30;12(1):11086. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-14832-4. PMID: 35773303 PMCID: PMC9246916

• Hao Q, Shetty S, Tucker T, Idell S, and Tang H*. Interferon-gamma Preferentially Promotes Necroptosis of Lung Epithelial Cells by Upregulating MLKL. Cells 2022 Feb 6;11(3):563. doi: 10.3390/cells11030563. PMID: 35159372, PMCID: PMC8833897

• Hao Q, Idell S, and Tang H*. M1 Macrophages Are More Susceptible to Necroptosis. J. Cell Immunol. 2021;3(2):97-102. doi: 10.33696/immunology.3.084. PMID: 33959729; PMCID: PMC8098744

• Hao Q, Kundu S, Kleam J, Zhao J, Idell S, and Tang H*. Enhanced RIPK3 Kinase Activity-dependent Lytic Cell Death in M1 but Not M2 Macrophages. Mol. Immunol. 2021 Jan;129:86-93. doi: 10.1016/j.molimm. 2020.11.001. PMID: 33221042 PMCID: PMC7750277.

• Wang Y, Hao Q, Florence JM, Jung BG, Kurdowska AK, Samten B, Idell S, and Tang H*. Influenza Virus Infection Induces ZBP1 Expression and Necroptosis in Mouse Lungs. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 2019 Aug 7;9:286. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00286. PMID: 31440477; PMCID: PMC6694206