Hong Chen
Associate Professor
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
University of Illinois at urbana champaign
United States of America
Biography
Dr. Hong Chen received her B.S. degree in cell biology from Lanzhou University in China. She then studied animal nutrition at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA and received both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in molecular nutrition. She continued her training as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL. She started as an assistant professor in 2006 here in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.
Research Interest
Nutrient regulation of epigenetic modifications in cancer and other chronic diseases.The focus of my research is the role of epigenetic modifications on cancer and other chronic diseases. Epigenetic modifications of the genome, such as DNA methylation, histone methylation and acetylation, are powerful regulators of gene expression in mammalian cells. We are particularly interested in how epigenetic modifications are regulated by dietary components in colon tumor cells and how these modifications contribute to the tumorigenesis or cancer progression. Â Currently the focus of my lab is on dietary folate and active components in soy foods and how they contribute to epigenetic regulations in colon cancer.
Publications
-
Zhang Y, Li Q, Zhou D, Chen H. Genistein, a soya isoflavone, prevents azoxymethane-induced up-regulation of WNT/β-catenin signalling and reduces colon pre-neoplasia in rats. Br J Nutr. 2013 Jan 14;109(1):33-42. doi: 10.1017/S0007114512000876. Epub 2012 Apr 3. PubMed PMID: 22716201
-
Wang H, Li Q, Chen H. Genistein affects histone modifications on Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1) gene in SW480 human colon cancer cell line. PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e40955. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040955. Epub 2012 Jul 18. PubMed PMID: 22815877; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3399800
-
Zhou D, Lezmi S, Wang H, Davis J, Banz W, Chen H. Fat accumulation in the liver of obese rats is alleviated by soy protein isolate through β-catenin signaling. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2014 Jan;22(1):151-8. doi: 10.1002/oby.20421.Epub 2013 Jun 13. PubMed PMID: 23512909; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3690171.
-
Zhang Y, Li Q, Chen H. DNA methylation and histone modifications of Wnt genes by genistein during colon cancer development. Carcinogenesis. 2013 Aug;34(8):1756-63. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgt129. Epub 2013 Apr 18. PubMed PMID:23598468; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3731807
-
Tang X, Kuhlenschmidt TB, Li Q, Ali S, Lezmi S, Chen H, Pires-Alves M, Laegreid WW, Saif TA, Kuhlenschmidt MS. A mechanically-induced colon cancer cell population shows increased metastatic potential. Mol Cancer. 2014 May 29;13:131. doi: 10.1186/1476-4598-13-131.
-
Zhou D, Wang H, Cui H, Chen H, Pan YX. Early-life exposure to high-fat diet may predispose rats to gender-specific hepatic fat accumulation by programming Pepck expression. J Nutr Biochem. 2015 May;26(5):433-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2014.10.009. Epub 2014 Nov 22. PubMed PMID: 25716581.
-
Zhang Y, Wang H, Zhou D, Moody L, Lezmi S, Chen H, Pan YX. A High Fat Diet Caused Widespread Epigenomic Differences on Hepatic Methylome in Rat. PhysiolGenomics. 2015 Jul 21:physiolgenomics.00110.2014. doi: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00110.2014.
