Hongjie Li
Picture

Hongjie Li
Assistant Professor
Positions
- Assistant Professor
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Huffington Center on Aging
- Assistant Professor
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Department of Molecular and Human Genetics
- Member
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Baylor College of Medicine
Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Graduate Program Faculty
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Genetics & Genomics, DDMT, Neuroscience, Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (QCB)
Addresses
- Alkek N910 (Lab)
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1 Baylor Plaza
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Education
- Postdoctoral Training at Stanford University
- 12/2020 - Stanford (Liqun Luo lab), California United States
- PhD from University of Rochester & Buck Institute for Research on Aging
- 03/2016 - Rochester (Henri Jasper lab), United States
- BS from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)
- 07/2010 - Hefei, China
Professional Statement
Technology development of multi-omics: We have developed the first single-cell RNA sequencing platform in Drosophila neurons and glia for studying neural development (Li et al., 2017 Cell; Li et al 2020 Current Biology). Recently, we developed a single-nucleus RNA-seq method in flies (McLaughlin, …, Li, 2021 eLife) and applied it to the Fly Cell Atlas (FCA) project, a large collaborative project aiming to get the transcriptomic map of the entire fly. We will continue developing and applying multi-omics technologies (transcriptomics, epigenomics and proteomics), and combine them with powerful fly genetic tools to study development, aging and diseases.Anti-brain aging to increase healthy lifespan: Our long-term goal is to identify molecular and cellular mechanisms that contribute to brain aging, including glia-neuron interactions, systemic inflammatory signals and gut-brain interactions. We will apply single-cell sequencing and cell surface proteomics (J. Li, Han, H. Li, 2020 Cell) to study glia-neuron interactions and inter-organ communications to understand brain aging. We will employ single-bacterium genomics to explore gut microbiota changes during aging and study how they contribute to brain aging.
Limiting age-triggered tumor initiation and growth: Age is the biggest risk factor for many types of cancers, including breast, prostate, lung and colorectal cancers (H. Li and Jasper, 2016). A central goal of this project is to discover how aging triggers tumor onset in the regenerating intestine. We will use fly intestine as a discovery model to generate hypotheses that we will then test in mouse cancer models and human colon cancers, aiming to develop effective strategies for limiting age-related tumor initiation and growth.
Selected Publications
- McLaughlin CN, Brbić M, Xie Q, Li T, Horns F, Kolluru SS, Kebschull JM, Vacek D, Xie A, Li J, Jones RC, Leskovec J, Quake SR, Luo L, Li H "Single-cell transcriptomes of developing and adult olfactory receptor neurons in Drosophila.." eLife. 2021;
- Xie Q, Brbic M, Horns F, Kolluru SS, Jones RJ, Li J, Reddy A, Xie A, Kohani S, Li Z, McLaughlin CN, Li T, Xu C, Vacek D, Luginbuhl DJ, Leskovec J, Quake SR, Luo L, Li H "Temporal evolution of single-cell transcriptomes of Drosophila olfactory projection neurons." eLife. 2021;
- Li H "Single-cell RNA sequencing in Drosophila: Technologies and applications.." Wiley Interdiscip Rev Dev Biol.. 2020;
- Li H, Li T, Horns F, Li J, Xie Q, Xu C, Wu B, Kebschull JM, McLaughlin CN, Kolluru SS, Jones RC, Vacek D, Xie A, Luginbuhl DJ, Quake SR, Luo L "Single-Cell Transcriptomes Reveal Diverse Regulatory Strategies for Olfactory Receptor Expression and Axon Targeting." Curr Biol.. 2020;
- Li H, Shuster SA, Li J, Luo L "Linking neuronal lineage and wiring specificity." Neural Dev. 2018;
- Li H, Horns F, Wu B, Xie Q, Li J, Li T, Luginbuhl DJ, Quake SR, Luo L "Classifying Drosophila Olfactory Projection Neuron Subtypes by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing." Cell. 2017;
- Li H, Qi Y, Jasper H "Preventing Age-Related Decline of Gut Compartmentalization Limits Microbiota Dysbiosis and Extends Lifespan.." Cell Host Microbe. 2016;
- Li H, Qi Y, Jasper H "Ubx dynamically regulates Dpp signaling by repressing Dad expression during copper cell regeneration in the adult Drosophila midgut." Dev Biol.. 2016;
- Li H, Jasper H "Gastrointestinal stem cells in health and disease: from flies to humans." Dis Model Mech.. 2016;
- Li H, Qi Y, Jasper H "Dpp signaling determines regional stem cell identity in the regenerating adult Drosophila gastrointestinal tract.." Cell Rep.. 2013;
- Cai, X., Li, H., Borch Jensen, M., Maksoud, E., Borneo, J., Liang, Y., Quake S., Luo, L., Pejmun, P., and Jasper, H. "Gut cytokines modulate olfaction through metabolic reprogramming of glia." Nature. 2021;
- Li, J., Han, S., Li, H., Udeshi, N.D., Svinkina, T., Mani, D.R., Xu, C., Guajardo, R., Xie, Q., Li, T., Luginbuhl, D.J., Wu, B., McLaughlin, C.N., Xie, A., Kaewsapsak, P., Quake S.R., Carr, S.A., Ting, A.Y., Luo, L. "Cell-Surface Proteomic Profiling in the Fly Brain Uncovers Wiring Regulators." Cell. 2020;
- H Li*, J Janssens*, M Waegeneer, S Kolluru, K Davie, V Gardeux, W Saelens, F David, M Brbić, K Spanier, J Leskovec, C McLaughlin, Q Xie, ... , FCA Consortium, H Jasper, B Oliver, N Perrimon#, B Deplancke, S Quake, L Luo, S Aerts "Fly Cell Atlas: a single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of the adult fruit fly." Science. 2022 Mar;375(6584)
Funding
- R00 - Pathway to Independence Award NIH
- Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas CPRIT
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