Wei Zou, MD, PhD

Research Interests

I have more than two decades of extensive research experience in bone biology. My research initially focused on understanding the mechanisms by which inflammatory factors, such as LPS and TNF-α, regulate osteoclast differentiation. Subsequently, I dedicated significant effort and time to studying the role that integrins and cytoskeletal proteins play in osteoclast bone-resorbing activity.

In the past decade, I have incorporated the effects of metabolic syndrome on the skeleton into my research efforts, and I recently discovered that Axsl2 not only regulates osteoclastogenesis but also affects glucose and lipid homeostasis as a PPARγ co-activator. Consistent with recent evidence indicating that bone may be affected by the metabolic products of adipose tissue, our lab has established that marrow adipocytic lineage cells regulate the skeleton by expressing bone morphogenetic protein receptor inhibitors, and their depletion results in a rapid and significant increase in bone mass due to BMP activation. These findings have prompted my ongoing project exploring the role of adiponectin-expressing cells in the skeleton.

My current research interest also focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which inflammation regulates bone formation. Inflammation is typically associated with diminished skeletal mass; however, my recent observations challenge this notion, showing that systemic administration of lipopolysaccharide stimulates bone formation in long bones.

Selected Publications

Zou W, Rohatgi N, Brestoff JR, Li Y, Barve RA, Tycksen E, Kim Y, Silva MJ, Teitelbaum SL. Ablation of Fat Cells in Adult Mice Induces Massive Bone Gain. Cell Metab. 2020; 32(5):801-813.

Zou W, Rohatgi N, Brestoff JR, Zhang Y, Scheller EL, Craft CS, Brodt MD, Migotsky N, Silva MJ, Harris CA, Teitelbaum SL. Congenital lipodystrophy induces severe osteosclerosis. PLoS Genet. 2019, 15(6):e1008244.

Zou W, Rohatgi N, Chen TH, Schilling J, Abu-Amer Y, Teitelbaum SL. PPAR-γ regulates pharmacological but not physiological or pathological osteoclast formation. Nat Med. 2016: 22:1203-1205

Izawa T, Rohatgi N, Fukunaga T, Wang QT, Silva MJ, Mc Daniel ML, Abumrad NA, Semenkovich CF, Teitelbaum SL, Zou W. ASXL2 Regulates Glucose, Lipid, and Skeletal Homeostasis. Cell Rep. 2015: 11(10):1625-37.

Zou W, Teitelbaum SL. Absence of Dap12 and the αvβ3 integrin causes severe osteopetrosis. J Cell Biol. 2015: 208(1):125-36.

Assistant:
Jennifer Vollmer
314-454-8463
jvollmer@wustl.edu