Forney Lab: Dr. Xia Zhou

Research

Previous studies on the microbial flora of the human vagina indicated that microorganisms normally present in the human vagina play a key role in preventing successful colonization by "undesirable" organisms, including those responsible for bacterial vaginosis (BV), yeast infections, sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and urinary tract infections (UTI). Epidemiologic studies have clearly established that abnormal vaginal microbial communities, low genital tract infection, and especially sexual transmitted diseases were significantly associated with HIV infection. Accordingly, researchers have speculated that the normal vaginal microbial ecosystem may play a pivotal role in determining the efficiency of and resistance to HIV heterosexual transmission. Thus, an accurate understanding of the composition and ecology of the vaginal microbial ecosystem in normal healthy women is important to understanding the physiologic function and etiology of these diseases.

My research can be divided into four parts:

Use restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLPs) methods based on 16S rRNA gene communities to screen the composition and structure of the vagina microbial communities from different individuals and monitor the changes of vaginal microflora on spatial and temporal scale.
Choose the parts of vaginal samples to construct 16S rRNA clone library and perform sequencing, then sequence analysis. The aims were to define phylotype and compare the richness and distribution among the dominant members in the microbial communities.
Evaluate the diversity of the vaginal microbial community based on the phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences data.
Use group-specific primers to improve the specificity and sensitivity of amplification of the 16S rRNA gene in order to identify the numerically minor members of vaginal microbial communities.

Objectives

An accurate and complete understanding of the composition and structure of the vaginal normal microbial communities.
Identifying the shifts in this vaginal microbial community which indicate a potential or existing diseased condition.


Figure 1. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) of 16S rRNA genes amplified from nonmenstrual vaginal samples (visit 3) of women 1-5 and digested with MspI. The 5' fragments are depicted in green and the 3' fragments are depicted in blue. (A) W-1, (B) W-2, (C) W-3, (D) W-4, (E) W-5. No fragments > 640bp.	Figure 2. T-RFLP profiles of samples taken from woman 5 on four occasions over a 2-month period of time. The 5' MspI fragments are depicted in green and the 3' MspI fragments are depicted in blue. (A) Visit 1, menstrual sample, (B) Visit 2, non-menstrual sample, (C) Visit 3, menstrual sample, and (D) Visit 4, non-menstrual sample. No fragment > 640bp.

Publications (Selected)

Zhou, X., Bent, S. J., Schneider, M. G., Davis, C. C., Islam, M, R., and Forney, L.J. (2003) Characterization of vaginal microbial communities in adult healthy women using cultivation-independent methods. (in preparation)

Zhou, X., Bent, S. J., Schneider, M. G., Davis, C. C., and Forney, L.J. (2003). Is Atopobium vaginae a predominant member in vaginal microbial communities of healthy women. (in preparation)

Zhou X., Zhao Z.X. (2001) Matrix metalloproteinase and renal disease. Medical Review, 7: 541-544.

Zhou, X., Zhao, Z. X., Zhao, X. Z., Wang, B., and Luo, B. Matrix metalloproteinase - 9 (MMP-9) mRNA expression in peripheral blood monocytes from patients with diabetic nephropathy. The Chinese Journal of Nephropathy, 16: 96- 101, 2000.

Zhou, X., Zhao, X. Z., Zhao, Z. X., Wang, B., and Luo B., The gene expression of Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in peripheral blood monocytes from patients with long-term hemodialysis. Shandong Medicine, 41: 3-5. 2000.

Zhou, X., Zhao, X. Z., Significance of serum concentration of TXB2 and PGE2 in the treatment of patients with nephropathy symptom, Shandong Medicine, 20: 50-52.

Abstracts

Zhou, X., Bent, S. J., Schneider, M. G., Davis, C. C., Islam, M, R., and Forney, L.J. (2003) Characterization of vaginal microbial communities based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) and sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Presented at 103rd American Society for Microbiology (ASM) General Meeting, Washington D.C. April, 2003.

Zhou, X., Bent, S. J., Schneider, M. G., Davis, C. C., and Forney, L.J. (2003). Is Atopobium vaginae a predominant member in vaginal microbial communities of healthy women. Presented at 103rd American Society for Microbiology (ASM) General Meeting, Washington D.C. April, 2003.