Group Leader
Dr. Qianfei "Jeffrey" Wang is currently a principle investigator at Beijing Institute of Genomics (BIG), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He is also a joint professor at the State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology and a member of the 13th expert committee in Medical Sciences of National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Dr. Wang received his bachelor degree in clinical medicine from Shandong Medical University in China. He then earned his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2002. In his graduate studies working with Dr. Mark Schlissel and Dr. Alan Friedman, he researched the regulation of myeloid and lymphoid differentiation by the transcription factors C/EBP and c-Myb. Under the supervision of Dr. Edward Rubin, Dr. Wang pursued his postdoctoral training in the Genomics Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley. He explored a series of comparative genomic and bioinformatic approaches to dissect key regulatory enhancer sequences within the human genome. Before Dr. Wang joins the faculty at Beijing Institute of Genomics, he worked with Dr. Michael Thirman at the University of Chicago as an Assistant Professor (Research Associate) (2007-2009). Dr. Wang's background in clinical medicine, experimental biology and genomics has provided him with a unique opportunity to decipher the molecular mechanism and regulatory network controlling hematopoiesis and the development of human leukemia.
Introduction
Leukemia is a malignant disease characterized by the uncontrolled accumulation of blood cells. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20. Despite multi agent chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, the overall survival rate of acute myeloid leukemia is less than 30%. Disordered gene expression is a defining characteristic of human acute leukemia, and is required for the development of the disease. The altered gene regulatory circuitry in the leukemic genome, however, is poorly understood. The primary interest of my laboratory is to decipher the genetic and epigenetic basis controlling normal hematopoiesis and cancer cell transformation. By employing a combination of genomic and molecular characterization strategies, we aim to dissect the transcriptional network that dictates normal blood development and the initiation/progression of acute leukemia.
Through integrative programs combining biochemistry, cellular/molecular biology, and powerful genomics technology platforms, the Cancer Genomics Group seeks to transform original raw genomics data to basic research insights related to human cancer. Understanding the aberrant gene expression program and altered genetic pathways in leukemia cells will reveal molecular mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of blood related cancers and possibly identify therapeutic targets. Current areas of research include: (1) Transcriptional regulation of myeloid development; (2) Genetic and epigenetic regulation of gene expression as a mechanism of leukemogenesis; (3) Genetic alterations (specifically those involving regulatory DNA sequences) in human leukemia.
Research grant support
973 Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Program of National Nature Science Foundation of China ( NSFC), General Program of NSFC, Young Scientists Fund of NSFC (He, Fuhong, Zhou, Jing, Li, Yajun and Li, Yueying), the "Strategic Priority Research Program" of the CAS, Hundred Talents Program of the CAS, Open Research Fund Program of the State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Priority Research Grant for BIG Key Program, Young Scientists Fund of BIG (He, Fuhong , Zhou, Jing and Li, Yajun).
Lab Members
Staff
Yan, Jin: Secretary
Li, Yajun: Research assistant professor (Experimental biology)
He, Fuhong: Research assistant professor (Bioinformatics)
Zhou, Jing: Research assistant professor (Experimental biology)
Wu, Jun: Research assistant professor (Bioinformatics)
Zhang, Lin: Research assistant professor (Experimental biology)
Li, Yueying: Research assistant professor (Experimental biology)
Zhang, Yu: Research assistant professor (Experimental biology)
Wang, Jiguang: Research assistant professor (Bioinformatics)
Students
2008
Li, Bo (Experimental biology, co-mentored by Dr. Gang Huang at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center)
2009
Li, Xia (Bioinformatics, co-mentored by Dr. Hongkai Ji from the Johns Hopkins University)
Chen, Aili (Experimental biology)
2010
Zhang, Lixia (Experimental biology)
Zou, Zhengyong (Bioinformatics/Experimental biology)
Liu, Dan (Bioinformatics)
2011
Yang, Xuejing (Bioinformatics/ Experimental biology)
Zheng, Si (Bioinformatics)
Lu, Xin (Bioinformatics)
Visiting Scholars
Xing, Caihong (Associate professor, National Institute of Occupational Health and Poison Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
Zeng, Huimin (Medical Doctor, Department of Pediatrics, Peking University, People’s Hospital)
Li, Lingru (Ph.D. Student, Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Zheng, Luyu (Ph.D. Student, Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Yang, Ling (Master Student, Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Collaborators
Cheng, Tao laboratory at Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (http://www.exphemo. labs.gov.cn/show.php?contentid=33)
Zhu, Xiaofan laboratory at Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (http://www. exphemo. labs.gov.cn/show.php?contentid=30)
Yuan, Weiping laboratory at Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (http://www. exphemo.labs. gov.cn/show.php?contentid=73)
Wei, Liping laboratory at Peking University(http://www.bio.pku.edu.cn/faculty/weilp/)
Hu, Keping laboratory at Institute of Medicinal Plant Development
Zhou, Jianfeng laboratory at Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (http://www. tjxueye. com/news.asp?new_id=964)
Huang, Gang laboratory at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/research/div/exp- hematology/fs /fac/greg-huang.htm)
Ji, Hongkai group at the Johns Hopkins University (http://www.biostat.jhsph.edu/~hji/index.htm)
Wang, Qi group at Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (http://www2.bucm.edu.cn/ yanjiusheng /Tutor/ Tutor_PhD/100501_WangQi.htm)
Publications
1. Wang QF, Wu G, Mi SL, He FH, Wu J, Dong JF, Luo RT, Mattison R, Kaberlein JJ, Prabhakar S, Ji HK, Thirman MJ. MLL Fusion Proteins Preferentially Regulate a Subset of Wild Type MLL Target Genes in the Leukemic Genome Blood. 2011 Jun 23;117(25):6895-905. Epub 2011 Apr 25
2. Xing C*, Wang QF*, Li B, Tian H, Ni Y, Yin S, Li G. Methylation and expression analysis of tumor suppressor genes p15 and p16 in benzene poisoning. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 184:306-9, 2010 (Corresponding authors)
3. Li XM, Wang QF, Schofield B, Lin J, Huang SK, Wang Q. Modulation of antigen-induced anaphylaxis in mice by a traditional Chinese medicine formula, guo min kang. Am J Chin Med, 37(1):113-25, 2009
4. Wang CZ, Li XL, Wang QF, Mehendale SR, Fishbein AB, Han AH, Sun S, Yuan CS. The mitochondrial pathway is involved in American ginseng-induced apoptosis of SW-480 colon cancer cells. Oncology Reports, 21(3):577-84, 2009
5. Wang QF*, Prabhakar S, Chanan S, Cheng JF, Rubin EM, Boffelli D*. Detection of Weakly Conserved Ancestral Mammalian Regulatory Sequences by Primate Comparisons. Genome Biology. 8(1):R1, 2007 (Corresponding authors)
6. Wang QF, Prabhakar S, Wang Q, Moses A, Chanan S, Brown M, Eisen M, Cheng JF, Rubin E, Boffelli D. Primate-Specific Evolution of an LDLR Enhancer. Genome Biology. 7(8):R68, 2006
7. Wang QF, Liu, X., O’Connell, J., Peng, Z., Krauss, R., Rainwater D.L, Vandeberg J.L, Rubin, E.M., Cheng, J. F., and Pennacchio, L. A. Haplotypes in the APOA1-C3-A4-A5 Gene Cluster affect Plasma Lipids in both Humans and Baboons. Human Molecular Genetics. 13(10): 149-1056, 2004
8. R.G.Cleaves, Wang QF and A.D.Friedman. C/EBPalphap30, a myeloid leukemia oncoprotein, limits G-CSF receptor expression but not terminal granulopoiesis via site- selective inhibition of C/EBP DNA-binding. Oncogene, 23(3): 716-725, 2004
9. Friedman AD, Keefer JR, Kummalue T, Liu H, Wang QF, Cleaves R. Regulation of granulocyte and monocyte differentiation by CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha. Blood Cells Mol Dis. 31(3): 338-41, 2003
10. Wang QF, R.G. Cleaves, and A.D.Friedman. Cell cycle inhibition mediated by the outer surface of the C/EBPalpha basic region is required but not sufficient for granulopoiesis. Oncogene, 22(17):2548- 57, 2003
11. H.T. Liu, J.R. Keefer, Wang QF, and A. D. Friedman. Reciprocal effects of C/EBPα and PKCδ on JunB expression and monocytic differentiation depend upon the C/EBPα basic region. Blood, 101 (10): 3885-92, 2003
12. Wang QF, A.D.Friedman. C/EBPs are required for granulopoiesis independent of their induction of the granulocyte-colony stimulating factor receptor. Blood, 99(8): 2776- 85, 2002
13. Wang QF, J. Lauring, and M.S. Schlissel. c-Myb binds to a sequence in the proximal region of the RAG-2 promoter and is essential for promoter activity in T-lineage cells. Molecular and Cellular Biology. 20:9203-11, 2000
14. XM. Li, BH. Schofield, Wang QF, KH. Kim, SK. Huang. Induction of pulmonary allergic responses by antigen-specific Th2 cells. Journal of Immunology.160(3):1378- 84,1998
Abstracts/Meeting Communications
1. Mi SL, He FH, Wu J, Zhou J, Wu G, Thirman MJ, Ji HK, Wang QF. “Genome Wide Location Analysis Reveals Deregulated microRNA Genes in MLL Rearragned Leukemic Genome.” American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. Dec. 2010. Blood (ASH Annual Meeting Abstracts)(116): 1039 Nov 2010
2. Wang QF, Wu G, Mi SL, He FH, Dong JF, Mattison RJ, Kaberlein J , Wang QB, Prabhakar S, Ji HK and Thirman MJ. “MLL Fusion Proteins Directly Regulate a Small Set of Wild Type MLL Target Genes.” American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, U.S.A. Dec. 2009. Blood (ASH Annual Meeting Abstracts)(114): 1279 Nov 2009
3. Wang QF, Dong JF, Mattison R, Prabhakar S, Arimura FE, Kaberlein J, Wang CZ, Wang QB, Nobrega M and Thirman M. “Autoregulation of MEIS1 through a Distal Enhancer in Acute Leukemia.” American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A Dec. 2008. Blood (ASH Annual Meeting Abstracts) (112): 745 Nov 2008
4. Wang QF, Prabhakar S, Weer CV, Cheng JF, Pennacchio LA, Boffelli D, and Rubin EM. “Exploring Deep Primate Sequence Comparisons to Identify Human Lipid Gene Regulatory Elements” Gordon Conference on Lipid Metabolism, Kimball Union Academy, New Hampshire, U.S.A. April, 2004
5. Wang QF, Friedman AD. "C/EBPs Are Required for Granulopoiesis Independent of Their Induction of G1 Arrest, PU.1, and the Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor Receptor." American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. Dec. 2001. Blood 98 (11): 1200 Part 1 Nov 16 2001
6. Zheng R, Wang QF, Friedman A, Small D. "Targeted Inhibition of FLT3 Overcomes the Block to Myeloid Differentiation in 32Dcl3 Caused by Expression of FLT3/ITD Mutants" American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida. Dec. 2001. Blood 98 (11): 2408 Part 1 Nov 16 2001
7. Wang QF, Wang WH, Friedman AD. "C/EBPs are required for granulopoiesis independent of their induction of the G-CSF receptor". Fourth International meeting on Molecular Aspects of Myeloid Stem Cell Development. Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.A. May, 2001
8. Friedman AD, Bernardin F, Yang Y, Kummalue T, Wang QF, Wang W. “Regulation of myeloid proliferation and differentiation by C/EBP, PU.1, and CBF”. Fourth International meeting on Molecular Aspects of Myeloid Stem Cell Development. Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.A. May, 2001
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Telephone: +86-10-82995348
Email: wangqf (AT) big.ac.cn
