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Zhihua Jiang Associate Professor and Associate Animal Scientist Ph.D., University of Zagreb, Croatia Phone: (509) 335-8761 Email: JiangZ@wsu.edu

COMPARATIVE GENOME BIOLOGY  Although mammalian genomes have each been shuffled by chromosome rearrangements since their divergence from a common ancestor, most ancestral orthologous genes are retained within each genome.  Due to the advantages of their sequence similarities, large numbers, genome wide distributions and precise localizations, the orthologous genes are universal and unique landmarks to correlate different genomes.   Our research has been focused on how orthologous genes have evolved in terms of their sequences, mapping, expression and function in different mammalian species. Comparative genome biology promises to significantly benefit the livestock industry by providing knowledge and technologies that can help optimize production, quality, nutritional value and resistance to diseases.  As a return, our program enables development of animal models to unravel the genetic basis of complex traits such as many of those affecting human health.

• Evolutionary makeup of the mammalian genomes.
• Animal model genomics.
• Development of the cutting-edge genomics and bioinformatics tools and reagents.

Selected Publications:

1. Jiang Z, Michal JJ, Tobey DJ, Wang Z, MacNeil MD, Magnuson NS. 2008. Comparative understanding of UTS2 and UTS2R genes for their involvement in type 2 diabetes mellitus.  International Journal of Biological Sciences 4: 96-102.
2. Jiang Z, Wu X-L, Zhang M, Michal JJ, Wright Jr. RW.  2008.  The complementary neighborhood patterns and methylation-to-mutation likelihood structures of 15,110 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the bovine genome.  Genetics (in revision).
3. Chen J, Yang XJ, Xia D, Chen J, Wegner J, Jiang Z, Zhao RQ. 2008. SREBF1 expression and genetic polymorphism significantly affect intramuscular fat deposition in the longissimusmuscle of Erhualian and Sutai pigs.  Journal of Animal Science 86:57-63.
4. Kunej T, Wang Z, Michal JJ, Daniels TF, Magnuson NS, Jiang Z.  2007.  Functional UQCRC1 polymorphisms affect promoter activity and body lipid accumulation.  Obesity 15:2896-901.
5. Jiang Z, Wang ZP, Kunej T, Williams GA, Michal JJ, Wu X-L, Magnuson NS.  2007. A novel type of sequence variation - multiple nucleotide length polymorphisms discovered in the bovine genome.  Genetics 76:403-407.
6. Jiang Z, Rothschild MF.  2007.  Swine genome science comes of age.  International Journal of Biological Sciences 3:129-131. 
7. Rothschild MF, Hu Z-L, Jiang Z. 2007.  Advances in QTL mapping in pigs.  International Journal of Biological Sciences 3:192-197. 
8. Williams GA, Ott TL, Michal JJ, Gaskins CT, Wright Jr. RW, Daniels TF, Jiang Z. 2007. Development of a novel model for mapping cryptorchidism in sheep and initial evidence for association of INSL3 with the defect.  Animal Genetics 38:189-191.
9. Xiao QJ, Wibowo TA, Wu X-L, Michal JJ, Reeves JJ, Busboom JR, Thorgaard GH, Jiang Z. 2007.  A simplified QTL mapping approach for screening and mapping of novel AFLP markers associated with beef marbling.  Journal of Biotechnology 127:177-187.
10. Jiang Z, Pappu SS, Rothschild MF. 2007.  Hitting the jackpot twice: identifying and patenting gene tests related to muscle lipid accumulation for meat quality in animals and type 2 diabetes/obesity in humans.  Recent Patents on DNA & Gene Sequences 1:100-111. 
11. Wibowo TA, Michal JJ, Jiang Z. 2007. The corticotropin releasing hormone as a strong candidate gene for marbling and subcutaneous fat depth in beef cattle.  Genome 50:939-945.
12. Jiang Z, Michal JJ, Williams GA, Daniels TF, Kunej T. 2006. Cross species association examination of UCN3 and CRHR2 as potential pharmacological targets for antiobesity drugs.  PloS ONE 1(1):e80.