About my research
Role of circadian rhythm in the development of Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases
Circadian rhythm, close to 24 hours, presents in every cell in our body. Circadian rhythm plays important role in various human diseases including liver diseases. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common chronic liver disease that may leads to liver fibrosis, and cirrhosis, which eventually turn into liver cancer. Recent studies have shown shift work or eat during the night, both of which can cause disruption of circadian rhythm, are risk factors of NAFLD. However, we still do not know the molecular mechanisms underlying which the circadian rhythm affects NAFLD. We will investigate the role of circadian rhythm in the development of NAFLD. Firstly, we will evaluate levels of circadian rhythm-related genes in mouse model of NAFLD and involved mechanisms. Secondly, we will investigate how high-fat environment change the cellular function and the circadian rhythm of clock genes. This study will help us better understand the interaction between circadian rhythm and NAFLD and which cell population will be affected most in NAFLD. The findings will provide us possible therapeutic options and medicine for patients with NAFLD.
Epigenetics, Health and Diseases
Epigenetics is the study of heritable phenotype changes that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence. It includes many events, like DNA methylation, non-coding RNA expression and regulation, histone modification, RNA methylation. We have known that some environmental factors such as smoking, nutrition, behavior, stress, sleep pattern, diet, eat patterns, alcohol consumption, could increase the risk of certain diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and fatty liver diseases. But how do these environmental factors talk to our cells? How does these life styles put their signatures into our gene expression profiling and eventually change the cell activity and organ functions? We want to find the bridge between these environmental factors and molecular changes that inheritable in our body that might influence your health and even pass to the next generation.
