Dr. Tang conducted his graduate research on the catabolic pathway of the essential amino acid lysine in the laboratory of Dr. Gad Galili at the Weizmann Institute of Sciences, Israel. He then moved to the laboratory of Dr. Phillip D. Zamore at the University of Massachusetts Medical School for his post-doctoral research on plant RNA interference (RNAi) and microRNA (miRNA) pathways. He established his independent Gene Suppression Laboratory at the University of Kentucky (UK) and became a tenured Associate Professor there. In October 2011, he moved from UK to Michigan Technological University (MTU) at the Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U. P.) for a family reunion and enjoyed the first winter time with much outdoor activities with his wife and kids.

Currently, Dr. Tang focuses on five general fields: (1) Plant and animal gene silencing, (2) Development of plant dominant mutant resource for functional genomics and gene discovery, (3) miRNA evolution, bioinformatics, designing and experimental testing, (4) miRNA profiling, functions, and regulation of target gene expression, (5) Plant abiotic stresses, and (6) Plant natural products. Specifically:

(1) For the study of plant and animal gene silencing, Dr. Tang’s main focus is to dissect RNAi and miRNA pathways via a biochemical approach using wheat and maize germ extracts, fly embryo lysate, Arabidopsis, and human cell cultures. Specifically, Dr. Tang studies the assembly of RNA-induced gene-silencing complex (RISC), the complex-guided target mRNA cleavage or translational repression, and the regulation of RNAi and microRNA components such as Dicers and AGOs in vivo in plants and cell cultures, andin vitro in test tubes. Dr. Tang also studies to develop simple but efficient RNAi technologies for plant gene suppression. Supports to this project are from the USDA-NRI.

(2) For the development of plant dominant mutant resource for functional genomics and gene discovery, we use RNAi gene discovery tool to randomly generate dominant mutant pools in plants. This project is currently suported by NSF and it will provide research training opportunities for one postdoctoral fellow and nine undergraduate and high school students. Underrepresented minorities and women, as well as students from rural eastern Kentucky, will be especially targeted and recruited.

(3) For the study of miRNA evolution, bioinformatics, designing and experimental testing, our objective is to design highly efficient miRNA-like siRNAs, miRNA-like structures that are far more beyond a simple mimic of natural miRNA genes. We are in a collaboration with Dr. Cingwen Li and Eva Li to build up a miRDuBase for storing miRNA duplexes of various species, and to develop a miRNA Designer program for miRNA-like siRNA designing for gene silencing The miRNA-like structures designed by this program will be extensively tested by experiments to improve the miRNA designer to its perfection. Eventually, a user-friendly web service of miRNA designer will be offered to our fellow scientists who are eager to avoid the costy try-and-error RNAi experiments to knock down their specific genes in plants and animal cells.

(4) For miRNA profiling, functions, and regulation of target gene expression, we developed a rational, cost-effective, high throughput miRNA array technology as a core facility at the University of Kentucky to serve our fellow scientists and our daily array analysis at the Tang Lab. We have successfully applied it in the analysis of miRNA profiles in plant development, different mouse organs or in identification of candidate miRNA biomarkers for cancer cells, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes complications. The array platform has been optimized with various titrations to a linear range. New methods for data adjustment, normalization and clustering analysis have also been introduced to improve array analysis. This array platform will be upgraded and scaled up immediately for wider uses and various kinds of studies. Transition of this technology to commercialization will be supported for two years (2008-2010) by an award from the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC). The regulation of target gene expression by miRNAs turned to be much more complicated than previously appreciated. We are currently focusing on understanding the observation that miRNA induces target mRNA degradation that is not associated with target cleavage by RISC-associated "slicer" activity. On the other hand, the regulation of miRNA biogenesis is also getting complicated. Increasing evidence indicates that miRNAs are not isolated individuals but belong to a network. Perturbation of this network will lead to feedback and auto-regulatory responses in change of miRNAs or the expression change of miRNA machinery. We are also focused on understanding these regulations.

(5) For the study of plant abiotic stress, we study roles of microRNAs in abiotic stresses in model plants Arabidopsis and Populus by identifying key miRNAs that are induced or suppressed during abiotic stresses. We are also developing random RNAi technology to screen for mutants in abiotic stress responses. This project is currently supported by another award from USDA-NRI.

(6) For the study of plant natural products, Dr. Tang collaborates with the faculties at the Kentucky Tobacco Research & Development Center (KTRDC) and the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences to dissect and to improve the plant metabolic pathways using genetic engineering and gene suppression technologies. The goal is to discover new useful plant natural products and to promote their production in plants. Support to this project is from the KTRDC

• Dianwei Han, Guiliang Tang, and Jun Zhang (2011) A Parallel Strategy for Predicting the Secondary Structure of Polycistronic MicroRNAs. Int. J.Bioinformatics Research and Applications (In press)
• Lijuan Ji, Xigang Liu, Jun Yan, Wenming Wang, Rae Eden Yumul, Yu Ju Kim, Thanh Theresa Dinh, Jun Liu, Xia Cui, Binglian Zheng, Manu Agarwal, Chunyan Liu, Xiaofeng Cao, Guiliang Tang, and Xuemei Chen* (2011) ARGONAUTE10 and ARGONAUTE1 Regulate the Termination of Floral Stem Cells through Two microRNAs in Arabidopsis. PLoS Genet. 7(3):e1001358. Epub 2011 Mar 31.
• Xiaoyun Jia, Jun Yan, and Guiliang Tang (2011) MicroRNA-mediated DNA methylation in plants. Frontiers in Biology (In press)
• Xiaoqing Tang, Xiaohu Tang, Jozsef Gal, Natasha Kyprianou, Haining Zhu, andGuiliang Tang (2011) Detection of microRNAs in prostate cancer cells by microRNA array, “MicroRNA in Development: Methods and Protocols” edited by Tamas Dalmay, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom, HUMANA PRESS (In press)
• Dianwei Han, Jun Zhang, and Guiliang Tang (2011) MicroRNAfold: pre-microRNA secondary structure prediction based on Modified NCM model with thermodynamics-based scoring strategy. International Journal of Data Mining and Bioinformatics (In press)
• Guiliang Tang (2010) Plant microRNAs: An insight into their gene structures and evolution. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology 21:782-789.
• Wang WX, Wilfred BR, Madathil SK, Tang G, Hu Y, Dimayuga J, Stromberg AJ, Huang Q, Saatman KE, Nelson PT (2010) MiR-107 Regulates Granulin/Progranulin with Implications for Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurodegenerative Disease. Am J Pathol. 2010 May 20.
• Xiaoyun Jia, Venugopal Mendu, and Guiliang Tang (2010) An array platform for identification of stress-responsive miRNAs in plants, "Methods in Molecular Biology; Plant Stress Tolerance- Methods and Protocols" edited by Ramanjulu Sunkar, Oklohoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA. HUMANA PRESS (In press).
• Mian Gu, Ke Xu, Aiqun Chen, Yiyong Zhu, Guiliang Tang, and Guohua Xu (2010) Expression Analysis Suggests Potential Roles of microRNAs for Phosphate and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Signaling in Solanum lycopersicum.Physiol Plant.138(2):226-37.
• Ricky Lewis, Venugopal Mendu, David McNear, and Guiliang Tang (2009) Roles of microRNAs in Plant Abiotic Stress, Molecular Techniques in Crop Improvement. 2nd Edition, edited by S. Mohan Jain and D.S. Brar. Springer Netherlands, pp 357-372.
• Xiaoyun Jia, Ligang Ren, Qi-Jun Chen, Runzhi Li and Guiliang Tang (2009) UV-B responsive microRNAs in Populus tremula. J. of Plant Physiology 166: 2046-2057.
• Xiaoyun Jia, Wang-Xia Wang, Ligang Ren, Qi-Jun Chen, Venugopal Mendu, Benjamin Willcut, Randy Dinkins, Xiaoqing Tang, and Guiliang Tang (2009) Differential and dynamic regulation of miR398 and its targets in response to ABA and salt stress in Populus tremula and Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Molecular Biology 71: 51-59.
• Xiaoqing Tang, Latha Muniappan, Guiliang Tang*, and Sabire Ozcan* (2009) Identification of glucose-regulated miRNAs from pancreatic beta cells reveals a role for miR-30d in insulin transcription.RNA.15:287-293.
• Guiliang Tang (2008) MicroRNAs: An exciting and open field calls for extensive study from initial and established investigators. BBA-Gene Regulatory Mechanisms 1779: 653-654
• Xiaoqing Tang, Guiliang Tang, and Sabire Ozcan (2008) Role of MicroRNAs in Diabetes.BBA-Gene Regulatory Mechanisms 1779: 697-701
• Guiliang Tang, Xiaoqing Tang, Venugopal Mendu, Xiaohu Tang, Xiaoyun Jia, Qi-Jun Chen, and Liheng He (2008) The art of microRNA: various strategies leading to gene silencing via an ancient pathway.BBA-Gene Regulatory Mechanisms 1779: 655-662
• Guiliang Tang, Yu Xiang, Zhensheng Kang, Venugopal Mendu, Xiaohu Tang, Xiaoyun Jia, Qi-jun Chen, and Xiaoqing Tang (2008) Small RNA technologies: siRNA, miRNA, antagomiR, target mimicry, miRNA sponge and miRNA profiling. Current Perspectives in MicroRNAs, Springer Netherlands, pp 17-33
• Peter T. Nelson, Wang-Xia Wang, Bernard R. Wilfred, Guiliang Tang (2008) Technical variables in high-throughput miRNA expression profiling: Much work remains to be done. BBA-Gene Regulatory Mechanisms 1779: 758-765
• Wang-Xia Wang, Bernard W. Rajeev, Arnold Stromberg, Na Ren, Guiliang Tang, Qingwei Huang, Isidore Rigoutsos, and Peter T. Nelson (2008) The expression of microRNA miR-107 decreases early in Alzheimer’s disease and may accelerate disease progression through regulation of BACE1. Journal of Neuroscience 28(5): 1213-1223
• Wang-Xia Wang, Peter Nelson, and Guiliang Tang (2008) RNA Interference, mechanisms and proteins involved in. Wiley Encyclopedia of Chemical Biology.(in press)
• Xiaoqing Tang, Jozsef Gal, Xun Zhuang, Wangxia Wang, Haining Zhu, andGuiliang Tang (2007) A simple array platform for microRNA analysis and its application in mouse tissues. RNA 13: 1803-1822
• Guiliang Tang, Gad Galili and Xun Zhuang (2007) RNAi and microRNA: Breakthrough technologies for the improvement of plant nutritional value and metabolic engineering. Metabolomics. 3: 357-369
• Wang-Xia Wang, Bobby Gaffney, Arthur G. Hunt and Guiliang Tang (2007) Plant microRNAs and Development. Encyclopedia of Life Sciences.
• Xiang, Y. and Tang, G. (2006) RISC Biology, “microRNA: Biology, Function and Expression” edited by Clarke, N.J and Sanseau, P, DNA Press. pp 29-69.
• Tang, G.(2005) siRNA and miRNA: an insight into RISCs. Trends in Biochemical Sciences 30: 106-114.
• Mallory, A.C., Reinhart, B.J., Rhoades M.W., Tang, G., Zamore, P.D., Barton, M.K., and Bartel, D.P. (2004). MiRNA control of PHABULOSA during leaf development: importance of pairing to the miRNA 5´ region. EMBO J 23: 3356-3364
• Tang, G. and Zamore, P.D. (2004) Biochemical dissection of RNA silencing in plants, "Methods in Molecular Biology; mRNA Processing and Metabolism- Methods and Protocols" edited by Daniel R. Schoenberg , Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. HUMANA PRESS ,Vol. 257: 223-243
• Tang, G., B.J. Reinhart, D.P. Bartel, P.D. Zamore. (2003). A biochemical framework for RNA silencing in plants. Genes Dev 17: 49-63

• Tang, G. and Galili, G. (2004) Using RNAi to improve plant nutritional value: from mechanism to application. Trends in Biotechnology 22: 463-469.
• Haley, B. Tang, G. and Zamore P.D. (2003) In Vitro Analysis of RNA interference in Drosophila melanogaster. Methods 30:330-336
• Galili, G., Tang, G., Zhu, X. and Gakiere, B. (2001) Lysine catabolism: a stress and development super-regulated metabolic pathway. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 4: 261- 266
• Tang, G., Zhu, X., Tang, X. and Galili, G. (2000) A novel composite locus encoding simultaneously two polypeptides with metabolically related but distinct functions in lysine catabolism. Plant J., 23: 195-203
• Tang, G., Miron, D., Zhu-Shimoni, JX., and Galili, G. (1997b) Regulation of Lysine Catabolism through Lysine-Ketoglutarate Reductase and Saccharopine Dehydrogenase in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell, 9:1305-1316
• Phillip Zamore and Guiliang Tang (2003) Methods and compositions for controlling efficacy of RNA silencing (US Top-100 Patent).