Tang, Michael

About

Michael Tang is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego. His research focuses on HIV/AIDS, including the assessment of models for CD4 depletion, the impact of HIV on COVID-19 outcomes, and the effects of co-administration of antiretroviral drugs such as Tenofovir alafenamide and rifabutin. His work involves understanding the epidemiology, treatment, and public health aspects of HIV, with contributions to the evaluation of HIV-related interventions and the immune response in affected populations. Dr. Tang has authored multiple publications in reputable journals, contributing to the fields of communicable diseases, public health, and infectious diseases.

Research topics

• Biology
• Genetics
• Evolutionary biology
• Botany
• Computational biology

Selected publications

• The genetic and epigenetic landscape of the <i>Arabidopsis</i> centromeres

  Science · 2021 · 464 citations

  centromeres are evolving through cycles of satellite homogenization and retrotransposon-driven diversification.

  DOI

• Return of the Lemnaceae: duckweed as a model plant system in the genomics and postgenomics era

  The Plant Cell · 2021 · 228 citations

  The aquatic Lemnaceae family, commonly called duckweed, comprises some of the smallest and fastest growing angiosperms known on Earth. Their tiny size, rapid growth by clonal propagation, and facile uptake of labeled compounds from the media were attractive features that made them a well-known model for plant biology from 1950 to 1990. Interest in duckweed has steadily regained momentum over the past decade, driven in part by the growing need to identify alternative plants from traditional agric…

  DOI

• Culture-independent meta-pangenomics enabled by long-read metagenomics reveals associations with pediatric undernutrition

  Cell · 2025-09-09 · 9 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The human gut microbiome is linked to child malnutrition, yet traditional microbiome approaches lack resolution. We hypothesized that complete metagenome-assembled genomes (cMAGs), recovered through long-read (LR) DNA sequencing, would enable pangenome and microbial genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses to identify microbial genetic associations with child linear growth. LR methods produced 44-64× more cMAGs per gigabase pair (Gbp) than short-read methods, with PacBio (PB) yielding the m…

  PublisherDOI

• A sorghum pangenome reference improves global crop trait discovery

  Nature · 2026-03-11 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Although the green revolution adapted a handful of crops to homogeneous and high-input industrialized agriculture, much of the global population still relies on the local production of variable crop cultivars by low-input smallholder farms. This diversity of unhomogenized crops1, like that of the grain and bioenergy crop sorghum2–5, offers raw materials for genetic gain and cultivar improvement. However, breeding efforts can be constrained by highly specialized traits and breeding targets6. Here…

  PublisherDOI

• Hybridization and low-light adaptability in California eelgrass (Zostera spp.)

  Nature Plants · 2025-10-29 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract The temperate seagrass Zostera marina is a foundational marine species that provides critical habitat in bays and estuaries throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Human activities and climatic events have necessitated Z. marina restoration, for which high transplant mortality rates call for innovative cross-disciplinary solutions. We identify a hybrid between Z. marina and Z. pacifica and explore the hybrid population as a tool for restoration from a genomic perspective. Among several habi…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant F32GM068381

  NIH · $131k · 2006

Frequent coauthors

• Joanne Chory

  Salk Institute for Biological Studies

  62 shared

• Jeremiah J. Minich

  54 shared

• Todd C. Mockler

  Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

  54 shared

• Eric E. Allen

  Scripps Institution of Oceanography

  52 shared

• Rob Knight

  University of California, San Diego

  44 shared

• Emily Kunselman

  Scripps Institution of Oceanography

  40 shared

• Joseph Vechinski

  Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute

  40 shared

• Benjamin W. Frable

  40 shared

Labs

• Michael Tang | UCSD ProfilesPI

Education

• M.D.

  University of California, San Diego

• B.S.

  University of California, San Diego

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• Strathdee, Steffanieh-108
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