Curriculum Vitae. Research Officer in Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute from Aug

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Curriculum Vitae. Research Officer in Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute from Aug"

Shona Jenkins
5 years ago
Views:

Curriculum Vitae Yi Fu ( 付毅 ) (PhD, MBBS) Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute 75 Commercial Road, Prahran, Melbourne, VIC 3004 Australia Phone: +61 3 8532 1288 Email: yi.fu@bakeridi.edu.

1 Curriculum Vitae Yi Fu ( 付毅 ) (PhD, MBBS) Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute 75 Commercial Road, Prahran, Melbourne, VIC 3004 Australia Phone: yi.fu@bakeridi.edu.au PROFILE Research Officer in Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute from Aug Gender: Male Date of Birth: Feb. 4 th, 1981 Place of Birth: Jiangsu, China EDUCATION Sichuan University (West China Medical School), Chengdu Degree: MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) Peking University (Health Science Center), Beijing Degree: Ph. D in Physiology University of California, Riverside, United States Visiting Graduate Student in Division of Biomedical Science

2 WORK EXPERIENCE Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia Now Research Officer (Scientist) RESEARCH EXPERIENCE Graduate Stage: Laminar shear stress regulates liver X receptor in vascular endothelial cells. The liver X receptors (LXRs) regulate a set of genes involved in lipid metabolism and reverse cholesterol transport. We investigated the mechanism by which shear stress regulates LXR in vascular endothelial cells (ECs). Western blot showed that the protein level of LXRa and its target ABCA1 in the mouse thoracic aorta was higher than that in the aortic arch. As well, the mrna level of LXR and its target genes ABCA1, ABCG1, ApoE, and LPL in the thoracic aorta was higher. In vitro, bovine aortic ECs were subjected to a steady laminar flow (12 dyne/cm 2 ). The expressions of LXR and the LXR-mediated transcription were increased by laminar shear stress. Laminar flow increased LXR-ligand binding and the gene expression of sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27), which suggests an increased level of LXR ligand in ECs. This effect was attenuated by LXRa and CYP27 RNAi. The decrease of LXR in the aorta of PPARg +/- mice and that of C57 mice fed with PPARg antagonist suggest the involvement of PPARg in the LXR induction by flow. Laminar flow increases LXR function via a PPARg-CYP27 dependent mechanism, which reveals an atheroprotective role for laminar flow exerting on endothelium. Translocation of ATP synthase beta chain by laminar versus oscillatory flow. Shear stress plays an important role in endothelial function and can be a major pathogenic factor of atherosclerosis, depending upon flow patterns. ATP synthase β chain (ATPSβ) is the enzymatic center for ATP synthesis. It can locate either in mitochondria or on the cell membrane. It was demonstrated that plasmamembrane ATPSβ could play a role on binding of γ/δ T cells. We previously reported that ATPSβ could be co-localized with caveolin-1 in membrane caveolae and enriched by exposure of cholesterol. In this study, we examined whether shear stress affects cellular distribution of ATPSβ in bovine aortic endothelial cells (ECs) and thus induces the adhesion of γ/δ T cells to ECs. Our results showed that laminar flow caused a decrease in membrane cholesterol in ECs with attendant decreased translocation of ATPSβ on the membrane, which was companioned with caveolin-1 alteration. In contrast, oscillatory flow increased the membrane cholesterol content and the colocalization of ATPSβ and caveolin-1 on the membrane. The incubation of ECs with cholesterol or depletion of cellular cholesterol with β-cyclodextrin (βcd) could mimic the respective effects of oscillatory and laminar flows. The inhibition

3 of caveolin-1 expression by caveolin-1 sirna prevented the translocation of ATPSβ in ECs responding to shear stress. Importantly, T cells adhesion assay showed that oscillatory flow or cholesterol elevated the number of γ/δ T cells binding to ECs, and this increment could be blocked by anti-atpsβ antibody pretreatment, while laminar flow or βcd decreased this attachment significantly. Thus, a novel mechanism of endothelial activation was proposed that cholesterol or oscillatory shear stress promote γ/δ T cells adhesion on ECs through the membrane translocation of ATPSβ. Proteome research of endothelial lipid rafts Lipid rafts are cholesterol-enriched microdomains in cell membrane, and they play an important role in maintaining endothelial function. Shear stress is a key pathogen factor of atherosclerosis, and statins are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor and regulate cholesterol level. I applied itraq method for comparative endothelial lipid rafts proteome under these conditions (laminar flow, oscillatory flow and atorvastatin). We found that atorvastatin mainly increased anti-oxidative proteins and proteins that could enhance cell barriment; it decreased proteins that are associated mitochondrial function and white blood cells adhesion in endothelial lipid rafts. Therefore, we concluded that statins played their endothelium-protective function partly through regulating the protein translocation in lipid rafts. We have still been analyzing the proteome result for shear stress. Postdoctoral Stage: The role of caveolin-1 in monocyte differentiation into macrophage Monocyte to macrophage differentiation is an essential step in atherogenesis. The structure protein of caveolae, caveolin-1, is involved in protein translocation and integrin signalling. Primary monocytes demonstrate an increase in caveolin-1 expression following adhesion to endothelium. We explore the hypothesis that caveolin-1 plays a role in monocyte differentiation to macrophage. We confirm that PMA treatment of THP-1 cells induces expression of inflammatory genes and macrophage cell surface markers and show that caveolin-1 expression increases in these treated cells. These findings were validated in human and mouse primary monocytes. As well, expression of macrophage markers and inflammatory genes increased following transfection of pegf-caveolin-1 plasmid, while caveolin-1 knockdown by sirna reduced the PMA-induced expression of these differentiation markers. Moreover, the nuclear location of the early growth responsor 1 (EGR-1) transcription factor, increased by PMA treatment, was blocked by knocking down caveolin-1. ChIP assay results further showed that caveolin-1 knock-down inhibited the binding of EGR-1 to its target DNA fragments (CSF1R and TNFα) induced by monocyte differentiation thus decreasing EGR-1 transcriptional activity. Finally, caveolin-1 transfection altered the transmigration ability of THP-1 (monocyte) cells to one closer to that observed in PMA treated THP-1 (macrophage) cells. We conclude that caveolin- 1 promotes monocyte to macrophage differentiation through regulation of EGR-1 transcriptional activity and suggest that monocytic caveolin-1 is a potential

4 therapeutic target for atherosclerosis. The gene profiling on HDL-regulated monocyte inflammation HDL is considered as good cholesterol through its atheroprotective effects. However, the role of HDL on monocyte inflammation is still not clear. Here, microarrays were applied to compare HDL effects on static and LPS-induced THP-1 monocytes. Through gene screening, metallothioniens (MTs) were selected as a target gene family up-regulated by HDL. We hypothesized that HDL inhibited LPS-induced inflammation on monocytes through MTs. We planned to increase or decrease MTs expression in monocytes through transfection of MTs expression plasmid and sirna respectively, then to explore the alteration of HDL effects on LPS-induced inflammation on monocytes. The role of HDL on macrophage polarization Monocytes differentiate into macrophages following transmigration into tissue. Under physiological conditions, the monocyte-derived macrophage is of the M2 type playing a normal protective role in the organism. When pathological factors (including inflammation) are present, the differentiated macrophage possesses features which damage tissue, and this type of macrophage is normally termed M1. M1 macrophages play an important role in cardiovascular disease. For example, M1 macrophages turn into foam cells through the uptake of ox-ldl in atherosclerosis, forming pathological lipid lesions on the vessel wall. Circulating cholesterol levels in blood is related to cardiovascular disease. Lipoprotein is one of the major vectors for circulating cholesterol. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) is commonly known as bad cholesterol as a result of its promotion of cardiovascular disease, while high density lipoprotein (HDL) is referred to as good cholesterol due to its protective effect on the cardiovascular system. HDL promotes cardioprotection through the inhibition of inflammation and oxdative stress and the mediation of cholesterol efflux thus decreasing cholesterol levels. Our previous research work demonstrated that HDL can inhibit monocytic activation and inflammation, but the role of HDL on macrophage is still not clear. This project aims to explore the potential effects of HDL on macrophage polarization. We will isolate monocytes from human blood, differentiate them into macrophages, and induce the macrophages into M1 or M2 states respectively. We will then study the influence of HDL on the induction of M1 or M2 macrophages and HDL-induced alteration of macrophage polarization. TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE Cell biology Primary cells isolation and culture (HUVECs, MAECs, blood leukocytes, monocytes, γ/δ T lymphocytes) FACS (flow cytometry)

5 Immunofluorescence Flow chamber for endothelium (Shear stress effect on ECs) Immunology ELISA and Bioplex (ELISA array) Transmigration assay Molecular Biology Immunoblotting and Real-time PCR ChIP assay Lentivirus mir cloning Gene regulation by transfection or infection Experience of involving in high through-put projects (microarray and itraq proteomics) Animal experiments Ex vivo: vessel chamber In vivo: handle atherosclerotic mouse models HONORS AND AWARDS Peking University: Triple A Graduate Students 2008 Research Innovation Award 2008 Australian NHMRC Training Fellowship (65,000 per year, 2 years) Baker IDI Bright Sparks Program Travel Grant 2011

6 CONFERENCES st International Symposium on Lipid and Tissue Injury, Chongqing, China (Poster Presenter) th Annual Symposium Bioengineering Institute of California, Riverside, CA, US (Poster Presenter) th European Meeting of Vascular Biology and Medicine, Krakow, Poland (Poster Presenter) PUBLICATIONS 1. Fu Y, Moore XL, Sivordoc D, Chin-Dusting J (Current) Caveolin-1 Plays a Critical Role in the Differentiation of Monocytes into Macrophages. Arterio Thromb Vasc Biol. (In Revision) 2. Fu Y, Hou Y, Fu C, Gu M, Li C, Kong W, Wang X, Shyy JY, Zhu Y (2011) A Novel Mechanism of γ/δ T-Lymphocyte and Endothelial Activation by Shear Stress: The Role of Ecto-ATP Synthase β Chain. Circ Res. 108(4): (Cover Image) 3. Fu Y, Zhu Y (2011) Ectopic ATP synthase in endothelial cells: a novel cardiovascular therapeutic target. Curr Pharm Des. 16(37): Thomas MC, Pickering RJ, Tsorotes D, Koitka A, Sheehy K, Bernardi S, Toffoli B, Nguyen-Huu TP, Head GA, Fu Y, Chin-Dusting J, Cooper ME, Tikellis C (2010) Genetic Ace2 deficiency accentuates vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis in the ApoE knockout mouse. Circ Res. 107(7): Chen Z, Peng IC, Sun W, Su MI, Hsu PH, Fu Y, Zhu Y, Defea K, Pan S, Tsai MD, Shyy JY (2009) AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Functionally Phosphorylates Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Ser633. Circ Res. 104(4): Zhu M*, Fu Y*, Wang N, Guan Y, Tang CS, Shyy JY, Zhu Y (2008) Laminar Shear Stress Regulates Liver X Receptor in Vascular Endothelial Cells In vitro and In vivo. Arterio Thromb Vasc Biol. 28: (*contributed equally) 7. Ai D, Fu Y, Guo DL, Tanaka H, Wang N, Tang CS, Hammock BD, Shyy JY, Zhu Y (2007) Angiotensin II Upregulates Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase in Vascular Endothelium In vitro and In vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 104: Qin X, Tian J, Zhang P, Fan Y, Chen L, Guan Y, Fu Y, Zhu Y, Chien S, Wang N (2007) Laminar shear stress up-regulates the expression of stearoyl-coa desaturase-1 in vascular endothelial cells. Cardiovasc Res. 74(3):

2.5. AMPK activity

2.5. AMPK activity Supplement Fig. A 3 B phos-ampk 2.5 * Control AICAR AMPK AMPK activity (Absorbance at 45 nm) 2.5.5 Control AICAR Supplement Fig. Effects of AICAR on AMPK activation in macrophages. J774. macrophages were