Details:

Abstract:

The failure of axon regeneration in the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) attributed to two properties of the adult CNS, the inhibitory extrinsic environment and a diminished intrinsic regenerative capacity of mature CNS neurons. Successful regeneration through modulating neuronal intrinsic mechanisms in CNS neurons requires activation of proregenerative transcription and translation, epigenetic regulation, cytoskeletal dynamics and transport, mitochondrial mobility, among other processes. Our recent study reveals a critical role of phosphatidate phosphatase lipin1 and diglyceride acyltransferases (DGATs) as intrinsic regulators of glycerolipid metabolism in neurons. In both the optic nerve and spinal cord injury models, we found that inhibiting these enzymes can promote axon regrowth. We propose another strategy for neural repair by directing neuronal lipid synthesis away from triglyceride synthesis and toward phospholipid synthesis.

Biography:

Kai Liu is currently Cheng Associate Professor of Science in Division of Life Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Liu received his Bachelor degree from School of Life Sciences at Peking University in 1998, and received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University at New Brunswick in 2006. Then he did his postdoc research at Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School. In 2011, Liu joined Division of Life Science at HKUST as Assistant Professor. His research interest focuses on the intrinsic mechanisms regulating axonal regeneratio

Selected publications:

1. Yang C*, Wang X*, Wang JY, Wang XJ, Chen W, Lu N, Siniossoglou S, Yao ZP, Liu K#. Rewiring neuronal glycerolipid metabolism determines the extent of axon regeneration. Neuron, 2020 Jan 22;105(2):276-292.
2. Li S*, Yang C*, Zhang L, Gao X, Wang X, Liu W, Wang Y, Jiang S, Wong YH, Zhang Y, Liu K. Promoting axon regeneration in the adult CNS by modulation of the melanopsin/GPCR signaling. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2016 Feb 16;113(7):1937-42.
3. 3. Du K*, Zheng S*, Zhang Q*, Li S, Gao X, Wang J, Jiang L, Liu K. Pten deletion promotes regrowth of corticospinal tract axons 1 year after spinal cord injury. Journal of Neuroscience 2015 July 1;35(26): 9754-9763.