Asgar Zaheer, PhD
Associate Professor
Director, Neurochemistry
Address
Office: S707 GH
Laboratory: 430 MRC
Phone: 319-353-6094
Email: asgar-zaheer@uiowa.edu
Fundraising with the Eagles
Research Interest
- Cellular and molecular biology of brain proteins
- Immunopathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
- CNS inflammation in Alzheimer's disease
- Neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in PD
- Stress-activated protein kinases in inflammatory signal transduction
- Oxidative stress in pathogenesis of diseases
- SiRNA mediated down regulation of inflammatory mediators in CNS
Education
Ph. D. Bombay University, India
Post-doctoral training Dept of Biochemistry
University of Iowa, IA
Honors and Awards
- Editorial board: Neurochemical Research, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
- NIH/ Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors Study Section (CNBT)- 2007-2010
- NIH/CSR, Special Emphasis Panel/Scientific Review Group: Brain Disorders and Clinical Neuroscience- 2007-2011
- VA Research and Development Committee (2008-2011)
- Journal Reviewer: J. Neurochem, J. Neuroinflammation, Brain Res, BBA-Molecular Basis of Diseases, Biochemical Pharmacology, Journal of Neuroscience Research, Neuroscience Letters, Neurochem Res, Internation Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, CNS and Neurological Disorders-Drug Targets, Apoptosis, Cancer Letters, Cancer Investigation, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, Toxicology
- Member, Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program, University of Iowa (2006-present)
- Reviewer for the Carver Collaborative Pilot Grants, and the Carver Medical Research Initiative Grants (2006-present)
Professional Affiliations
- Society for Neurosciences
- American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- American Society for Neurochemistry
- American Society of Cell Biology
Publications
- R. Lim, J.F. Miller and A. Zaheer: Purification and Characterization of Glia Maturation Factor-Beta: A Growth Regulator for Neurons and Glia, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 86, 3901-3905 (1989).
- R. Lim, A. Zaheer and W.S. Lane: Complete Amino Acid Sequence of Bovine Glia Maturation Factor beta, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 87, 5233-5237 (1990).
- R. Kaplan, A. Zaheer, M. Jaye and R. Lim: Molecular Cloning and Expression of Biologically Active Human GMF, J. Neurochem., 57, 483-490 (1991).
- R. Lim and A. Zaheer: In vitro enhancement of p38 MAP kinase activity by phosphorylated glia maturation factor, J. Biol. Chem., 271, 22953-22956 (1996).
- A Zaheer and R. Lim: PKA and PKC-phosphorylated GMF promote the catalytic activity of protein kinase A, J. Biol. Chem., 272, 5183-5186 (1997).
- R Lim, A Zaheer, M Yorek, C Darby and L.W. Oberley: Activation of NF-kB in C6 rat glioma cells after transfection with GMF. J. Neurochem. 74, 596-602 (2000).
- Zaheer, S.N. Mathur, and R. Lim: Overexpression of GMF in astrocytes leads to immune activation of microglia through secretion of GM-colony stimulating factor. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 294, 238-244 (2002).
- A Zaheer, S Zaheer, S.K. Sahu, S. Knight, H. Khosravi, S.N. Mathur & R. Lim: A novel role of glia maturation factor: induction of GM-CSF and pro inflammatory cytokines. J. Neurochemistry, 101(2)364-76 (2007).
- A Zaheer, S K. Sahu, Y Wu, A Zaheer, J Haas, K Lee, and B Yang: Diminished cytokine and chemokine expression in the CNS of GMF-deficient mice with EAE. Brain Res., 1144, 239-47 (2007).
- K Menon, Y Wu, J Haas, S K. Sahu, B Yang and A Zaheer: Diminished degradation of myelin basic protein by antisulfatide antibody and interferon-γ in myelin from glia maturation factor-deficient mice. Neuroscience Research 58, 156-163 (2007)
- A Zaheer, S Zaheer, S.K. Sahu, B.Yang, & R.Lim: Reduced severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in GMF knockout mice. Neurochem. Res 47, 32-39 (2007)
- A Zaheer, S Knight, A Zaheer, M Ahrens, SK Sahu, and B Yang: Glia maturation factor overexpression in neuroblastoma cells activates glycogen synthase kinase-3beta and caspase-3. Brain Res. 1190, 206-14 (2008).
- R Thangavel, SK Sahu, GW Van Hoesen, and A Zaheer: Modular and laminar pathology of Brodmann's area 37 in Alzheimer's disease. Neuroscience 152, 50-55 (2008)
- A Zaheer, S Zaheer, R Thangavel, Y Wu, SK Sahu, and B Yang: GMF modulates β-amyloid-induced glial activation, inflammatory cytokine/chemokine production and neuronal damage. Brain Res 1208, 192-203 (2008)
- R Thangavel, GW Van Hoesen and A Zaheer: Posterior parahippocampal gyrus pathology in Alzheimer's disease. Neuroscience 154, 667-676 (2008)
- R Thangavel, GW Van Hoesen and A Zaheer: The abnormally phosphorylated tau lesion of early Alzheimer's disease. Neurochem Res. 34, 118-123 (2009)
- R Thangavel, SK Sahu, GW Van Hoesen and A Zaheer: Loss of non-phosphorylated neurofilament immunoreactivity in temporal cortical areas in Alzheimer's disease. Neuroscience 160, 427-433 (2009)
- S Zaheer, Y Wu, SK Sahu, B Yang, A Zaheer: Overexpression of glia maturation factor reinstates susceptibility to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in GMF-deficient mice. Neurobiology of Disease 40, 593-598 (2010)
- S Zaheer, R Thangavel, SK Sahu, B Yang, A Zaheer: Administration of glia maturation factor antibody suppresses MOG-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Brain Res. 1373, 230-239 (2011)