Principal Investigators

Dr. Wen Pan

Professor, Division of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China.

Dr. Pan received her undergraduate degree from Nanjing University (2002-2006) and her PhD from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2006-2012). She completed her postdoctoral training at Yale University (2013-2018) and is currently a professor in the Division of Life Sciences and Medicine at the University of Science and Technology of China (since 2018).

Dr. Pan’s primary research focuses on the intestinal mucosal biology during homeostasis and pathology. In the past five years (2020-2024), she has published research papers and comments as a corresponding author, in journals such as Immunity, Cell Host Microbe, Cell Stem Cell, Nature Communications, Protein Cell, Mucosal Immunology, and eLife.

Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are essential for mucosal homeostasis, acting as a barrier that separates the internal environment from the external lumen. They facilitate nutrient absorption, regulate immune responses through cytokine and chemokine production, interact with the microbiota by secreting antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), and engage with the gut-innervating neurons. Dysregulation of IEC function contributes to a range of mucosal and systemic diseases, highlighting their pivotal role in both health and pathology. Dr. Pan’s lab employs a multidisciplinary approach, integrating microbiology, molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, and pathology to address key questions such as: (1) How intestinal epithelial cells respond to microbial, metabolic and neural cues. (2)How dysregulation of these interactions can lead to a range of intestinal and systemic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and infections. (3)How to design therapeutic strategy targeting the interface of these interactions.

Another arm of their research aims to understand how intestinal epithelial cells integrate the environment signals and undergo dynamic epigenetic changes to repair and restore the barrier function during stress or injury. Her lab focuses on the roles of histidine methylation, a less-studied posttranslational modification, in regulating intestinal epithelial barrier function and its implications in intestinal pathologies such as inflammation and cancer.

Dr. Pan received a series of rewards such as: Outstanding Student Prize by the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2012; Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Fellow Award,2014; The National Innovative Talent Program, 2018

Lab webpage: http://www.panlab-ustc.com/

E-mail: wenpan@ustc.edu.cn

Tel: 0551-63600520

Publications

1. Li C, Zhang P, Xie Y, Wang S, Guo M, Wei X, Zhang K, Cao D, Zhou R, Wang S, Song X#, Zhu S#, Pan W#.Enterococcus derived tyramine hijacks 2A-adrenergic receptor in intestinal stem cell to exacerbate colitis. Cell Host & Microbe. 2024. Cover Article (IF=30.1)

2. Cong J*, Liu P*, Ying W, Li C, Han Z, Yang J, Song X, Dai L, Sun L, Kasper D, Pan W#, Zhu S#. Bile acids modified by the microbiota suppress gut anti-tumor immune responses. Immunity. 2024 (IF=43.5) Preview in ‘Hostile bile limits anti-cancer immunity’, Immunity, 2024

3. Zhu S#, Pan W#. Microbial metabolite steers intestinal stem cell fate under stress. Cell Stem Cell. 2024 (IF=23.9) Invited Comment.

4. Ren X, Liu Q, Zhou P, Zhou T, Wang D, Mei Q, Flavell RA, Liu Z#, Li M#, Pan W#, Zhu S#. DHX9 maintains epithelial homeostasis by restraining R-loop-mediated genomic instability in intestinal stem cells. Nature Communications. 2024 (IF=16.6)

5. Wu Y, Zhang P, Shi T, Cao D#, Pan W# Deficiency of immunoglobulin IgSF6 enhances antibacterial effects by promoting endoplasmic reticulum stress and the inflammatory response in intestinal macrophages.

6. Dan Cao, Mengyue Lv, Chi Hu, Shukai Li, Siwen Wang, Chao Xu, Wen Pan#. METTL9-catalyzed histidine methylation of S100A9 suppresses the anti-Staphylococcus aureus activity of neutrophils. Protein & Cell. 2024 (IF=20.1)

7. A Wang, W Tao, J Tong, J Gao, J Wang, G Hou, C Qian, G Zhang, R Li, D Wang, X Ren, K Zhang, S Ding, R Flavell, HB Li, W Pan#, S Zhu#. m6A modifications regulate intestinal immunity and rotavirus infection. Elife. 2022 (IF=8.1)

8. M. Lv, D. Cao, L. Zhang, C. Hu, S. Li, P. Zhang, L. Zhu, X. Yi, C. Li, A. Yang, Z. Yang, Y. Zhu, K. Zhang, Pan, W#. METTL9 mediated N1-histidine methylation of zinc transporters is required for tumor growth. Protein & Cell. 2021 (IF=20.1)

9. Pan, W., K. Qu, S. Zhu, K. Meeth, J. Cheng, H. Ma, Y. Liao, X. Wen, C. Roden, Z. Tobiasova, Z. Wei, J. Zhao, J. Liu, J. Zheng, B. Guo, M. Bosenberg, R.Flavell, J. Lu.The DNA methylcytosine dioxygenaseTet2 sustains immunosuppressive function of tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells to promote melanoma progression.

Immunity. 2017. 47:284-297. (IF=43.5)

10. Zhu. S, S. Ding, P. Wang, Z. Wei, W. Pan, N. Palm, Y. Yang, H. Yu, H. Li, G. Wang, X. Lei, M. Zoete, J. Zhao, Y. Zheng, H. Chen, Y. Zhao, K. Jurado, N. Feng, L. Shan, Y. Kluger, J. Lu, C. Abraham, E. Fikrig, H. Greenberg, R. Flavell. Nlrp9b inflammasome recognizes and restricts enteric viral infection in intestinal epithelial cells. Nature. 2017. 546(7660):667-670

11. J Liu, B Guo, Z Chen, N Wang, M Iacovino, J Cheng, C Roden, W Pan, S. Khan, S. Chen, M. Kyba, R. Fan, S. Guo, Jun Lu. miR-125b promotes MLL-AF9-driven murine acute myeloid leukemia involving a VEGFA-mediated non-cell-intrinsic mechanism. Blood. 2017.

12. C Roden, J Gaillard, S Kanoria, W Rennie, S Barish, J Cheng, W Pan, J. Liu, C. Cotsapas, Y. Ding, J. Lu. Novel determinants of mammalian primary microRNA processing revealed by systematic evaluation of hairpin-containing transcripts and human genetic variation. Genome research (2017) 27 (3), 374-384.

13. J. Cheng, C. Roden, W. Pan, S. Zhu, A. Baccei, X. Pan, T. Jiang, Y. Kluger, S. Weissman, S. Guo, R.Flavell, Y. Ding, J. Lu. A Molecular Chipper technology for CRISPR sgRNA library generation and functional mapping of noncoding regions. Nature Communications. (2016) March 30; 7:11178.

14. Pan,W., D. Dai, S.Zhu, Z.Liu, D. Li, B.Li, Y.Tang, N. Gagliani, M. Weirauch, X. Chen, W. Zhu, Y. Qian, L.Richman, B. Jallal, J.B. Harley, R.Flavell, Y.Yao and N.Shen. MiR-125a targets effector programs to stabilize Treg-mediated immune homeostasis.  Nature Communications. (2015) May 12.6:7096. 

15. P.Wang, S.Zhu, L. Yang, S.Cui, W.Pan, R.Jackson, Y.Zheng, A.Rongvaux, LongYang, Q.Sun, G. Yang, S. Gao, R. Lin, F. You, R. Flavell, E. Fikrig. Nlrp6 regulates intestinal antiviral innate immunity. Science. 2015.

16. Jijun Cheng, Shangqin Guo, Suning Chen, Stephen J.Mastriano, Chaochun Liu, Ana C. D’Alessio, Eriona Hysolli, Yanwen Guo, HongYao, Cynthia M.Megyola, DanLi, JunLiu, WenPan, Christine Roden, XiaoLingZhou, Kartoosh Heydari, Jianjun Chen, In-Hyun Park,Ye Ding, Yi Zhang, Jun Lu. An extensive network of TET2-targeting microRNAs regulates malignant hematopoiesis. Cell Reports.2013.5:471-481.

17. Zhu,S., W.Pan, Y. Qian. 2013. MicroRNA in immunity and autoimmunity. J Mol Med. 91:1039-50.

18. Zhu,S.*, W.Pan*, X. Song, Y. Liu, Y. Tang, H. Wang, W. Liu, Y. Shi, D. He, J.B. Harley, N. Shen and Y.Qian. The microRNA miR-23b suppresses IL-17-associated autoimmune inflammation by targeting TAB2, TAB3 and IKKα. Nature Medicine. 2012. 18 (7), 1077-1086 (*co-first author) 

19. JiaLi, QiongFu, Huijuan Cui, Bo Qu, WenPan, NanShen, and Chunde Bao. Interferon alpha priming promotes lipid uptake and macrophage-derived foam cell formation. Arthritis & Rheumatism.2011.63:492.

20. Pan,W., S.Zhu, M.Yuan, H.Cui, L.Wang, X.Luo, J.Li, H.Zhou, Y.Tang and N.Shen. MicroRNA-21 and microRNA-148a contribute to DNA hypomethylation in lupus CD4+ T cells by directly and indirectly targeting DNA methyltransferase1.2010. J Immunol.184:6773-6781.

21. Zhu,S., W.Pan, P. Shi, H. Gao, F. Zhao, X. Song, Y. Liu, L. Zhao, X. Li, Y. Shi, and Y. Qian. Modulation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis through TRAF3-mediated suppression of interleukin 17 receptor signaling. 2010. J Exp Med. 207:2647-2662.