Li's Laboratory

Yinxiong Li, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology

Dr. Li received his B. Sc. and Ph.D. from Hunan Medical College and Peking Union Medical College in 1985 and in 1991. With NIH Fogarty Award, Dr. Li had his postdoctoral fellowship training in Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Medical College of Georgia from 1992-2000. He was assistant professor since 2000 in Duke University Medical Center for ten years, leading a group working on many NIH founded projects including heart and liver development, alcohol induced birth defects, tissue repair and regeneration, particular emphasis the role of Hedgehog signaling on stem cell differentiation and liver fibrosis.
Dr. Li severedfor two NIH Scientific Study Sections and one AHA study section, Currently sever as regular scientific reviewer of four Journals including Gastroenterology, Proteomics Hepatologyand Cell Regeneration.

Personnel: 
Pan tingcai, MS; Qi Zenghua, MS; Hou Jian, Ph.D.;
Kou Shanglong, MS student; Ruan Degong，MS student

Research:
Major Goal: Explore to lead a team conducting stem cell biology research and establishing human liver stem cell bank for replacing liver whole organ transplantation in clinic practice.
Research projects:
· Molecular basis of liver development and in vitro stem cell hepatic differentiation
· Teratogenic role of alcohol-induced birth defects
· Adult liver stem cell, tissue repair and liver regeneration
· Cholesterol and metabolites level associate Hh signaling and stem cell function
· Disease biomarker screening and molecular diagnosis


Honors:

1991	International Young Scientist Travel Award in June. Issued by the United　 Nations of Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO).
1992-1994	NIH Fogarty International Young Scientist Fellowship.
1996	National Science & Technology Progress Prize issued by: National Health Ministry, People’s Republic of China
1996	National Excellence Educational Publishing Prize issued by: National Education Ministry, National News and Publication Agency, People’s Republic of China
1999	Designated as an “Alien with Extraordinary Ability in Science and Education” by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service
2004	ChunHui Program Scholar awarded by Ministry of Education People’s Republic of China
2006	Duke Stanback Award for environmental factors, stem cell and tumorgenesis research
2008	NIH Invited Keynote Speaker
2011	Macao China Anti-Cancer Charity Association, Honorary President

Books:
Lu Shendong, Li Yin-Xiong, et al. Editor, Modern Experimental Technology of Molecular Biology. (A textbook for undergraduate and graduate in China). National College Publishing, Inc. Beijing, China (1993). Second Edition (1995), Third Edition (2000).

Publications:

1.	Li Y-X, Zdanowicz M, Young L, Kumiski D, Leatherbury L and Kirby ML. Cardiac neural crest in zebrafish embryos contributes to myocardial cell lineage and early heart function Development Dynamics. 226:540-550, 2003. PMID: 12619138
2.	Li Y-X, Kirby ML. Coordinated and conserved expression of alphoid repeat and alphoid repeat-tagged coding sequences. Developmental Dynamics 228(1):72-81, 2003. PMID: 12619138
3.	Wilkbanks AM, Fralish GB, Kirby ML, Barak LS, Li Y-X* and Caron MG.* Arrestin 2 regulates zebrafish development through the sonic hedgehog pathway. Science. 306:2264-2267, 2004. (*co-correspondence authors). PMID: 15618520
4.	Sicklick J, Li Y-X, Choi S, Qi Y, Chen W, Bustamante M, Huang J, Zdanowicz M, Camp T, Torbenson MS, Rojkind M and Diehl AM. Role for Hedgehog signaling in hepatic stellate cell activation and viability. Lab Investigation. 85:1368-80, 2005. PMID: 16170335
5.	Sicklick JK, Li YX, Jayaraman A, Kannangai R, Qi Y, Vivekanandan P, Ludlow JW, Owzar K, Chen W, Torbenson MS, Diehl AM. Dysregulation of the Hedgehog pathway in human hepatocarcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis. 2005 Dec 8; [Epub ahead of print], 27:748-57, 2006. PMID: 1633918
6.	Sicklick JK, Li YX, Melhem A, Schmelzer E, Zdanowicz M, Huang J, Caballero M, Fair JH, Ludlow JW, McClelland RE, Reid LM, Diehl AM. Hedgehog signaling maintains resident hepatic progenitors throughout life. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 27:748-57, 2006. PMID: 16322088
7.	Hutson ML, Zhang P, Stadt HA, Sato A, Li YX, Burch J, Creazzo TL, Kirby ML, Cardiac arterial pole alignment is sensitive to FGF8 signaling in the pharynx. Developmental Biology, 295(2):486-97. 2006. PMID: 16765936
8.	Sicklick JK, Choi SS, Bustamante M McCall SJ, Hernandez-Paz S, Huang J, Li YX, Rojkind M and Diehl AM. Evidence for Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions in adult liver cells. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol.291(4):G575-83. 2006. PMID: 16710052.
9.	Suzuki A, McCall S, Choi SS, Sicklick JK, Huang J, Qi Y, Zdanowicz M, Camp T, Li YX and Diehl AM. Interleukin-15 increases hepatic regenerative activity. J Hepatol. 45(3):410-8. 2006. PMID: 16781000.
10.	Choi SS, Sicklick JK, Ma Q, Yang L, Huang J, Qi Y, Chen W, Li YX, Goldschmidt-Clermont PJ and Diehl AM. Sustained activation of Rac1 in hepatic stellate cells promotes liver injury and fibrosis in mice. Hepatology. 44(5):1267-77,2006. PMID: 1705826.
11.	Li YX*, Yang HT, Danowicz M, Sicklick JK, Qi Y, Camp T and Diehl AM. Fetal Alcohol Exposure Impairs Hedgehog Cholesterol Modification and Signaling. Lab Invest. 87(3):231-40. 2007. (Presented as the Journal cover picture and with an Editorial Press Release) (* correspondence authors). PMID: 17237799.
12.	Omenetti A*, Yang L*, Li YX, McCall SJ, Sicklick JK, Huang J, Choi S, Suzuki A and Diehl AM. Hedgehog mediated mesenchymal-epithelial interactions modulate hepatic response to bile duct ligation.. Lab Invest. 87(5):499-514. 2007. (* Equally contribution). PMID: 17334411.
13.	Jung Y, McCall SJ, Li YX and Diehl AM. Bile Ductules and Stromal Cells Express Hedgehog Ligands and/or Hedgehog Target Genes in Primary Biliary Cirrhosis. Hepatology. 45(5):1091-6. 2007. PMID: 17464985
14.	Yamaguchi K, Yang L, McCall S, Huang J, Yu XX, Pandey SK, Bhanot S, Monia BP, Li YX, Diehl AM. Inhibiting triglyceride synthesis improves hepatic steatosis but exacerbates liver damage and fibrosis in obese mice with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Hepatology. 45(6):1343-6. 2007. PMID: 17476695.
15.	Yamaguchi K, Yang L, McCall S, Huang J, Yu XX, Pandey SK, Bhanot S, Monia BP, Li YX, Diehl AM. Diacylglycerol acyltranferase anti-sense oligonucleotides reduce hepatic fibrosis in mice with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Hepatology 47:625-35. 2008. PMID: 18000880.
16.	Yang L, Wang Y, Mao H, Fleig S, Omenetti A, Brown KD, Sicklick JK, Li YX, Diehl AM. Sonic hedgehog is an autocrine viability factor for myofibroblastic hepatic stellate cells. Journal of Hepatology 48:98-106. 2008. PMID: 1802272. PMC2196213.
17.	Hua Mao H., Diehl AM., Li YX. Sonic Hedgehog Ligand Partners with Caveolin-1 for Intracellular Transportation. Lab Invest. 89:290-300. 2009. PMID: 19139721. PMC2647995
18.	Robert G. Gourdie, Tereance A. Myers, Alex McFadden, Li YX, Jay D. Potts., Self-Organizing Tissue-Engineered Constructs in Collagen Hydrogels. Microscopy and Microanalysis, accepted September, 2011