Jian-Guo Geng, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Geng received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Shanghai Medical University in 1988. He was a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Rodger P. McEver at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. He then served as Research Group Leader at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences before coming to the University of Minnesota.

Adhesion and migration of mammalian cells are of crucial importance in a number of biological events, such as fertilization, embryogenesis, pattern, tissue and organ formation, and in a variety of physiological and pathological processes, including lymphocyte trafficking, leukocyte recruitment, hemostasis, wound healing, tumor angiogenesis and cancer metastasis. All these cellular interactions are precisely regulated by temporal and spatial presentation of various cell adhesion molecules and chemotactical molecules displaying appropriate specificity and affinity for proper development and functioning of the organism.

Dr. Geng's research is focused on the structures and functions of vascular endothelial cells, with special interests in the biological roles of endothelial cells in mediating adhesion and migration of leukocytes, platelets and cancer cells. He is also very interested in their pathological roles in inflammation, thrombosis, cancer growth and metastasis. His lab is currently working on 1) the signal transduction of P-selectin (CD62P)/P-selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-1 (CD162) in the interactions among leukocytes, platelets, cancer cells and endothelial cells; 2) the redox regulation of NF-κB activation in endothelial cells; and 3) the Slit-Robo interaction in tumor angiogenesis as well as in cancer growth and metastasis.

Selected Publications

Geng, J.-G., Bevilacqua, M.P., Moore, K.L., McIntyre, T.M., Prescott, S.M., Kim, J.M., Bliss, G.A., Zimmerman, G.A., and McEver, R.P. (1990). Rapid neutrophil adhesion to activated endothelium mediated by GMP-140. Nature 343:757-760.

Geng. J.-G., Moore, K.L., Johnson, A.E., and McEver, R.P. (1991). Neutrophil recognition requires a Ca 2+ -induced conformational change in the lectin domain of GMP-140. J. Biol. Chem. 266: 22313-22318.

Geng, J.-G., Heavner, G.A., and McEver, R.P. (1992) Lectin domain peptides from selectins interact with both cell surface ligands and Ca 2+ ions. J. Biol. Chem. 267:19846-198534.

Ma, L., Raycroft, L., Asa, D., Anderson, D.C., and Geng, J.-G. (1994) A sialoglycoprotein from human leukocytes functions as a ligand for P-selectin. J. Biol. Chem. 269:27739-27746.

Asa, D., Raycroft, L., Ma, L., Aeed, P. A., Kaytes, P. S., Elhammer, Å. P., and Geng, J.-G. (1995) The P-selectin glycoprotein ligand functions as a common human leukocyte ligand for P- and E-selectins. J. Biol. Chem. 270:11662-11670.

Geng, J.-G. (1995) Platelet and endothelial cell P-selectin and its leukocyte sialoglycoprotein ligand. Trends Glycosci. Glycotech. 7:333-342.

Geng, J.-G., Raub, T. J., Baker, C. A., Sawada, G. A., Ma, L., and Elhammer, Å. P. (1997) Expression of a P-selectin ligand in zona pellucida of porcine oocytes and P-selectin on acrosomal membrane of porcine sperm cells. Potential implications for their involvement in sperm-egg interactions. J. Cell Biol. 137:743-754.

Soltesz, S. A., Powers, E. A., Geng, J.-G., and Fisher, C.F. (1997) Adhesion of HT-29 colon carcinoma cells to E-selectin results in increased tyrosine phosphorylation and decreased activity of c-src. Int. J. Cancer 71:645-653.

Kaytes, P. K., and Geng, J.-G. (1998) P-selectin mediates adhesion of the human melanoma cell line NKI-4: Identification of glycoprotein ligands. Biochemistry 37:10514-10521.

Aeed, P. A., Geng, J.-G., Asa, D., Raycroft, L., Ma, L., and Elhammer, Å. P. (1998) Characterization of the O -linked oligossacharide structures on P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1). Glycoconjugate J. 15:975-985.

Ma, Y.-Q. and Geng, J.-G. (2000) Heparan sulfate-like proteoglycans mediate adhesion of human malignant melanoma A375 cells to P-selectin under flow. J. Immunol. 165:558-565.

Geng, J.-G. (2001) Directional migration of leukocytes: their pathological roles in inflammation and strategies for development of anti-inflammatory therapies. Cell Res. 11:85-88.

Ma, Y.-Q., and Geng, J.-G. (2002) Obligatory requirement of sulfation for P-selectin binding to human salivary gland carcinoma Acc-M cells and breast carcinoma ZR-75-30 cells. J. Immunol. 168:1690-1696.

Li, L., Qian, K.-X., and Geng, J.-G. (2002) A 28-kDa glycoprotein functions as a platelet ligand for P-selectin (CD62P). Thromb. Haemost. 87:706-711.

Zhao Z, Qian Y, Xia Y-F, Geng J.-G., Li X. (2003) IFN regulatory factor-1 is required for the up-regulation of the CD40-NF-κB activator 1 axis during airway inflammation. J. Immunol. 170:5674-5680.

Wang, B., Xiao, Y., Ding, B.-B., Zhang, N., Yuan, X.-b., Gui, L., Qian, K.-X., Duan, S., Chen , Z., Rao, Y., and Geng, J.-G. (2003) Induction of tumor angiogenesis by Slit-Robo signaling and inhibition of cancer growth by blocking Robo activity. Cancer Cell 4:19-29. (A preview describing this study was simultaneously published in the same issue of Cancer Cell 4:1-2)

Wang, J.-G., and Geng, J.-G. (2003) Affinity and kinetics of P-selectin binding to heparin. Thromb. Haemost. 90:309-316.