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Wenqing  Li, Ph.D.

Wenqing Li, Ph.D.

  • Center for Cancer Research
  • National Cancer Institute

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Dr. Li studies the intracellular pathways related to IL-7's effects on T cell apoptosis and proliferation. She found that IL-7 promotes T cell survival and division by blocking degradation of Mcl-1 and inducing degradation of the cell cycle inhibitor p27kip1. Her current work focuses on identifying the ubiquitination pathways that IL-7 uses to control the stability of Mcl-1 and p27kip1 in T cells. The same pathways used by IL-7 may be preempted in carcinogenesis, since Mcl-1 is an oncogene and p27kip1 is a tumor suppressor.

Areas of Expertise

IL-7
T Cell Apoptosis And Proliferation

Publications

Selected Publications

Adaptive immunity to murine skin commensals

Shen W, Li W, Hixon JA, Bouladoux N, Belkaid Y, Dzutzev A, Durum SK.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 111: E2977-86, 2014. [ Journal Article ]

Oral delivery of IL-27 recombinant bacteria attenuates immune colitis in mice

Hanson ML, Hixon JA, Li W, Felber BK, Anver MR, Stewart CA, Janelsins BM, Datta SK, Shen W, McLean MH, Durum SK.
Gastroenterology. 146 : 210-221, 2014. [ Journal Article ]

IL-7Rα deficiency in p53 mice exacerbates thymocyte telomere erosion and lymphomagenesis

Kibe R, Zhang S, Guo D, Marrero L, Tsien F, Rodriguez P, Khan S, Zieske A, Huang J, Li W, Durum SK, Iwakuma T, Cui Y.
Cell Death Differ. 19: 1139-51, 2012. [ Journal Article ]

The major isoforms of Bim contribute to distinct biological activities that govern the processes of autophagy and apoptosis in interleukin-7 dependent lymphocytes

Ruppert SM, Li W, Zhang G, Carlson AL, Limaye A, Durum SK, Khaled AR.
Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1823: 1877-93, 2012. [ Journal Article ]

Oncogenic IL7R gain-of-function mutations in childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Zenatti PP, Ribeiro D, Li W, Zuurbier L, Silva MC, Paganin M, Tritapoe J, Hixon JA, Silveira AB, Cardoso BA, Sarmento LM, Correia N, Toribio ML, Kobarg J, Horstmann M, Pieters R, Brandalise SR, Ferrando AA, Meijerink JP, Durum SK, Yunes JA, Barata JT.
Nat. Genet. 43: 932-9, 2011. [ Journal Article ]