Bin Zhou, M.D., Ph.D.

We study factors and mechanisms that control heart development to understand the pathogenesis of congenital heart disease as well as to gain insights into potential repairing mechanisms to combat heart disease. We use mice, mouse and human stem cells as model systems in our research. We apply an integrated approach of genetics, developmental, molecular and systems biology and advanced single cell technologies and CRISPR gene editing to address three major questions: (1) How individual cardiac cells and lineages are specified, maintained, or diversified during cardiac development, disease, aging, or regeneration?  (2) How cell-cell, or cell-environment communications are modulated to control cardiac functions under these conditions? (3) How fetal cardiac gene program is controlled during development and reactivated in the diseased heart? 

Lu P, Wu B, Wang Y, Zhang J., Zhou B. A sandwiched ventricular explant assay to model mouse coronary angiogenesis ex vivo. STAR Protoc. 2023 Oct 27;4(4) doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102619

Wu B, Wu B, Benkaci S, Shi L, Lu L, Park T, Morrow BE, Wang Y, Zhou B. Crk and Crkl are required in the endocardial lineage for heart valve development. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Sep 19;12(18):e029683. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.123.029683

Lu P, Wang Y, Wu B, Russell M., Bernard, DJ, Zheng D, Zhou, B. Prerequisite endocardial-mesenchymal transition for cardiac trabecular angiogenesis. Dev Cell 2023 May 8;58(9):791-805

Lu P, Wang Y, Wu B, Liu Y, Wang Y, Liu Y, Cheng W, Feng X, Yuan X, Atteya MM, Ferro H, Sugi Y, Rydquist G, Esmaily M, Butcher JT, Chang CP, Lenz J, Zheng D, Zhou B. (2022) A SOX17-PDGFB signaling axis regulates aortic root development. Nat Commun Jul 13;13(1):4065. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-31815-1
Lu P, Wu B, Feng X, Cheng W, Kitsis RN, Zhou B. (2022) Cardiac Myosin Heavy Chain Reporter Mice to Study Heart Development and Disease. Circ Res https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.122.321461 Circ Res 2022;0:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.122.321461

Lu P, Wang Y, Liu Y, Wang Y, Wu B, Zheng D, Harvey RP, Zhou B. (2021) Perinatal angiogenesis from preexisting coronary vessels via DLL4/NOTCH1 signalling. Nat Cell Biol 2021 Sep;23(9):967-977. doi: 10.1038/s41556-021-00747-1. Epub 2021 Sep 8

Wang Y, Lu, P, Jiang Liping, Wu B, Zhou B. (2020) Control of sinus venous valve and sinoatrial node development by endocardial NOTCH1. Cardiovasc Res 116(8):1473-1486

del Monte-Nieto G, Ramialison M, Cherian AV, Wu B, Aharonov A, D’Uva G, Bourke LM, Pitulescu ME, Chen H, Shou W, Adams RH, Harten SK, Tzahor E, Zhou B, Harvey RP. (2018) Extracellular matrix dynamics reveals the building plan for cardiac trabeculation. Nature 557(7705):439-445

Wang Y, Lu P, Wu B, Riascos-Bernal DF, Sibinga NES, Valenta T, Basler K, Zhou B. (2018) Myocardial β-Catenin-BMP2 signaling promotes mesenchymal cell proliferation during endocardial cushion formation. J Mol Cell Cardiol 123:150-158

Wang Y, Lu P, Wu B, Morrow BE, Zhou B. (2018) NOTCH maintains developmental cardiac gene network through WNT5A J Mol Cell Cardiol 125:98-105

Wang Y, Wu B, Lu P, Zhang D, Wu B, Varshney S, Del Monte-Nieto G, Zhuang Z, Charafeddine R, Kramer AH, Sibinga NE, Frangogiannis NG, Kitsis RN, Adams RH, Alittalo K, Sharp DJ, Harvey RP, Stanley P, Zhou B. (2017) Uncontrolled angiogenic precursor expansion causes coronary artery anomalies in mice lacking Pofut1. Nat Commun 18;8(1):578

Wu B, Wang Y, Xiao F, Butcher JT, Yutezy KE, Zhou B. (2017) Developmental mechanisms in aortic valve malformation and disease. Annu Rev Physiol 79:21-41

Zhang D, Wu B, Wang P, Wang Y, Nechiporuk T, Floss T, Greally JM, Zheng D, Zhou B. (2017) Non-CpG methylation by DNMT3B facilitates REST binding and gene silencing in developing mouse hearts. Nucleic Acids Res 45:3102-3115

Wang, Y, Wu B, Farrar E, Alfieri CM, Lui, W, Lu P, Zhang D, Mao K, Chu M, Yang D, Xu D, Rauchman M, Taylor V, Yutzey KE, Butcher JT, Zhou B. (2017) Notch-Tnf signaling is required for development and homeostasis of arterial valves. Eur Heart J 38:675-686

Wu B, Zhang Z, Lui W, Chen X, Moreno-Rodriquez RA, Wang Y, Chamberlain A, Markwald RA, O’Rourke B, Sharp DJ, Lenz J, Baldwin HS, Chang CP, Zhou B. (2012) Endocardial Cells Form the Coronary Arteries by Angiogenesis through Myocardial to Endocardial VEGF Signaling. Cell 151:1083-1096.
Wu B, Wang Y, Lui W, Langworthy M, Tompkins KL, Hatzopoulos AK, Baldwin, HS, Zhou B. (2011) Nfatc1 Coordinates valve endocardial cell lineage development required for heart valve formation. Circ Res 109:183-192.