The central goal of our research is to understand how oligodendroglial development in the mammalian central nervous system is regulated in health and disease. Specifically, we are interested in molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in oligodendrocyte death as occurring in white matter injuries, such as multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. Because in most CNS diseases, multiple cell types including neurons, glial cells and vascular cells are involved via complex interactions, we investigate, at the cellular and molecular level, the role of microglia and astrocytes in the process of oligodendrocyte development, differentiation and cell death. We use a variety of methods including primary
cell cultures and transgenic and knockout animals to elucidate signal transduction pathways in mediating oligodendrocyte injury.
The second focus of our laboratory is to elucidate the signals that promote oligodendrocyte survival and regeneration/remyelination after injury, and to study cell-cell interactions that regulate remyelination. These studies should contribute significantly to our understanding of mechanisms of oligodendrocyte development and injury, and provide new clues for potential prevention and treatment of human white matter diseases.
- Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa - (Honolulu, Hawaii, United States) 1997
- M.S. in Organic Chemistry, Beijing Normal University - (Beijing, Beijing, China) 1991
- B.S. in Chemistry, Beijing Normal University - (Beijing, Beijing, China) 1988
Academic Articles49
- Lu, H. C., Kim, S., Steelman, A. J., Tracy, K., Zhou, B., Michaud, D., ... Li, J. (2020). STAT3 signaling in myeloid cells promotes pathogenic myelin-specific T cell differentiation and autoimmune demyelination.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 117(10), 5430-5441.
- Stoughton, W. B., Li, J., Balog-Alvarez, C., & Kornegay, J. N. (2018). Impaired autophagy correlates with golden retriever muscular dystrophy phenotype.. Muscle Nerve. 58(3), 418-426.
- Kim, S., Bielawski, J., Yang, H., Kong, Y. u., Zhou, B., & Li, J. (2018). Functional antagonism of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 prevents cuprizone-induced demyelination.. Glia. 66(3), 654-669.
- Steelman, A. J., Zhou, Y., Koito, H., Kim, S., Payne, H. R., Lu, Q. R., & Li, J. (2016). Activation of oligodendroglial Stat3 is required for efficient remyelination.. Neurobiol Dis. 91, 336-346.
- Zhao, C., Deng, Y., Liu, L., Yu, K., Zhang, L., Wang, H., ... Lu, Q. R. (2016). Dual regulatory switch through interactions of Tcf7l2/Tcf4 with stage-specific partners propels oligodendroglial maturation.. Nat Commun. 7(1), 10883.
Chapters2
- Park, J., Kim, S., Li, J., & Han, A. (2014). Axon length quantification microfluidic culture platform for growth and regeneration study.. Methods Mol Biol. Murray, A. J. (Eds.), Methods in Molecular Biology. 85-95. Springer New York.
- Li, J., & Billiar, T. R. (2002). Nitric Oxide. Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc..
Conference Papers14
- Jeong, S. H., Kim, S., Buonocore, J., Park, J., Welsh, C. J., Li, J., & Han, A. (2016). A multi-channel in vitro blood-brain barrier model. 20th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, MicroTAS 2016. 493-494.
- Park, J., Kim, S., Li, J., & Han, A. (2014). Brain-on-a-chip: An in vitro myelination model. 18th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, MicroTAS 2014. 150-152.
- Park, J., Kim, S., Li, J., & Han, A. (2011). Quantitative CNS AXON growth analysis for drug screening in a microfluidic neuron culture platform. 15th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences 2011, MicroTAS 2011. 1, 699-701.
- Park, J., Koito, H., Li, J., & Han, A. (2010). High-throughput compartmentalized cns neuron culture platform for axon degeneration/regeneration study. 14th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences 2010, MicroTAS 2010. 2, 860-862.
- Park, J., Koito, H., Li, J., & Han, A. (2010). Neuron aggregate culture platform for in vitro cns myelination study. 14th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences 2010, MicroTAS 2010. 1, 46-48.
Principal Investigator7
- Identification of Novel Small Molecules for Cns Myelin Repair awarded by National Institutes of Health 2012 - 2015
Co-Principal Investigator1
- BICH491 Hnr-research Instructor
- BICH491 Research Instructor
- BIMS491 Research Instructor
- GENE491 Hnr-research Instructor
- GENE491 Research Instructor
- Lu, Hsueh-Chung (2017-08). The Role of Myeloid STAT3 in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Postnatal Brain Development. (Doctoral Dissertation)
- Gillis, David Christopher (2015-08). The Role of RIP3 in Neuroinflammation in the Postnatal Mouse Brain. (Master's Thesis)
- Thompson, Jeffrey (2012-12). The Role of Caspase-8 in Oligodendrocyte Development and Mechanisms of Oxidative Injury in Neurons and Glia. (Master's Thesis)
- Gomez, Francisco Pascual (2012-08). Estrogen Therapy in a Viral Murine Model of Multiple Sclerosis. (Master's Thesis)