School of Biomedical Sciences cordially invites you to join the following Post-doctoral Fellow (PDF) Seminar:

Date: 19 November 2024 (Tuesday)
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Venue: Seminar Room 1, G/F, Laboratory Block, 21 Sassoon Road
Host: Dr. Haifeng Fu

Light refreshments will be served. Please register via the below link by 15 November 2024 (Friday):
Registration: https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_71VNgMP1yLnBTBY

Characterization of CREBH-Induced Protein FACI and Its role in Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis
Dr. Yun Cheng (Post-doctoral Fellow)
[Supervisor: Professor Dong-Yan Jin]

CREB-H is a key liver-enriched transcription factor that governs lipid metabolism. In this study, we identified a novel fasting- and CREB-H–induced (FACI) protein.

FACI expression was found to be enriched in the liver and intestine. FACI is a phospholipid-binding protein that localizes to the plasma membrane and recycling endosomes. On the plasma membrane, FACI is localized to clathrin-coated pits (CCPs). FACI contains a conserved DxxxLI motif, which mediates its binding with the clathirn adaptor protein 2 complex. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed two phosphorylation sites on FACI: S9p on Motif A and S37p on Motif C. PKCA was identified as the kinase responsible for this phosphorylation. Activation of PKC by PMA treatment led to the dissociation of FACI from CCPs. Additionally, mutations in motifs A and C blocked PMA-induced FACI dissociation from CCPs.

Functional studies indicated that low-density lipoprotein endocytosis was enhanced in FACI-overexpressing cells but impaired in FACI-depleted cells. In vivo studies demonstrated that FACI alleviated diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in mice.

Stem Cell and Immune Cell Therapy
Dr. Liyang Ma (Post-doctoral Fellow)
[Supervisor: Professor Pengtao Liu]

Stem cell-based therapy has recently emerged as a key player in regenerative medicine. Here, we identified a new type of Caudal-type homeobox-2 (CDX2) positive human stem cells that showed high differentiation potentials. We developed the culture system that the CDX2+ stem cells were derived from human expanded pluripotent stem cell (hEPSCs) on the feeder cells with defined medium. These CDX2+ cells were developmentally close to human embryonic amnionic stem cells (eASCs) which have still not been established so far.  CDX2+ stem cells are also detected in human term placenta tissues, we aim to derive and expand these CDX2+ cells in our established in vitro culture system. Our data provides strong evidence for human embryo development and  supports the use of CDX2+ cells which are ethically feasible cell source for therapeutic strategies for human diseases.

Human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) can give rise to all blood cell lineages in our body. HSPCs transplantation and immune cell therapy has been the most efficient way to treat human disease and cancer. Here, we developed an in vitro differentiation protocol that HSPCs can be generated from human expanded pluripotent stem cell (hEPSCs) with high efficiency. These HSPCs expressed stem and blood cell markers CD34 and CD45, and demonstrated the potentials to differentiate into myeloid and lymphoid lineages. The HSPCs will be used for making the “off the shelf” CAR-T, CAR-ITNK and CAR-NK cells for cancer therapy and drug screens as well as clinical transplantation.

All are welcome.