Laboratory of Jiaqian Wu, Ph.D.

Wu laboratory combines neuroscience, stem cell biology and systems-based approaches involving genomics, bioinformatics and functional assays to unravel gene transcription and regulatory mechanisms in neurodegeneration and regeneration. We have carried out unprecedented transcriptome profiling for eight types of highly purified neuron, glia and vascular cells from brain by RNA-Seq. We identified many long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and our functional and genetic experiments substantiated the role of lncRNA in astrocyte activation, and oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) formation for the first time. Additionally, using single cell RNA-Seq approach, we identified previously uncharacterized glial progenitor populations and are investigating their functions in regeneration.

One major focus of our group is understanding the mechanisms and developing effective and safe treatment for spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative diseases. We have published protein coding and lncRNA gene expression in multiple acute and chronic spinal cord injury phases in mouse and rat models. We provided unprecedented data source and a powerful analysis framework for functional investigations of lncRNAs in CNS cell types. We also have deposited the complete datasets of purified brain cell types and spinal cord injury in databases displayed using an interactive web browser for analyzing and comparing protein-coding, lncRNA gene transcription as well as alternative splicing profiles. It serves as a widely used data source for the research community.

The other area of our research interest lies in the studies of the regulatory networks of stem and progenitor cell self-renewal and differentiation. Our goal is to identify and modulate key regulators as therapeutic targets.

About Dr. Wu

Wu Lab 2023Dr. Jiaqian Wu is a Professor with Tenure in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery and Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth.. Dr. Wu earned her doctorate in molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where her research focused on novel mammalian gene discovery and the characterization of transcriptome complexity. Dr. Wu led the NIH Mammalian Gene Collection effort and cloned thousands of mammalian genes which are publicly available through GE Dharmacon now.

During her postdoctoral training at Yale University and Stanford University, Dr. Wu employed interdisciplinary approaches including molecular and cellular biology and genomics to study gene expression, transcription factor regulation, and regulatory networks of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. She was one of the first using RNA-Seq to characterize stem cell neural differentiation process.

Dr. Wu’s work has been recognized with prestigious honors and awards, including the National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Individual Postdoctoral Fellows, and the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting Travel Award, the National Institute of Health Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00), R01s, R21s and the Senator Lloyd and B.A. Bentsen Investigator Award. A reviewer for NIH, New York State Department of Health-Spinal Cord Injury Research Board, MRC and various journals, Dr. Wu has presented invited talks and lectures at national and international conferences, universities and institutions. She has developed a patent, authored two books, and wrote many articles that have appeared in Cell Reports, PNAS, the Journal of Neuroscience, Stem Cell Reports, Nature Neuroscience and Nature, among others.

Research Projects

  • Investigate gene expression and regulatory mechanisms of neural stem/progenitor cell self-renewal and differentiation
  • Characterize molecular signatures and identify therapeutic targets for spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative diseases
  • Pinpoint key transcription factors and regulatory RNAs, and modulate key regulators to steer the direction of stem/progenitor cell differentiation and improve efficiency
  • Network analysis of stem/progenitor cell differentiation and global network integration of multiple types of omic data

Team Members

  • Haichao Wei, PhD, Instructor
  • Jyotirmoy Rakshit PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Faiz-Ul Amin, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Uyanga Tsogt, MD, Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Fernando Gonzalez Salinas, Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Eyad Shihabeddin, Graduate Student

Contact the Lab

Email: [email protected]
Office Phone: (713) 500-3421

Recent Publications (SELECTED)

  1. Zhang, Y., Chen, K., Sloan, S., Bennett, M., Scholze, A., O’Keeffe, S., Phatnani, H., Guarnieri, P., Caneda, C., Ruderisch, N., Deng, S., Liddelow, S., Zhang, C., Daneman, R., Maniatis, T., Barres, B., Wu, J.(2014) An RNA-Seq transcriptome and splicing database of neurons, glia and vascular cells of the cerebral cortex. J. Neurosci., 34(36): 11929-11947. PMID:25186741
  2. Yan, Q., Weyn-Vanhentenryck, S. M., Wu, J., Sloan, S., Zhang, Y., Chen, K., Wu, J., Barres, B., Zhang, C. (2015) Systematic discovery of regulated and conserved alternative exons in the mammalian brain reveals NMD modulating chromatin regulators. PNAS. Mar 17;112(11):3445-50
  3. He, L., Zhou, J., Chen, M., Lin, C., Kim, S. G., Zhou, Y., Xiang, L., Xie, M., Bai, H., Yao, H., Shi, C., Coelho, P. G., Bromage, T. G., Hu, B., Tovar, N., Witek, L., Wu, J., Chen, K., Gu, W., Jinxuan Zheng, J., Christopher L. Ricupero, C.L., Sheu, T., Zhong, J., Wen, J., Niu, Y., Cheng, B., Gong, Q., Owens, D. M., Stanislauskas, M., Pei, J., Chotkowski, G., Wang, S., Yang, G., Shelanski, M., Zegarelli, D.J., Zheng, Y., Shi, X., Finkel, M., Zhang, W., Li, J., Cheng, J., Tarnow, D.P., Zhou, X., Wang, Z., Jiang, X., Romanov, A., Wang, S., Ye, L., Ling, J., Mao, J. J. Parenchymal and Stromal Tissue Regeneration of Tooth Organ by Pivotal Signals Reinstated in Decellularized Matrix. Nature Materials. 2019 Jun;18(6):627-637. doi: 10.1038/s41563-019-0368-6. PMID:31114073
  4. Kobayashi, M., Tarnawsky, S.P., Wei, H., Mishra, A., Azevedo Portilho, N., Wenzel, P., Davis, B., Wu, J., Hadland, B. and Yoshimoto, M. Hemogenic Endothelial Cells Can Transition to Hematopoietic Stem Cells through a B-1 Lymphocyte-Biased State during Maturation in the Mouse Embryo. Stem cell reports. 2019 Jun 10. pii: S2213-6711(19)30193-6. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2019.05.025. PMID:31231025
  5. Yuan, Z., Fan, X., Zhu, JJ., Fu, TM., Wu, J. Q., Xu H., Zhang, N., An, Z., Zheng, W. Presence of complete murine viral genome sequences in patient-derived xenografts. Nat Commun. 2021 Apr 1;12(1):2031. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22200-5. PMID: 33795676.
  6. Wei, H*., Dong, X*., You, Y., Hai, B., Cuevas-Diaz Duran, RC., Wu, X., Kharas, N., Wu, J. Q. OLIG2 regulates lncRNAs and its own expression during oligodendrocyte lineage formation. BMC Biol. 2021 Jun 25;19(1):132. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-021-01057-6. PMID: 34172044.
  7. Escartin, C*., Galea, E*., Lakatos, A., O’Callaghan, JP., Petzold, GC., …, Wu, J. Q., …., Zheng, B., Zimmer, ER., Zorec, R., Sofroniew, MV., Verkhratsky, A. Reactive astrocyte nomenclature, definitions, and future directions. Nature Neuroscience. 2021. doi: 10.1038/s41593-020-00783-4. PMID: 33589835.
  8. Wei, H*., Wu, X*., You, Y*., Cuevas-Diaz Duran, R., Zheng, Y., Narayanan, L.K., Hai, B., Li X., Tallapragada, N., Prajapati, T.J, Kim, D.H., Deneen, B., Cao, Q., Wu, J. Q. Systematic analysis of purified astrocytes after SCI unveils Zeb2os function during astrogliosis. Cell Reports. 2021 Feb 2;34(5):108721. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108721. PMID: 33535036.
  9. Kobayashi, M., Wei, H., Yamanashi, T., Azevedo Portilho, N., Cornelius, S., Valiente, N., Nishida, C., Cheng, H., Latorre, A., Zheng, W. J., Kang, J., Seita, J., Shih, D. J., Wu, J. Q., and Yoshimoto, M. HSC-independent definitive hematopoiesis persists into adult life. 2023. Cell reports, 42(3), 112239. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112239. PMID: 36906851
  10. Wei, H*., Wu, X*., Withrow, J*., Cuevas-Diaz Duran, R., Singh, S., Chaboub, L. S., Rakshit, J., Mejia, J., Rolfe, A., Herrera, J. J., Horner, P. J., & Wu, J. Q. Glial progenitor heterogeneity and key regulators revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing provide insight to regeneration in spinal cord injury. 2023. Cell reports, 42(5), 112486. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112486. PMID: 37149868

Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography