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Biosketch / Results /

Zhiheng Pei, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor;
Departments of Pathology (Pathology) [1] and Medicine (ID&Immun Div) [2]

Contact Info

Address
423 East 23rd Street
Pathology and Laboratory Service (113) Room 6001W
Veterans Administration
New York, NY 10010-6481

212-951-5492
Zhiheng.Pei@nyumc.org


[4]

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Education

— Jiamusi University School of Medicine, Medical Education
— Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Molecular Pathology), Clinical Fellowships
— Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Anatomic and Clinical Pathology), Residency
— Vanderbilt University (Ph.D.), Graduate Education

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Research Summary


The common theme in our work is the effect on disease states by the microbial pressure that arises when a patient?s symbiotic bacterial biota is altered. Increasing evidence suggests an important role for chronic inflammation in many disease conditions associated with aging, such as atherosclerosis, cancers, diabetes, and even autoimmune diseases. The body contains about ten times as many commensal bacteria as human cells, 1 quadrillion versus 100 trillion. Under normal conditions, these commensal bacteria are essential for the development of the mucosal immune system, maintenance of the physiological environment, and the provision of essential nutrients. However, changes in the balance of the normal bacterial biota might induce pathogenesis. The analysis of bacterial biota is an innovative approach that could lead to discovering the etiology of a number of idiopathic chronic diseases that involve alteration of the normal microbial populations, and could provide a better understanding of pathogenesis in polybacterial diseases that are otherwise poorly explained by conventional disease models.

One project in my laboratory explores the role of bacterial biota in the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma in reflux-related disorders (R01CA97946). Our hypothesis is that gastric acid reflux selectively alters the normal microbial populations in the distal esophagus. Such a microenvironmental change may favor an overgrowth of bacteria that are inflammation prone, or produce carcinogenic metabolites that promote tumorigenesis. We are testing this hypothesis by defining the bacterial biota in the normal esophagus vs. that found in association with reflux disorders. Through comparison of these differences, we hope to identify the bacteria associated with reflux disorders, to explore how and why this association occurs, and to determine what role any microbial population shifts might play in tumorigenesis.

Another project relates to the etiology of idiopathic tonsillar hypertrophy, or ITH (R01AI063477). ITH is an obstructive lymphoproliferative disease that plays a pathogenic role in obstructive sleep apnea, failure to thrive, abnormal dental and facial growth, halitosis, and other ailments. ITH has also been implicated in the neurologic morbidity associated with sleep disorders, such as inattention and hyperactivity in children. In a significant number of cases, hypertrophic tonsils harbor large clusters of mixed bacterial populations referred to as metacolonies. Our hypothesis is that ITH is a manifestation of the immune reaction to antigens released from bacterial metacolonies in hypertrophic tonsils. We are testing this hypothesis by investigating the association between metacolony-common (MC) species and ITH, and by examining the specific roles played by these bacteria in the activation of B lymphocytes in ITH.

An extension of this work involves exploring the role of tonsillar metacolonies as a potential reservoir of pathogens for dental and periodontal diseases. This work is still at an early stage, but holds significant promise for developing novel therapeutic approaches to combat these prevalent illnesses.

My interest in the analysis of microbial biota in the human health context also extends into the clinical domain, where I am working with NYU Hospital Residents and Fellows on the application of new methodologies for disease diagnosis in clinical practice. In particular, we are pursuing the identification of uncultivable microbial agents in fixed tissue specimens through the use of molecular techniques.

Research Interests

Etiology of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Research Keywords

Chronic inflammation, Bacterial biota, Esophageal adenocarcinoma, Idiopathic tonsillar hypertrophy, Dental caries, Periodontal diseases.

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All data from NYU Health Sciences Library Faculty Bibliography — -

Contact:
http://hsl.med.nyu.edu/faculty-bibliography-search [9]

Association between Selected Oral Pathogens and Gastric Precancerous Lesions
Salazar, Christian R; Sun, Jinghua; Li, Yihong; Francois, Fritz; Corby, Patricia; Perez-Perez, Guillermo; Dasanayake, Ananda; Pei, Zhiheng; Chen, Yu
2013 ;8(1):e51604-e51604 e51604, PLoS ONE
— id: 211562, year: 2013, vol: 8, page: e51604, stat: Journal Article,

Multiple Bar-Coding 16S Sequencing by Pacbio RS Platform to Study the Gut Microbiome in Ashkenazi Jews With Crohn's Disease
Hu, Jianzhong; Bashir, Ali; Pendleton, Matthew; Pei, Zhiheng; Itzkowitz, Steven; Peter, Inga
2012 DEC;18 1 1:S114-S115, Inflammatory bowel diseases
— id: 203182, year: 2012, vol: 18 1 1, page: S114, stat: Journal Article,

Diversity of 5S rRNA genes within individual prokaryotic genomes
Pei, Anna; Li, Hongru; Oberdorf, William E.; Alekseyenko, Alexander V.; Parsons, Tamasha; Yang, Liying; Gerz, Erika A.; Lee, Peng; Xiang, Charlie; Nossa, Carlos W.; Pei, Zhiheng
2012 OCT;335(1):11-18, FEMS microbiology letters
— id: 180171, year: 2012, vol: 335, page: 11, stat: Journal Article,

Diversity of 5S rRNA genes within individual prokaryotic genomes
Pei, Anna; Li, Hongru; Oberdorf, William E; Alekseyenko, Alexander V; Parsons, Tamasha; Yang, Liying; Gerz, Erika A; Lee, Peng; Xiang, Charlie; Nossa, Carlos W; Pei, Zhiheng
2012 Jul;:11-18, FEMS microbiology letters
— id: 175922, year: 2012, vol: , page: 11, stat: Journal Article,

Association between oral health and gastric precancerous lesions
Salazar, Christian R; Francois, Fritz; Li, Yihong; Corby, Patricia; Hays, Rosemary; Leung, Celine; Bedi, Sukhleen; Segers, Stephanie; Queiroz, Erica; Sun, Jinghua; Wang, Beverly; Ho, Hao; Craig, Ronald; Cruz, Gustavo D; Blaser, Martin J; Perez-Perez, Guillermo; Hayes, Richard B; Dasanayake, Ananda; Pei, Zhiheng; Chen, Yu
2012 Feb;33(2):399-403, Carcinogenesis
— id: 156487, year: 2012, vol: 33, page: 399, stat: Journal Article,

Human Microbiome and HIV/AIDS
Saxena, Deepak; Li, Yihong; Yang, Liying; Pei, Zhiheng; Poles, Michael; Abrams, William R; Malamud, Daniel
2012 Mar;9(1):44-51, Current HIV/AIDS reports
— id: 156495, year: 2012, vol: 9, page: 44, stat: Journal Article,

Antibiotic induced alterations in the commensal microbiome reduce CD4+Foxp3+Tregs in the colonic lamina propria and increase allergic responses to food
Tripathi, Prabhanshu; Stefka, Andrew; Feehley, Taylor; Patton, Tiffany; Chang, Eugene; Antonopoulos, Dionysios; Pei, Zhiheng; Nagler, Cathryn
2012 MAY 1;188:-, Journal of immunology
— id: 169553, year: 2012, vol: 188, page: , stat: Journal Article,

Tlr4-/- mice have reduced proportions of CD4+Foxp3+Tregs in the colonic lamina propria and increased susceptibility to allergic responses to food
Tripathi, Prabhanshu; Stefka, Andrew; Feehley, Taylor; Pei, Zhiheng; Nagler, Cathryn
2012 MAY 1;188:-, Journal of immunology
— id: 169554, year: 2012, vol: 188, page: , stat: Journal Article,

Molecular pathways: pathogenesis and clinical implications of microbiome alteration in esophagitis and barrett esophagus
Yang, Liying; Francois, Fritz; Pei, Zhiheng
2012 Apr;18(8):2138-2144, Clinical cancer research
— id: 164339, year: 2012, vol: 18, page: 2138, stat: Journal Article,

Oral microbiome profiles: 16S rRNA pyrosequencing and microarray assay comparison
Ahn, Jiyoung; Yang, Liying; Paster, Bruce J; Ganly, Ian; Morris, Luc; Pei, Zhiheng; Hayes, Richard B
2011 ;6(7):e22788-e22788 e22788, PLoS ONE
— id: 156313, year: 2011, vol: 6, page: e22788, stat: Journal Article,

Simrank: Rapid and sensitive general-purpose k-mer search tool
DeSantis, Todd Z; Keller, Keith; Karaoz, Ulas; Alekseyenko, Alexander V; Singh, Navjeet N S; Brodie, Eoin L; Pei, Zhiheng; Andersen, Gary L; Larsen, Niels
2011 ;11:11-11, BMC ecology
— id: 177250, year: 2011, vol: 11, page: 11, stat: Journal Article,

The effect of H. pylori eradication on meal-associated changes in plasma ghrelin and leptin
Francois, Fritz; Roper, Jatin; Joseph, Neal; Pei, Zhiheng; Chhada, Aditi; Shak, Joshua R; de Perez, Asalia Z Olivares; Perez-Perez, Guillermo I; Blaser, Martin J
2011 ;11:37-37, BMC gastroenterology
— id: 132313, year: 2011, vol: 11, page: 37, stat: Journal Article,

Association of overexpression of TIF1gamma with colorectal carcinogenesis and advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma
Jain, Shilpa; Singhal, Shashideep; Francis, Franto; Hajdu, Cristina; Wang, Jin-Hua; Suriawinata, Arief; Wang, Yin-Quan; Zhang, Miao; Weinshel, Elizabeth H; Francois, Fritz; Pei, Zhi-Heng; Lee, Peng; Xu, Ru-Liang
2011 Sep 21;17(35):3994-4000, World journal of gastroenterology : WJG
— id: 140416, year: 2011, vol: 17, page: 3994, stat: Journal Article,

Metastatic balloon cell malignant melanoma: a case report and literature review
Lee, Lili; Zhou, Fang; Simms, Anthony; Wieczorek, Rosemary; Fang, Yanan; Subietas-Mayol, Antonio; Wang, Beverly; Heller, Patricia; Huang, Hongying; Pei, Zhiheng; Osman, Iman; Meehan, Shane; Lee, Peng
2011 Mar;4(3):315-321, International journal of clinical & experimental pathology
— id: 133175, year: 2011, vol: 4, page: 315, stat: Journal Article,

Distinct function of androgen receptor coactivator ARA70alpha and ARA70beta in mammary gland development, and in breast cancer
Wu, Xinyu; Chen, Fei; Sahin, Aysegul; Albarracin, Constance; Pei, Zhiheng; Zou, Xuanyi; Singh, Baljit; Xu, Ruliang; Daniels, Garrett; Li, Yirong; Wei, Jianjun; Blake, Marvin; Schneider, Robert J; Cowin, Pamela; Lee, Peng
2011 Jul;128(2):391-400, Breast cancer research & treatment
— id: 138162, year: 2011, vol: 128, page: 391, stat: Journal Article,

Design of 16S rRNA gene primers for 454 pyrosequencing of the human foregut microbiome
Nossa, Carlos W; Oberdorf, William E; Yang, Liying; Aas, Jorn A; Paster, Bruce J; Desantis, Todd Z; Brodie, Eoin L; Malamud, Daniel; Poles, Michael A; Pei, Zhiheng
2010 Sep;16(33):4135-4144, World journal of gastroenterology : WJG
— id: 156189, year: 2010, vol: 16, page: 4135, stat: Journal Article,

Diversity of 16S rRNA genes within individual prokaryotic genomes
Pei, Anna Y; Oberdorf, William E; Nossa, Carlos W; Agarwal, Ankush; Chokshi, Pooja; Gerz, Erika A; Jin, Zhida; Lee, Peng; Yang, Liying; Poles, Michael; Brown, Stuart M; Sotero, Steven; Desantis, Todd; Brodie, Eoin; Nelson, Karen; Pei, Zhiheng
2010 Jun;76(12):3886-3897, Applied & environmental microbiology
— id: 156291, year: 2010, vol: 76, page: 3886, stat: Journal Article,

Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies pasteurianus (biotype II/2), a newly reported cause of adult meningitis
Sturt, Amy S; Yang, Liying; Sandhu, Kuldip; Pei, Zhiheng; Cassai, Nicholas; Blaser, Martin J
2010 Jun;48(6):2247-2249, Journal of clinical microbiology
— id: 133500, year: 2010, vol: 48, page: 2247, stat: Journal Article,

Adenomatoid Tumor of the Adrenal Gland Case Report of a Rare Adrenal Lesion
Chaudhry, S; Lubitz, S; Newman, K; Pei, ZH; Shepard, T; Danoff, A
2009 SEP-OCT ;19(5):233-236, Endocrinologist
— id: 102951, year: 2009, vol: 19, page: 233, stat: Journal Article,

Pancreatic carcinoma with multilineage (acinar, neuroendocrine, and ductal) differentiation
Newman, Kia; Stahl-Herz, Jay; Kabiawu, Oluyomi; Newman, Elliot; Wieczorek, Rosemary; Wang, Beverly; Pei, Zhiheng; Bannan, Michael; Lee, Peng; Xu, Ruliang
2009 ;2(6):602-607, International journal of clinical & experimental pathology
— id: 101289, year: 2009, vol: 2, page: 602, stat: Journal Article,

Diversity of 23S rRNA genes within individual prokaryotic genomes
Pei, Anna; Nossa, Carlos W; Chokshi, Pooja; Blaser, Martin J; Yang, Liying; Rosmarin, David M; Pei, Zhiheng
2009 ;4(5):e5437-e5437, PLoS ONE
— id: 106442, year: 2009, vol: 4, page: e5437, stat: Journal Article,

Inflammation and intestinal metaplasia of the distal esophagus are associated with alterations in the microbiome
Yang, Liying; Lu, Xiaohua; Nossa, Carlos W; Francois, Fritz; Peek, Richard M; Pei, Zhiheng
2009 Aug;137(2):588-597, Gastroenterology
— id: 101280, year: 2009, vol: 137, page: 588, stat: Journal Article,

Interobserver variability in differentiation of nodal nevus from melanoma micrometastasis in sentinel lymph adenectomy specimens
Celin, N; Bannan, M; Darvishian, F; Hajdu, C; Nonaka, D; Ye, W; Pei, Z; Melamed, J
2008 ;21(2):409-409, Modern pathology
— id: 100682, year: 2008, vol: 21, page: 409, stat: Journal Article,

The association of gastric leptin with oesophageal inflammation and metaplasia
Francois, F; Roper, J; Goodman, A J; Pei, Z; Ghumman, M; Mourad, M; de Perez, A Z Olivares; Perez-Perez, G I; Tseng, C-H; Blaser, M J
2008 Jan;57(1):16-24, Gut: journal of the British Society of Gastroenterology
— id: 75709, year: 2008, vol: 57, page: 16, stat: Journal Article,

Substantial alterations of the cutaneous bacterial biota in psoriatic lesions
Gao, Zhan; Tseng, Chi-hong; Strober, Bruce E; Pei, Zhiheng; Blaser, Martin J
2008 ;3(7):e2719-e2719, PLoS ONE
— id: 86553, year: 2008, vol: 3, page: e2719, stat: Journal Article,

Bacterial community in the crop of the hoatzin, a neotropical folivorous flying bird
Godoy-Vitorino, Filipa; Ley, Ruth E; Gao, Zhan; Pei, Zhiheng; Ortiz-Zuazaga, Humberto; Pericchi, Luis R; Garcia-Amado, Maria A; Michelangeli, Fabian; Blaser, Martin J; Gordon, Jeffrey I; Dominguez-Bello, Maria G
2008 Oct;74(19):5905-5912, Applied & environmental microbiology
— id: 95160, year: 2008, vol: 74, page: 5905, stat: Journal Article,

Case report: Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus: a new cause of human infection, inducing bacteremia in a patient on hemodialysis
Ouyang, Jie; Pei, Zhiheng; Lutwick, Larry; Dalal, Sharvari; Yang, Liying; Cassai, Nicholas; Sandhu, Kuldip; Hanna, Bruce; Wieczorek, Rosemary L; Bluth, Martin; Pincus, Matthew R
2008 Autumn;38(4):393-400, Annals of clinical & laboratory science
— id: 140207, year: 2008, vol: 38, page: 393, stat: Journal Article,

Androgen receptor coactivator ARA70alpha and ARA70beta isoform-specific antibodies: new tools for studies of expression and immunohistochemical localization
Peng, Yi; Chiriboga, Luis; Yee, Herman; Pei, Zhiheng; Wang, Zhenxing; Lee, Peng
2008 Jan;16(1):7-12, Applied immunohistochemistry & molecular morphology
— id: 76112, year: 2008, vol: 16, page: 7, stat: Journal Article,

Leptin and ghrelin in relation to Helicobacter pylori status in adult males
Roper, Jatin; Francois, Fritz; Shue, Peter L; Mourad, Michelle S; Pei, Zhiheng; Olivares de Perez, Asalia Z; Perez-Perez, Guillermo I; Tseng, Chi-Hong; Blaser, Martin J
2008 Jun;93(6):2350-2357, Journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism
— id: 159212, year: 2008, vol: 93, page: 2350, stat: Journal Article,

Molecular analysis of human forearm superficial skin bacterial biota
Gao, Zhan; Tseng, Chi-hong; Pei, Zhiheng; Blaser, Martin J
2007 Feb 20;104(8):2927-2932, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
— id: 71419, year: 2007, vol: 104, page: 2927, stat: Journal Article,

Radiographic determination of tissue thickness in paraffin blocks: application to the construction of tissue microarrays
Kong, Xiangtian; Zhao, Yan; Ksionsk, Marti; Zhou, Meisheng; Walden, Paul; Bosland, Maarten; Pei, Zhiheng; Lee, Peng; Melamed, Jonathan
2007 Mar;15(1):108-112, Applied immunohistochemistry & molecular morphology
— id: 73238, year: 2007, vol: 15, page: 108, stat: Journal Article,

Fasting gastric leptin levels are elevated in diabetics independent of BMI
Young, B; Roper, H; Mourad, M; Olivares de Perez, AZ; Perez-Perez, GI; Pei, ZH; Blaser, MJ; Francois, F
2007 SEP ;102(6):S163-S163, American journal of gastroenterology
— id: 74153, year: 2007, vol: 102, page: S163, stat: Journal Article,

Myxoid lipoadenoma of parathyroid gland: a case report and literature review
Fischer, Ingeborg; Wieczorek, Rosemary; Sidhu, Gurdip S; Pei, Zhiheng; West, Brian; Lee, Peng
2006 Oct;10(5):294-296, Annals of diagnostic pathology
— id: 68682, year: 2006, vol: 10, page: 294, stat: Journal Article,

Bacterium-macrophage interaction in gastroesophageal reflux disease
Lu, X; Yang, L; Pei, Z
2006 JAN ;19(4):113A-113A, Modern pathology
— id: 61436, year: 2006, vol: 19, page: 113A, stat: Journal Article,

Bacterium-macrophage interaction in gastroesophageal reflux disease
Lu, X; Yang, L; Pei, Z
2006 JAN ;86(4):113A-113A, Laboratory investigation
— id: 62617, year: 2006, vol: 86, page: 113A, stat: Journal Article,

Bacteria, inflammation, and colon cancer
Yang, Liying; Pei, Zhiheng
2006 Nov 14;12(42):6741-6746, World journal of gastroenterology : WJG
— id: 79201, year: 2006, vol: 12, page: 6741, stat: Journal Article,

Recent advances in the rapid detection of Bacillus anthracis
Levine, SA; Tang, YW; Pei, ZH
2005 OCT ;16(4):125-133, Reviews in medical microbiology
— id: 62536, year: 2005, vol: 16, page: 125, stat: Journal Article,

Bacterial biota in reflux esophagitis and Barrettos esophagus
Pei, Zhiheng; Yang, Liying; Peek, Richard M; Jr Levine, Steven M; Pride, David T; Blaser, Martin J
2005 Dec 14;11(46):7277-7283, World journal of gastroenterology : WJG
— id: 61597, year: 2005, vol: 11, page: 7277, stat: Journal Article,

False positives and false negatives encountered in diagnostic molecular microbiology
Sefers, S; Pei, ZH; Tang, YW
2005 APR ;16(2):59-67, Reviews in medical microbiology
— id: 62535, year: 2005, vol: 16, page: 59, stat: Journal Article,

Bacterial biota in the human distal esophagus
Pei, Zhiheng; Bini, Edmund J; Yang, Liying; Zhou, Meisheng; Francois, Fritz; Blaser, Martin J
2004 Mar 23;101(12):4250-4255, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
— id: 42671, year: 2004, vol: 101, page: 4250, stat: Journal Article,

Pneumocystis carinii: an update
Sidhu, Gurdip S; Cassai, Nicholas D; Pei, Zhiheng
2003 Mar-Apr;27(2):115-122, Ultrastructural pathology
— id: 39226, year: 2003, vol: 27, page: 115, stat: Journal Article,

Molecular analysis of sarcoidosis tissues for mycobacterium species DNA
Drake, Wonder Puryear; Pei, Zhiheng; Pride, David T; Collins, Robert D; Cover, Timothy L; Blaser, Martin J
2002 Nov;8(11):1334-1341, Emerging infectious diseases
— id: 34575, year: 2002, vol: 8, page: 1334, stat: Journal Article,

Ultrastructural features and TUNEL analysis of glomeruloid adenocarcinoma of the prostate
Yang, GY; Sidhu, GS; Yee, H; Pei, Z; Cassai, N; Wieczorek, R
2001 OCT ;116(4):609-609, American journal of clinical pathology
— id: 54862, year: 2001, vol: 116, page: 609, stat: Journal Article,

Mutation in the peb1A locus of Campylobacter jejuni reduces interactions with epithelial cells and intestinal colonization of mice
Pei Z; Burucoa C; Grignon B; Baqar S; Huang XZ; Kopecko DJ; Bourgeois AL; Fauchere JL; Blaser MJ
1998 Mar;66(3):938-943, Infection & immunity
— id: 19104, year: 1998, vol: 66, page: 938, stat: Journal Article,

Nucleotide sequence and characterization of peb4A encoding an antigenic protein in Campylobacter jejuni
Burucoa C; Fremaux C; Pei Z; Tummuru M; Blaser MJ; Cenatiempo Y; Fauchere JL
1995 Jul-Aug;146(6):467-476, Research in microbiology
— id: 19164, year: 1995, vol: 146, page: 467, stat: Journal Article,

Pathogenesis of Campylobacter fetus infections: critical role of high-molecular-weight S-layer proteins in virulence
Blaser MJ; Pei Z
1993 Feb;167(2):372-377, Journal of infectious diseases
— id: 19218, year: 1993, vol: 167, page: 372, stat: Journal Article,

Isolation and characterization of two Campylobacter glycine-extracted proteins that bind to HeLa cell membranes
Kervella M; Pages JM; Pei Z; Grollier G; Blaser MJ; Fauchere JL
1993 Aug;61(8):3440-3448, Infection & immunity
— id: 19212, year: 1993, vol: 61, page: 3440, stat: Journal Article,

Isolation and Characterization of Two Campylobacter Glycine-Extracted Proteins That Bind to HeLa Cell Membranes
Kervella, Michele; Pages, Jean-Marie; Pei, Zhiheng; Grollier, Chislaine; Blaser, Martin J
[S.l.] : Ft. Belvoir Defense Technical Information Center, 1993,
— id: 2035, year: 1993, vol: , page: , stat: ,

PEB1, the major cell-binding factor of Campylobacter jejuni, is a homolog of the binding component in gram-negative nutrient transport systems
Pei Z; Blaser MJ
1993 Sep 5;268(25):18717-18725, Journal of biological chemistry
— id: 19206, year: 1993, vol: 268, page: 18717, stat: Journal Article,

Shift in S-layer protein expression responsible for antigenic variation in Campylobacter fetus
Wang E; Garcia MM; Blake MS; Pei Z; Blaser MJ
1993 Aug;175(16):4979-4984, Journal of bacteriology
— id: 19213, year: 1993, vol: 175, page: 4979, stat: Journal Article,