Education

1999 – 2002 Ph.D. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China
1996 – 1999 M.S. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Soochow University, China
1988 – 1993 B.S. (M.D.) Public Health, Jiangxi Medical College, China

Work experience

2022 - Present Dean of School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, China（2017-2021 vice Dean）
2017 - Present Professor, Shanghai Cancer Center and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, China
2009 - 2016 Professor, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, China (2015-2016 , Chairman)
2006 - 2009 Associate Professor, School of Basic Medical Science and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, China
2003 - 2006 Postdoctoral Researcher, Hong Wu’s Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles（CA UCLA）
2002 - 2003 Postdoctoral Researcher, Robert H Lane’s Laboratory, Department of Pediatric, School of Medicine, CA UCLA

Contact

School of Basic Medical Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences,

Fudan University,

Shanghai 200032

Tel: +86-21-54237935

Email: qlei@fudan.edu.cn

Lab homepage: https://ibs.fudan.edu.cn/ab/19/c21164a240409/page.htm

Biography

Prof. Lei is one of the founding members of Institutes of Biomedical Sciences (IBS), Fudan University. She has been the chairman of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from 2015 to 2016 and vice director of School of Basic Medical Science from 2017-2021. Currently Prof. Lei is now the director of School of Basic Medical Science from 2022. Prof. Lei has put large effort to understand the metabolic plasticity, specifically defining translational significance of metabolic therapy/intervention in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).. As corresponding author, her study have been published on Nature Cell Biology, Nature Metabolism, National Science Review, Cancer Cell, Cell Metabolism, Molecular Cell, J. Clinical. Investigation, Nature Communications, as well as other top journals from 2011 to 2022. Total IF of these publications is 177.833. Due to her excellent research work, Prof. Lei has received variouHs honors and awards which are partially listed below.

2023 New Cornerstone Investigator

2021 WU JIEPING - PAUL JANSSEN MEDICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL AWARD

2020 C.C.Tan Life Science Innovation Award

2019 Nominee Award of Shanghai Science and Technology Elite

2018 First Prize of Shanghai Natural Science Award

2016 National High-Level Talents Special Support Plan（Ten Thousands of People Plan）

2016 Shanghai Yucai Award

2015 Wuzhou Women's Basic Medical Science Research Innovation Award

2015 Shanghai Peony Award for Natural Science

2015 Accredited Professor for Cheung Kong Scholar Program

2014 The Youth Science and Technology Leading Talent by the Ministry of Science and Technology

2013 Chinese Young Women in Science Awards

2013 Shanghai Outstanding Academic Leader

2012 National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars

2011 Distinguished Life Sciences Award, Shanghai, MENJI Diaries Corp

Research Areas

Nutrition and Metabolism, Cancer Biology, Posttranslational Modification

Research interest

Prof. Lei’s laboratory has been focusing on nutrition, such as biological function of nutrients/metabolites, and cancer metabolism, especially the metabolic causes of tumor occurrence. Metabolic abnormalities such as obesity are one of the high-risk factors for tumor development, but the metabolic causes of their occurrence are unknown. KRAS mutations can lead to pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN), but do not progress to pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDAC). To take pancreatic cancer as the main research model, she found that the accumulation of branched-chain α-keto acids (BCKAs) caused by abnormal expression of Branched Chain Amino Acid Transaminase 2 (BCAT2) promotes the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, thus enhancing the progress of PanIN. Targeting BCAT2 or branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) diet intervention could inhibit the occurrence of pancreatic cancer, providing a new strategy for early prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer. Besides, she found that BCKA acts as a signaling molecule to promote obesity and tumor development. Furthermore, she also found that acetyl-CoA from different carbon sources regulates tumor cell growth at multiple levels through epigenetic and acetylation modifications, laying a theoretical foundation for metabolic regulation of tumor cell growth. These achievements, which have been published in high impact journals such as Nat Cell Biol and Cancer Cell, have received widespread attention and are highly recognized by domestic and foreign peers. Those papers have been featured/highlighted/covered in special reviews/articles such as Nature and Nat Cell Biol, and have been cited more than 10000 times. She was invited to write comments/reviews on Nat Cell Biol, Nat Metab, Trends Cell Biol, and J Biol Chem.

Selected Publications

Qian L#, LiN#, Lu XC#, Xu MD#, Liu Y, Li KY, Zhang Y, Hu KW, Qi YT, Yao J, Wu YL, Wen WY, Huang SL, Chen ZJ, Yin M, Lei QY*. Enhanced BCAT1 activity and BCAA metabolism promotes RhoC activity in cancer progression, Nature Metabolism, 2023;5(7):1159-1173

Ma QX, Zhu WY, Lu XC, Jiang D, Xu F, Li JT, Zhang L, Wu YL, Chen ZJ, Yin M*, Huang HY*, Lei QY*. BCAA-BCKA Axis in White Adipose Tissue Sustains Diet-induced Obesity by Epigenetically Repressing Prdm16-driven Browning. Nature Metabolism. 2022;4(1), 106–122.Highlight by Nature Reviews Endocrinology

Huang W, Li N, Zhang Y, Wang X, Yin M, Lei QY*. AHCYL1 senses SAH to inhibit autophagy through interaction with PIK3C3 in an MTORC1-independent manner. Autophagy. 2022;18(2):309-319.

Li JT, Li KY, Su Y, Shen Y, Lei MZ, Zhang F, Yin M, Chen ZJ, Wen WY, Hu WG, Su D, Qu J*, Lei QY*. Diet high in branched-chain amino acid promotes PDAC development by USP1-mediated BCAT2 stabilization. National Science Review. 2021;9(5):nwab212.

Li JT, Yin M, Wang D, Wang J, Lei MZ, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Zhang L, Zou SW, Hu LP, Zhang ZG, Wang YP, Wen WY, Lu HJ, Chen ZJ, Su D, Lei QY*. BCAT2-mediated BCAA catabolism is critical for development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Nature Cell Biology. 2020;22(2):167-174. Highlight by Nature Cell Biology

Liu Y, Guo JZ, Liu Y, Wang K, Ding W, Wang H, Liu X, Zhou S, Lu XC, Yang HB, Xu C, Gao W, Zhou L, Wang YP, Hu W, Wei Y, Huang C*, Lei QY*. Nuclear lactate dehydrogenase A senses ROS to produce α-hydroxybutyrate for HPV-induced cervical tumor growth. Nat Communications. 2018;9(1):4429.

Xia S, Lin R, Jin L, Zhao L, Kang HB, Pan Y, Liu S, Qian G, Qian Z, Konstantakou E, Zhang B, Dong JT, Chung YR, Abdel-Wahab O, Merghoub T, Zhou L, Kudchadkar RR, Lawson DH, Khoury HJ, Khuri FR, Boise LH, Lonial S, Lee BH, Pollack BP, Arbiser JL, Fan J*, Lei QY*, Chen J*. Prevention of Dietary-Fat-Fueled ketogenesis Attenuates BRAF V600E Tumor Growth. Cell Metabolism. 2017;25(2):358-373. Highlight by Nature

Wang YP, Zhou W, Wang J, Huang X, Zuo Y, Wang TS, Gao X, Xu YY, Zou SW, Liu YB, Cheng JK*, Lei QY*. Arginine Methylation of MDH1 by CARM1 Inhibits Glutamine Metabolism and Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer. Molecular Cell. 2016;64(4):673-687. Highlight by Cancer Discovery

Gao X, Lin SH, Ren F, Li JT, Chen JJ, Yao CB, Yang HB, Jiang SX, Yan GQ, Wang D, Wang Y, Liu Y, Cai Z, Xu YY, Chen J, Yu W, Yang PY*, Lei QY*. Acetate Functions as an Epigenetic Metabolite to Promote Lipid Synthesis under Hypoxia. Nature Communications. 2016; 7:11960.

Lv L, Xu YP, Zhao D, Li FL, Wang W, Sasaki N, Jiang Y, Zhou X, Li TT, Guan KL*, Lei QY*, Xiong Y*. Mitogenic and oncogenic stimulation of K433 acetylation promote PKM2 protein kinase activity and nuclear localization. Molecular Cell. 2013;52(3):340–352. Cover story,Highlight by Nature Reviews Cancer, Cancer Discovery

Zhao D, Zou SW, Liu Y, Zhou X, Mo Y, Wang P, Xu YH, Dong B, Xiong Y*, Lei QY*, Guan KL*. Lysine-5 Acetylation Negatively Regulates Lactate Dehydrogenase A and Is Decreased in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Cell. 2013;23(4):464-476.

Lin R, Tao R, Gao X, Li T, Zhou X, Guan KL, Xiong Y, Lei QY*. Acetylation Stabilizes ATP-citrate Lyase to Promote Lipid Biosynthesis and Tumor Growth. Molecular Cell. 2013;51(4):506-518.

Lv L, Li D, Zhao D, Lin R, Chu Y, Zhang H, Zha Z, Liu Y, Li Z, Xu Y, Wang G, Huang Y, Xiong Y, Guan KL, Lei QY*. Acetylation Targets the M2 Isoform of Pyruvate Kinase for Degradation through Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy and Promotes Tumor Growth. Molecular Cell. 2011;42(6):719-730. Highlight by Molecular Cell,Science Signaling, F1000

Invited review/preview

Yin M*, Lei QY*. Targeting stromal metabolism in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Nat Cell Biol. 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41556-023-01330-6.

Yin M, Lei QY*. BCAT2-BCKDH metabolon maintains BCAA homeostasis. Nat Metab. 2022;4(12):1618-1619.

Zhang Y, Lei MZ, Yin M, Lei QY*. A metabolic clue for STING suppression. Trends Cell Biol. 2023;33(7):536-537.
Qian L, Zhang F, Yin M*, Lei QY*. Cancer metabolism and dietary interventions. Cancer Biol Med. 2021;19(2):163-74.

Wang YP*, Li JT, Qu J, Yin M, Lei QY*. Metabolite sensing and signaling in cancer. J Biol Chem. 2020;295(33):11938-11946.