Feng-Qi Zhao, Ph D

Associate Professor
Laboratory of Lactation and Mammary Gland Biology
Member of Vermont Cancer Center
Faculty of Biological Sciences

#211 Terrill Hall, 570 Main Street
Burlington, VT 05405-0148
Telephone: (802) 656-0786
Fax: (802) 656-8196
Email: fzhao@uvm.edu
Website: http://www.uvm.edu/~fzhao

Education

• B.S.: Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, China
• M.S.: Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiansu, China
• Ph.D.: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
• Post-doctor: NIDDK, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

Research

My main areas of expertise are in mammary gland biology and lactation physiology. Research at my laboratory mainly focuses on i) glucose supply and utilization in milk production, ii) regulation of milk protein gene expression, and iii) the role of Oct transcription factors in mammary tumorigenesis. My research is primarily aimed at the improvement of the productivity of dairy animals in agriculture and the discovery of the causes and possible cure of breast cancer in medicine.

• Laboratory of Lactation and Metabolic Physiology
• Recent Publications:
  • Xi Qian, and Feng-Qi Zhao. (2013). Interactions of the ubiquitous octamer-binding transcription factor-1 with both the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 and the glucocorticoid receptor mediate prolactin and glucocorticoid-induced ¦Â-casein gene expression in mammary epithelial cells. International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology 45, 724-735.
  • Feng-Qi Zhao. (2013). Octamer-binding transcription factors: genomics and functions (invited review). Frontiers in Bioscience (in press).
  • Yong Shao, Emma H. Wall, Thomas B. McFadden, Yong Misra, Xi Qian, Ruth Blauwiekel, David Kerr, and Feng-Qi Zhao. (2012). Lactogenic hormones stimulate expression of lipogenic genes but not glucose transporters in bovine mammary gland. Domestic Animal Endocrinology 44, 57-69. Epub September 29, 2012.
  • Lei J, Feng D, Zhang Y, Zhao F-Q, Wu Z, Gabriel AS, Fujishima Y, Uneyama H, Wu G (2012) Nutritional and regulatory role of branched-chain amino acids in lactation. Frontiers in Bioscience 17, 2725-2739.
  • Bentley P, Shao Y, Misra Y, Morielli AD, Zhao F-Q (2012) Characterization of bovine glucose transporter 1 kinetics and substrate specificities in Xenopus oocytes. Journal of Dairy Science 95 (3), 1188-1197.
  • Misra Y, Bentley PA, Bond JP, Tighe S, Hunter T, Zhao F-Q (2011) Mammary gland morphological and gene expression changes underlying pregnancy protection of breast cancer tumorigenesis. Physiological Genomics 44 (1), 76-88. Epub November 15, 2011.
  • Elsik CG, Tellam RL, Worley KC, ... Zhao F-Q (2009) The Genome sequence of taurine cattle: A window to ruminant biology and evolution. Science 324, 522-528.
  • Finucane KA, McFadden TB, Bond JP, Kennelly JJ, Zhao F-Q (2008) Onset of lactation in the bovine mammary gland: gene expression profiling indicates a strong inhibition of gene expression in cell proliferation. Functional and Integrative Genomics 8, 251-264.
  • Zhao F-Q, Keating AF (2007) Functional properties and genomics of glucose transporters (review). Current Genomics 8, 113-128.
  • Zhao F-Q, Keating AF (2007) Invited review: Expression and regulation of glucose transporters in bovine mammary gland. Journal of Dairy Science 90 (Suppl. 1), E76-E86.
  • Dong B, Zhao F-Q (2007) Involvement of the ubiquitous Oct-1 transcription factor in hormonal induction of beta-casein gene expression. Biochemical Journal 401, 57-64.
  • More publications

Current teaching:

• ASCI 141: Anatomy and Physiology of Domestic Animals