Lizhen Chen, Ph.D.

The goal of Dr. Lizhen Chen's research is to discover the molecular pathways involved in neuronal aging and disease and to translate such findings into potential therapeutic targets. Specifically, our research focuses on the genetic and epigenetic regulations in neuronal aging, degeneration and age-dependent axon regeneration. Through collaboration, we are also working on cancer epigenetics. We use C. elegans, mouse models and iPSCs in our research. The short life span and powerful genetics of C. elegans offer a unique advantage for understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neuronal aging. The findings from C. elegans will then be applied to mammals.

Related diseases: Neurodegeneration, Neuron injury, and cancer

Techniques: Genetic screening, Genomic approaches, and Live imaging

• Professional Background

  Education

  • 2008 - PhD - Genetics - University of Georgia, Laboratory of Dr. Nancy R. Manley

  Training

  • 2016 - Postdoc - Neurobiology, Cellular and Molecular Medicine - UC San Diego & HHMI

  Appointments

  • 5/2016 - Assistant Professor - Barshop Institute, Cellular & Structural Biology, San Antonio

• Instruction & Training

  • 2018 to current, CSAT 5007 Methods in Cell Biology, UT Health San Antonio

• Research & Grants

  1. Role of CELF RNA binding proteins in neuronal development and aging. CELF RBPs regulate alternative splicing and are risk factors for Alzheimer's Disease. We are studying the molecular mechanisms by which CELF RBPs regulate neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration using C.elegans, mouse, and iPSC models.

  2. Enhancer regulation in axon regeneration and cancer. We are investigating enhancers that are activated or inactivated in response to neuronal injury and during axon regeneration. We are also studying the component changes in enhancer complexes in response to different signals during cancer progression.

  Research profile

  Grants

  • Targeting YAP-TEAD on Enhancers For Therapy Resistance in Breast Cancer

  “Understanding the roles of the GWAS risk factor CELF2 in Alzheimer’s disease”, 

  3P30 AG013319-23S2, NIH-National Institute on Aging    

   

  “Decoding the dynamic enhancer landscape in breast cancer metastatic progression”

  U54 Intra-center Pilot Project Grant   

• Service

  Department

  CSA Departmental Committees:

  2020: CSA MS-biotech admission committee (Chair)

  2019 – current: Award committee of MS-COGS (Chair)

  2019 – current: CSA COGS committee

  2018: CSA MS Program Curriculum Change Committee

  2017-2018: CSA Department Search Committee

  2017-2019: CSA MS Program Admission Committee

  2017-current: CSA Minority Committee

  School

  Student Committees:

  2020: PhD QE Committee for Nisi Jiang 

  2020: PhD QE Committee for Jessica Scheirer 

  2019: PhD QE Committee for Abdulhafiz Imam Aliagan

  2018 – current: PhD Thesis Committee for Simon Levy 

  2018 – current: MS Thesis Committee for Chelbee Farnen 

  2018: MD/PhD QE Committee for Gabrellie Zuniga 

  2018– current: PhD Thesis Committee for Meghna Chinchankar 

  National Service

  Study Sections: Feb 2020, Early Career Reviewer for NIH NCSD (Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Structure/Function and Dynamics) Study Section. 

   

   

  Global

  Plenary Session Chair, 22nd International C. elegans Conference, 2019, Los Angeles, CA

  Oral Session Chair, CeNeuro Conference, 2018, Madison, WI

   

   

• Publications

  Journal Article

  22. Bi M, Zhang Z, Jiang Y, Xue P, Wang H, Lai Z, Fu X, De Angelis C, Gong Y, Gao Z, Ran J, Jin V, Marangoni E, Montaudon E, Galss C, Li W, Huang T, Shao Z, Schiff R, Chen L* and  Liu Z*. “Enhancer Reprogramming Driven by High-order Assemblies of Transcription Factors Promotes Phenotypic Plasticity to Achieve Breast Cancer Endocrine Resistance” Nature Cell Biology. 2020 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-020-0514-z

  21. Zhang Z, Yu W, Tang D, Zhou Y, Wang H, Bi M, Zheng Y, Xu X, Zhang W, Tao H, Jin V, Liu Z* and Chen L*. (2020) Epigenomics-Based Identification of Estrogen-regulated Long Noncoding RNAs in ER+ Breast Cancer. RNA Biology. In Press

  20. Ko SH, Apple EC, Liu Z*, Chen L*. Age-dependent autophagy induction after injury promotes axon regeneration by limiting NOTCH. Autophagy. 2020 Jan 13;:1-17. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2020.1713645. PMID: 31920157. * co-corresponding authors

  19. Chen L, Liu Z. Multifaceted function of YAP/TEAD on chromatin:prospects of 'A non-canonical role of YAP/TEAD is required for activation of estrogen-regulated enhancers in breast cancer'. J Mol Cell Biol. 2019 Dec 19;11(12):1101-1103. doi: 10.1093/jmcb/mjz106.  PMID: 31774121

  18. Apple E and Chen L (2019). Neuronal microtubules impact lifespan. Aging (Albany NY). 2019 Sep 6;11(17):6616-6617. doi: 10.18632/aging.102224.

  17. Zhu C, Li L, Zhang Z, Bi M, Wang H, Su W, Hernandez K, Liu P, Chen J, Chen M, Huang TH, Chen L* and Liu Z*. A non-canonical role of YAP/TEAD is required for activation of estrogen-regulated enhancers in breast cancer. Molecular Cell, 2019 PMID: 31303470   * co-corresponding authors

  16. Wang H, Webster P, Chen L and Fisher AL (2019). Cell-autonomous and non-autonomous roles of daf-16 in muscle function and mitochondrial capacity in aging C. elegans. Aging (Albany NY). 2019 Apr 30; 11(8): 2295-2311. Doi: 10.18632/aging.101914. PMID: 31017874

  15. Xu A, Zhang Z, Ko S, Fisher L, Liu Z and Chen L (2019). Microtubule regulators regulate neuronal aging and organismal longevity through DAF-16 in C. elegans. Aging Cell. 2019 Apr;18(2):e12884. doi: 10.1111/acel.12884. PMID: 30638295

  14. Chen L. Microtubules and axon regeneration in C. elegans. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2018 Sep;91:160-166. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2018.03.007. Epub 2018 Mar 16 PMID: 29551667

  13. Chen L, Liu Z, Zhou B, Wei C, Zhou Y, Rosenfeld M, Fu X, Chisholm A and Jin Y (2016) CELF RNA binding proteins promote axon regeneration in C. elegans and mammals through alternative splicing of syntaxins. eLife.16072. PMID: 27253061

  12. Chen L, Chuang M, Koorman T, Boxem M, Chisholm A and Jin Y (2015) Axon injury triggers EFA-6 mediated destabilization of axonal microtubules via TACC and doublecortin like kinase. eLife.08695. PMID: 26339988

  11. Grill B, Chen L, Bienvenut W, Anderson M, Quadroni M, Jin Y and Garner CC (2012) RAE-1 a novel PHR binding protein is required for axon termination in C. elegans. Journal of Neuroscience 32(8):2628-36 PMID: 22357847

  10. Chen L, Wang Z, Hubert T, Ghosh-Roy A, O’ Rourke S, Bowerman B, Wu Z, Jin Y, Chisholm A. (2011) Axon regeneration pathways identified by systematic genetic screening in C. elegans. Neuron 71(6):1043-57 PMID: 21943602

  9. Chen L and Chisholm A. (2011) Axon regeneration mechanisms: insights from C.elegans. Trends in Cell Biology 21(10):577-84 PMID: 21907582

  8. Chen L, Zhao P, Wells L, Amemiya C, Condie B, Manley N. (2010) Mouse and zebrafish Hoxa3 orthologs have non-equivalent in vivo protein function. PNAS vol. 107 no. 23 10555-10560 PMID: 20498049

  7. Liu Z, Farley A, Chen L, Kirby BJ, Kovacs CS, Blackburn C, Manley N. (2010) Thymus-associated parathyroid hormone has two cellular origins with distinct endocrine and immunological functions. PLoS Genetics 6(12): e1001251 PMID: 21203493

  6. Chen L, Xiao S, Manley N. (2009) Foxn1 is required to maintain the postnatal thymic microenvironment in a dosage-sensitive manner. Blood. 113(3):567-74 PMID: 18978204

  5. Wang ZR, Guo L, Chen L, McEachern MJ. (2009) Evidence for an additional base-pairing element between the telomeric repeat and the telomerase RNA template in Kluyveromyces lactis and other yeasts. Mol Cell Bio. 29(20):5389-98 PMID: 19687297

  4. Liu X, Chen Y, Zhang F, Chen L, Ha T, Gao X, Li C. (2007) Synergistically therapeutic effects of VEGF165 and angiopoietin-1 on ischemic rat myocardium. Scand Cardiovasc J. 41(2):95-101 PMID: 17454834

  3. Zhang F, Yang Z, Chen Y, Qin J, Zhu T, Xu D, Xu Z, Xu Q, Qian Y, Ma W, Chen L, Gao X, Li C, Ha T, Kao RL.  (2003) Clinical cellular cardiomyoplasty: technical considerations. J Card Surg.  18(3):268-73 PMID: 12809404

  2. Chen L, Gao X. Neuronal apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress. (2002) Neurochem Res. 27(9):891-8 PMID: 12396099

  1. Jiang P, Chen L, Lin J, Liu Q, Ding J, Gao X, Guo Z. (2002) Novel zinc fluorescent probe bearing dansyl and aminoquinoline groups. Chem Commun (Camb). (13):1424-5 PMID: 12125585

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