Institute of Digestive Diseases, Longhua Hospital, China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032 | China
The researcher focuses on the epigenetic regulation of metabolic diseases and tumorigenesis, with major contributions in colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnostics, mechanisms, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-based interventions. In early CRC detection, the team performed transfer RNA (tRNA) sequencing and identified two key tRFs—tRF-Tyr-GTA-081 (downregulated) and tRF-Ala-AGC-060 (upregulated)—whose combined diagnostic model demonstrated strong performance for colorectal neoplastic lesions and cancer, outperforming traditional markers such as CEA and CA199. Multi-omics analyses of mRNAs, miRNAs and circRNAs identified three circRNAs with predictive value for adenoma–carcinoma transition. Through DNA hydroxymethylation sequencing, ZW10 emerged as a prognostic-related marker, and its circulating hydroxymethylation level showed high accuracy for early CRC detection. Mechanistic studies revealed that METTL3 regulates CRB3 in an m6A-dependent manner to modulate HIPPO signaling, while DNMT3B- and TET2-mediated epigenetic modifications jointly control PGC-1α to promote CRC progression. In therapeutic research, Scutellaria baicalensis Tang, Sijunzi Tang, and related monomers are under investigation for anti-CRC effects. In metabolic disease research, Ling-Gui-Zhu-Gan decoction and cinnamaldehyde were shown to improve steatosis and insulin resistance in NAFLD, supporting the TCM concept of “phlegm-beverage.” Current studies focus on lean NAFLD, demonstrating that METTL14 regulates TIM3 to influence disease development, and that GJLZ decoction alleviates steatosis and inflammation by enhancing this pathway.
Featured Publications:
Ma, J., …, & al. (2025). Regulation of histone H3K27 methylation in inflammation and cancer.