Hu Ping

Biography

HU Ping is a Professor of Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, hanghai, China. Research Interests: Adult stem cells need to integrate all the environment cues to determine whether to stay in quiescent stage or proliferate or differentiate. The signaling pathways must communicate well with the transcription machinery to help cell make the right decision at the right time. The molecular mechanism behind this communication between signaling pathways and transcription machinery is the focus of many studies. Muscle stem cell represents a good model system to explore this mechanism. Muscle stem cells have to communicate to the environment frequently to regenerate muscles upon stimuli such as exercise, muscle injury etc. This frequent convert between quiescence, proliferation, and differentiation in muscle stem cells give us a good opportunity to study the potential mechanism behind it. Forkhead transcription factor family plays an important role during this process. We will study the signaling pathways in muscle stem cells and roles of Forkhead family members in these cells using molecular biology, cell biology, mouse genentics, and super-resolution imaging techniques. The major research interests in my lab are: 1. The functions of PI3K, MAPK, and shh signaling in the maintenance and differentiation of muscle stem cells. 2. The relationship between stem cell metabolism and their maintenance and differentiation. 3. The effects of adipocytes on metabolism and differentiation potential of muscle progenitor cells, and the transdifferentiation between muscle progenitor cells and other cell types. 4. Look for the progenitor of muscle stem cells, and compare the mechanisms governing embryonic muscle generation and adult muscle regeneration.

Research Interest

Adult stem cells need to integrate all the environment cues to determine whether to stay in quiescent stage or proliferate or differentiate. The signaling pathways must communicate well with the transcription machinery to help cell make the right decision at the right time. The molecular mechanism behind this communication between signaling pathways and transcription machinery is the focus of many studies. Muscle stem cell represents a good model system to explore this mechanism. Muscle stem cells have to communicate to the environment frequently to regenerate muscles upon stimuli such as exercise, muscle injury etc. This frequent convert between quiescence, proliferation, and differentiation in muscle stem cells give us a good opportunity to study the potential mechanism behind it. Forkhead transcription factor family plays an important role during this process. We will study the signaling pathways in muscle stem cells and roles of Forkhead family members in these cells using molecular biology, cell biology, mouse genentics, and super-resolution imaging techniques. The major research interests in my lab are: 1. The functions of PI3K, MAPK, and shh signaling in the maintenance and differentiation of muscle stem cells. 2. The relationship between stem cell metabolism and their maintenance and differentiation. 3. The effects of adipocytes on metabolism and differentiation potential of muscle progenitor cells, and the transdifferentiation between muscle progenitor cells and other cell types. 4. Look for the progenitor of muscle stem cells, and compare the mechanisms governing embryonic muscle generation and adult muscle regeneration.