Jing Cheng, MD, PhD

  • Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Jing Cheng's research interest is mainly on studying the mechanisms by which dysregulated intracellular signaling contributes to inflammatory disease and tumorigenesis. Specifically, she is focused on the effects of different signaling intermediates on NF-kB activity and trying to identify novel binding partners for MALT1, the effector molecule of the CARMA-BCL10-MALT1 (CBM) signalosome, which play important roles in normal lymphocyte function and lymphomagenesis.

Education & Training

  • PhD, Peking University Health Science Center, 2003

Selected Publications

Cheng J, Fu J, and Zhou Z. (2003) The contributing effect of Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory (StAR) protein expression and the ultra-structural alterations of mitochondria in Manganese reduced testosterone synthesis. Chinese. J. Pharmacol Toxicol. 17(2):141-145

Cheng J, Fu J, and Zhou Z. (2003) The inhibitory effects of manganese on steroidogenesis in rat primary Leydig cells by disrupting steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein expression. Toxicology. 187(2-3):139-48

Cheng J, Fu J, and Zhou Z. (2005) The mechanism of manganese-induced inhibition of steroidogenesis in rat primary Leydig cells. Toxicology. 211(1-2):1-11

Cheng J, Watkins SC, and Walker WH. (2007) Testosterone activates mitogen-activated protein kinase via Src kinase and the epidermal growth factor receptor in Sertoli cells. Endocrinology. 148(5):2066-74

Shupe J, Cheng J, Puri P, Kostereva N, and Walker WH. (2011) Regulation of Sertoli-germ cell adhesion and sperm release by FSH and nonclassical testosterone signaling. Mol.Endocrinol. 25(2):238-52

Cheng J, Phong B, Wilson DC, Hirsch R, and Kane LP.(2011) Akt fine-tunes NF-kappaB-dependent gene expression during T cell activation. J. Biol. Chem. 286(41):36076-85

DeFrances MC, Debelius DR, Cheng J, and Kane LP.(2012) Inhibition of T-cell activation by PIK3IP1. Eur. J. Immunol. 42(10):2754-9

Cheng J, and Kane LP.(2013) Global identification of genes and pathways regulated by Akt during activation of T helper cells. F1000Res. 22(109)

Cheng J, Hamilton KS, and Kane LP. (2014) Phosphorylation of Carma1, but not BCL10, by Akt regulates TCR/CD28-mediated NF-κB induction and cytokine production. Mol. Immunol. 59(1):110-6

Hamilton KS, Phong B, Corey C, Cheng J, Gorentla B, Zhong X, Shiva S, and Kane LP. (2014) T cell receptor-dependent activation of mTOR signaling in T cells is mediated by CARMA1 and MALT1, but not BCL10. Sci. Signal. 7(329):ra55

Nau GJ, Horzempa J, O'Dee D, Brown MJ, Russo BC, Hernandez A, Dillon ST, Cheng J. Kane LP, Sanker S and Hukriede NA. (2019) A predicted Francisella tularensis DXD-motif glycosyltransferase blocks immune activation. Virulence. 10:1, 643-656

McAuley J. Bailey K, Ekambaram, P, Kang H, Hu D, Freeman T, Klei L, Concel V, Hubel N, Sekar P, Bridwell R, Cheng J, Covic L, Lucas PC, Lee JY, Klei H and McAllister-Lucas LM. (2019) MALT1 is a critical mediator of PAR1-driven NF-κB activation and metastasis in multiple tumor types. Oncogene. 38 (49): 7384-7398

Cheng J, Klei LR, Hubel NE, Zhang M, Schairer R, Maurer LM, Klei HB, Kang H, Concel VJ, Parameswaran N, Baens M, Delekta P, Thome M, Lucas PC and McAllister-Lucas LM. (2020) GRK2 suppresses lymphomagenesis by inhibiting the MALT1 proto-oncoprotein. J. Clin. Investig. 130(2):1036-1051

Cheng J, Maurer LM, Kang H, Lucas PC and McAllister-Lucas LM. (2020) Critical protein-protein interactions within the CARMA1-BCL10-MALT1 complex: Take-home points for the cell biologist. Cell Immunol. Sep; 355:104158

Full Publication List via NIH PubMed »

Academic and Research Interests

  • GRK2 as a novel MALT1 binding partner that negatively modulate MALT1’s activity
  • GRK2 as an inhibitor of endothelial dysfunction and inflammation
  • Developing new strategies to interfere Bcl-10 and MALT1 interaction
  • Thrombin/PAR1-dependent oncogenesis
  • MALT1 activity in mast cells and endothelial dysfunction
  • miRNA regulation of GRK2 expression

Media Apperances

A New Target for Poor-Prognosis Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
UPMC Physician Resources
May 26, 2020