Congratulations to Chen Yaqi and Liu Siyu’s PhD graduation

On Nov 25th, 2022, Dr. Chen Yaqi and Dr. Liu Siyu successfully defended their doctoral dissertation. During the Ph. D training under the supervising of Prof. Quan Jummin and Prof. Li Qinkai, both of them have done great jobs in their own research fields.

Dr. Chen Yaqi discovers three aptamers that specifically target EBV positiveNPC cells by Cell-SELEX method, and identifies that the complex of EphA2 and CD98hc is the potential target of the aptamer EA-3. This thesis further reveals the specific interactingregions between EphA2 and CD98hc, and characterizes the regulatory functions of the crosstalk of EphA2 and CD98hc in the proliferation and migration of NPC cells. The results reveal for the first time the direct interaction between EphA2 and CD98hc in EBV-positiveNPC cells and their regulatory functions, which provides new insights into understanding thekey regulatory mechanisms in the initiation and development of EBV-positive NPC, andserves as a potential target for the development of novel theranostic strategies for EBV-positive NPC.

While Dr. Liu Siyu discovers that extracellular CypA may mediate the degradation of glucose and lipid metabolism-related receptors such as IR, GLUT2 and LDLR by promoting endocytosis-lysosomal pathway in obesity-induced metabolic disorders including T2DM diseases, impairing insulin sensitivity and leading to insulin resistance, thereby promoting the process of obesity-related metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes. The extracellular CypA specific inhibitor 4MCsA exhibits favorable efficacy and safety profiles in animal models of type 2 diabetes, supporting it as a powerful tool for further study of the physiological and pathological functions of extracellular CypA, and as a good starting point for the development of novel drugs targeting extracellular CypA related diseases.

Edited by Hu Minqiang