本课题组聚焦免疫信号转导调控，主要结合免疫学、生物化学与分子生物学、细胞生物学、转录组学、蛋白质组学等方法研究：1）肿瘤免疫；2）天然免疫；3）免疫细胞发育分化；4）T细胞功能与耗竭。研究成果有望为临床上诊治相关疾病（如癌症、炎症反应、感染性疾病等）提供新的思路。

课题组长张端午在其博士和博士后研究阶段，先后师从韩家淮院士和Bruce Beutler院士（2011年诺贝尔奖得主）。迄今发表SCI论文20余篇（篇均IF>20），包括在Science、Nature Immunology、Cell Research、Cell Death & Differentiation、PNAS等杂志以第一作者或通讯作者发表系列研究成果，论文被引用超过4000次。上海市免疫学会第十二届理事会感染免疫专业委员会委员。承担国家重点研发计划、国家自然科学基金委及上海市科委重点项目等多个科研项目。

Zhang D, Shao J, Lin J, Zhang N, Lu BJ, Lin SC, Dong MQ, Han J* (2009). RIP3, an energy metabolism regulator that switches TNF-induced cell death from apoptosis to necrosis. Science, 325(5938):332-336. (* correspondence) Recommended by F1000Prime.

Zhang D, Lin J, Han J* (2010). Receptor-interacting protein (RIP) kinase family. Cellular & Molecular Immunology, 7(4):243-249.

Han J, Zhong CQ, Zhang D (2011). Programmed necrosis, backup to and competitor with apoptosis in the immune system. Nature Immunology, 12(12):1143-1149.

Zhang D, Zheng M, Zhao J, Li YY, Huang Z, Li Z, Han J* (2011). Multiple death pathways in TNF-treated fibroblasts: RIP3- and RIP1-dependent and independent routes.Cell Research, 21(2):368-371.

Lin J, Li H, Yang M, Ren J, Huang Z, Han F, Huang J, Ma J, Zhang D, Zhang Z, Wu J, Huang D, Qiao M, Jin G, Wu Q, Huang Y, Du J*, Han J* (2013). A role of RIP3-mediated macrophage necrosis in atherosclerosis development. Cell Reports, 3(1):200-210.

Wang T, Zhan X, Bu CH, Lyon S, Pratt D, Hildebrand S, Choi JH, Zhang Z, Zeng M, Wang KW, Turer E, Chen Z, Zhang D, Yue T,...Beutler B* (2015). Real-time resolution of point mutations that cause phenovariance in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 112(5):E440-E449.

Zhang D, Tomisato W, Su L, Sun L, Choi JH, Zhang Z, Wang KW, Zhan X, Choi M, Li X, Tang M, Castro-Perez JM, Hildebrand S, Murray AR, Moresco EMY, Beutler B* (2017). Skin-specific regulation of SREBP processing and lipid biosynthesis by glycerol kinase 5. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 114(26):E5197-E5206.

Choi JH, Wang KW, Zhang D, Zhan X, Wang T, Bu CH, Behrendt CL, Zeng M, Wang Y, Misawa T, Li X, Tang M, Zhan X, Scott L, Hildebrand S, Murray AR, Moresco EM, Hooper LV, Beutler B* (2017). IgD class switching is initiated by microbiota and limited to mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 114(7):E1196-E1204.

Zhang D, Yue T, Choi JH, Nair-Gill E, Zhong X, Wang KW, Zhan X, Li X, Choi M, Tang M, Quan J, Hildebrand S, Moresco EMY, Beutler B* (2019). Syndromic immune disorder caused by a viable hypomorphic allele of spliceosome component Snrnp40. Nature Immunology, 20(10):1322-1334.

Wang KW, Zhan X, McAlpine W, Zhang Z, Choi JH, Shi H, Misawa T, Yue T, Zhang D, Wang Y, Ludwig S, Russell J, Tang M, Li X, Murray AR, Moresco EMY, Turer EE, Beutler B* (2019). Enhanced susceptibility to chemically induced colitis caused by excessive endosomal TLR signaling in LRBA-deficient mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 116(23):11380-11389.

Choi JH, Zhong X, McAlpine W, Liao TC, Zhang D, Fang B, Russell J, Ludwig S, Nair-Gill E, Zhang Z, Wang KW, Misawa T, Zhan X, Choi M, Wang T, Li X, Tang M, Sun Q, Yu L, Murray AR, Moresco EMY, Beutler B* (2019). LMBR1L regulates lymphopoiesis through Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Science, 364(6440): eaau0812.

Yue T, Zhan X, Zhang D, Jain R, Wang KW, Choi JH, Misawa T, Su L, Quan J, Hildebrand S, Xu D, Li X, Turer E, Sun L, Moresco EMY, Beutler B* (2021). SLFN2 protection of tRNAs from stress-induced cleavage is essential for T cell-mediated immunity. Science, 372(6543):eaba4220.

Wei G, Zhang H, Zhao H, Wang J, Wu N, Li L, Wu J, Zhang D* (2021). Emerging immune checkpoints in the tumor microenvironment: Implications for cancer immunotherapy. Cancer Letters, 511:68-76.

Yang H, Beutler B*, Zhang D* (2022). Emerging roles of spliceosome in cancer and immunity. Protein & Cell, 13(8):559-579.

Lin H, Liu C, Hu A, Zhang D*, Yang H*, Mao Y* (2024). Understanding the immunosuppressive microenvironment of glioma: mechanistic insights and clinical perspectives. Journal of Hematology & Oncology, 17(1):31.

Zhang Y, Yi J, Wei G, Ren T, Zhao H, Zhang H, Yang H*, Zhang D* (2024). CWF19L1 promotes T-cell cytotoxicity through the regulation of alternative splicing. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 300(12):107982.

Zhao H, Wu N, Wei G, Zhang H, Ren T, Yi J, Zhang Y, Wang Z, Wang Y, Guo Z, Zhang D* (2024). Alternative splicing regulation by tumor suppressing subtransferable candidate 4: a pathway to tumor suppression. Frontiers in Immunology, 15:1474527.

Zhang H, Guo Z, Wei G, Yi J, Wang Z, Zhang Y, Zhao H, Ren T, Wang Y, Kuang J, Sheng Z, Zhang D* (2025). USP17LA restrains T-cell activation and anti-tumor immunity by targeting the MAPK/NF-κB/NFAT Axis. EMBO Reports, 2025, in press.

Zhang H, Guo Z, Yi J, Wu J, Wang Y, Ren T, Zhang Y, Zhao H, Wu N, Wei G, Zhang D* (2025). Thymic egress and peripheral T cell homeostasis regulated by Rho GTPase-activating protein 30. Cell Death & Differentiation, 2025 May 22. PMID: 40404920.