Senior Scientist, Chronic Disease Program
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Associate Professor, Department of Medicine & Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology
University of Ottawa

Cholesterol regulation and transport
Membrane nano-domains
ATP-binding cassette transporter proteins
Atherosclerosis and macrophage inflammation

Dr. Zha obtained her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) with Dr. George Morrison, studying secondary ion mass spectrometry. She then pursued postdoctoral research in cell biology with Dr. Fred Maxfield at Columbia University in New York City, where she used advanced fluorescent microscopy to study cellular membrane dynamics. It is during this period that she developed interests in cholesterol and, particularly, how cholesterol disregulation impacts on human diseases such as atherosclerosis, inflammation and metabolic syndromes.

1.   L. Ma, F. Dong, M. Zaid, A. Kumar and X. Zha. “ABCA1 Enhances TLR4-Stimulated IL-10 Secretion through PKA Activation.” J. Biol. Chem., 2012, 23;287(48):40502-12

2.  L.T. Ma, F. Dong, M. Denis, Y. Feng, M.D. Wang and X. Zha. “Ht31, a PKA anchoring inhibitor, induces robust cholesterol efflux and reverses macrophage foam cell formation through ABCA1”. J. Biol. Chem., 2011, 286, 3370-3378.

3. M. Denis, Y. D. Landry and X. Zha. “ATP-binding cassette A1-mediated lipidation of apolipoprotein A-I occurs at the plasma membrane and not in the endocytic compartments.” J. Biol. Chem., 2008, 283, 16178-86.

4. Y. Landry, M. Denis, S. Nandi, S. Bell, A. M. Vaughan and X. Zha; “ABCA1 expression disrupts raft membrane microdomains through its ATPase fueled functions”. J. Biol. Chem., 2006, 281, 36091-101.

5. A. Ridsdale, M. Denis, P. Gougeon, J. K. Ngsee, J.F. Presley and X. Zha; “Cholesterol is required for efficient ER-Golgi transport of secretory membrane proteins”. Mol. Biol. Cell. 2006, 17, 1593-605.

Vascular, heart and metabolic disease

Molecular and cellular biology