Congratulations to Hu Minqiang’s PhD gruaduation

On Nov 26th, 2023, Dr. Hu Minqiang successfully defended his doctoral dissertation. During the Ph. D training under the supervising of Prof. Quan Jummin and Prof. Li Qinkai, he has focused on the function and mechanism of extracellular cyclophilin A in atherosclerosis.

Under conditions of oxidative stress or inflammatory stimuli, Cyclophilin A (CypA) can be secreted extracellularly, involved in lipid metabolism and inflammation. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Dr. Hu demonstrated that extracellular CypA (eCypA) interacted with LRP1 and promoted the endocytosis and degradation of LRP1 through the endosome-lysosome pathway. This reduces PPARγ transcriptional activity, as well as downregulating ABCA1 expression, thus leading to the impairment of cholesterol homeostasis and lipid metabolism. Futher, pharmacological inhibition of eCypA by the novel inhibtor 4MCsA restores hepatic LRP1 levels and alleviates atherosclerosis. This study is of significant importance for understanding the role of eCypA in the progression of atherosclerotic disease and for developing eCypA-specific inhibitors as novel drugs for atherosclerosis.

All members of QuanLab are acknowledged for their elegant support and help.