Wenqing Li, Ph.D.
- Center for Cancer Research
- National Cancer Institute
- Building 560, Room 31-46
- Frederick, MD 21702-1201
- 301-846-6977
- liwenq@mail.nih.gov
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
Wenqing Li, Ph.D.
Research
Dr. Li's research goal is to understand the intracellular pathways related to the 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 is focused 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.
Publications
Adaptive immunity to murine skin commensals
Oral delivery of IL-27 recombinant bacteria attenuates immune colitis in mice
IL-7Rα deficiency in p53 mice exacerbates thymocyte telomere erosion and lymphomagenesis
The major isoforms of Bim contribute to distinct biological activities that govern the processes of autophagy and apoptosis in interleukin-7 dependent lymphocytes
Oncogenic IL7R gain-of-function mutations in childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Biography
Wenqing Li, Ph.D.
Dr. Li received her B.S. and M.S. in biochemistry from Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) University, China, and obtained her Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Montreal. In 2001, she joined the Laboratory of Molecular Immunoregulation under Dr. Scott Durum working on the molecular mechanisms of IL-7 in T cell development and homeostasis. She was a postdoctoral and research fellow before becoming the staff scientist in this laboratory.