Cancelled [Seminar] "Regulation of vascular and lymphatic vessel growth by TNFSF15" by Prof. Luyuan Li, Nankai University

Abstract: Tumor necrosis factor superfamily 15 (TNFSF15) is a cytokine produced largely by vascular endothelial cells. TNFSF15 action on endothelial cells leads to a shift of the gene expression pattern of vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) receptor 1 (VEGFR1) in preference to the soluble form of VEGFR1, which is a sequester of VEGF; this shift therefore results in inhibition of VEGF-induced, VEGFR1-mediated endothelial cell proliferation. In addition, TNFSF15 can inhibit VEGF-induced VEGFR2 activation (phosphorylation), thus preventing VEGFR2-mediated vascular hyper-permeability. Moreover, when acting on lymphatic endothelial cells, TNFSF15 is able to stimulate VEGFR3 gene expression, which leads to promotion of lymphatic endothelial cell growth. These activities indicate that TNFSF15 may have an critical role in the maintenance of the homeostasis of the vascular and lymphatic systems.

Biography: Luyuan Li obtained a BS degree in Biochemistry from Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, in 1982, and a PhD degree from Cornell University, New York, the United States in 1988, also in Biochemistry. Having completed his postdoctoral training at Pennsylvania State University, he joined American Cyanamid Company in New York in 1991 as a Senior Scientist. He joined the faculty of Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, in 1995, as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and a Member of the Lombardi Cancer Center. He moved to University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2002 as an Associate Professor of Pathology, Member of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, and Member of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He moved his laboratory to China in 2008 and joined the faculty of Nankai University, Tianjin. He is currently a Professor of Pharmacology in Nankai University College of Pharmacy. Research in Li laboratory has focused on the molecular mechanisms of modulation of tumor hypoxic microenvironment. He has published in PNAS USA, Blood, JBC, FASEB J, Circulation Res, Cancer Res, J Immunol, Cell Res, J Pathol, and Angiogenesis, among others.