第487次SKLBE学术论坛（美国贝勒医学院王萌教授）

时间：  2019-9-27（周五）14:00-16:30

地点：  实验18楼315室

主持人： 李剑教授

题目：信使代谢物和长寿

Meng C. Wang

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine

Metabolism is fundamental to life. During metabolic reactions, thousands of metabolites are generated, which are directly connected with cellular activities and highly conserved across species. In addition to their well-known functions as structural building blocks and energy sources, research in my group focuses on their signaling roles in orchestrating cellular homeostasis and organismal fitness. We discovered two metabolite-directed communication systems: lysosome-to-nucleus signals and bacteria-to-mitochondria messages. Lysosomes are vital organelles for cellular health. Our works uncovered a metabolite communicating between the lysosome and the nucleus, and its associated lysosome-to-nucleus retrograde signaling pathway in regulating longevity. Based on symbiogenesis, eukaryotic mitochondria are ancient relatives of bacteria. Our work discovered that bacteria-secreted metabolites actively regulate mitochondrial dynamics to influence host longevity, and deciphered underlying molecular mechanisms. Technically, we applied stimulated Raman scattering microscopy for metabolite fingerprinting in living cells and organisms, revealing new regulatory mechanisms that govern spatiotemporal dynamics of lipid molecules under both physiological and pathological conditions. These discoveries provide new insights into metabolite-directed signaling networks in cellular, organismal and interspecies communication, and promising nutraceutical targets for improving healthy aging. 

Dr. Meng Wang is an HHMI Investigator, a Professor and Robert C. Fyfe Endowed Chair on Aging at Baylor College of Medicine, and a co-director of the Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program. She received a B.S. degree from Peking University, China in 2001 and a Ph.D. degree from University of Rochester in 2005. After being a postdoctoral follow at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Wang joined the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine in 2010.

 Dr. Wang’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms governing somatic aging, reproductive senescence and lipid metabolism and their sophisticated interrelationship, through harnessing the power of functional genomics, metabolomics, chemical engineering and optical biophysics. Her group uncovered the first lysosome-to-nucleus retrograde lipid messenger pathway, provided new regulatory mechanisms of reproductive longevity, and demonstrated a novel mode of signaling communication between bacteria and mitochondria in regulating host’s lipid metabolism and longevity. Technological developments based on stimulated Raman scattering microscopy in Dr. Wang’s laboratory provided brand new ways to visualize and track lipid molecules as a function of time and space in living cells and organisms. Her contributions have been recognized with several highly prestigious awards, such as HHMI Faculty Scholar Award, NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, Peter O’Donnell Award, and Gibco Emerging Leader Prize and Early Career Life Scientist Award of the American Society for Cell Biology.

 王萌，博士，现任霍华德休斯研究员，贝勒医学院分子人类遗传学系和Huffington衰老研究中心Robert C. Fyfe讲席教授，兼任遗传学和基因组学研究生教学共同主管。于2001年在北京大学获得生物化学和分子生物学学士学位，2005年在美国罗彻斯特大学获得遗传学博士学位，2005-2010年间在美国哈佛医学院／麻省总医院进行博士后研究，2010年加入美国贝勒医学院至今。

 王萌研究组着重于个体衰老、生殖衰老以及脂代谢的分子遗传机制，以及它们之间的相互作用和环境调控之间的关系。他们的研究工作第一次揭示了溶酶体到细胞核的反向信号转导通路，以及这条全新信号机制对于机体长寿的调节作用；他们也第一次报道了对于生殖衰老遗传调节机制的全基因组研究，以及嗅觉对于生殖衰老调控的全新机理; 他们的研究还揭示了肠道细菌延长宿主寿命，提升健康水平的最新机理，同时发现了一条由细菌多糖-线粒体相互作用介导的全新长寿通路 。 王萌研究组也致力于受激拉曼散射显微镜在脂代谢研究上的应用，利用这个新技术，他们不仅发展了新的高通量基因组筛选平台，还成功解析了环境和细菌之间的相互作用对于宿主脂肪代谢的影响以及其全新的分子机理。

王萌教授曾获得Ellison Medical Foundation青年学者奖，美国细胞生物学会Gibco新兴领袖奖，霍华德休斯青年学者奖，美国国立卫生研究院先锋奖，Glenn衰老生物机理奖， Edith and Peter O’Donnell医学研究奖, 美国细胞生物学会青年学者奖等奖项。