T cells play essential roles in immune response. We are studying T cells with two directions:

1. Functional genomics in primary T cells

We are applying genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screen in primary T cell in vivo to answer fundamental questions in T cell biology, including development, activation, proliferation and differentiation, as well as T cell fitness (e.g. exhaustion) in tumor microenvironment. Identified novel genes and regulatory circuits have been used to design novel therapies for diseases.

2. Mechanisms of metabolic regulation of T cells

Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of T cell activation, but how metabolic pathways regulate T cell function remains poorly understood. We are using mouse models with gain- and loss-of-function of key metabolic enzymes to decipher metabolic regulation T cell, and try to target metabolism to treat immune-related diseases.

ORCID: 0000-0002-5885-0660

ResearcherID: O-3770-2017

代表性论著:

1. Min Peng, Na Yin, Ming O. Li. SZT2 dictates GATOR control of mTORC1 signaling. Nature. 2017 Mar 16;543(7645):433-437.

2. Min Peng*, Na Yin*, Sagar Chhangawala, Ke Xu, Christina S. Leslie, Ming O. Li. Aerobic glycolysis promotes T helper 1 cell differentiation through an epigenetic mechanism. Science, 2016 Oct 28; 354(6311): 481-484. *equal contribution.

Preview in Science, 2016 Oct 28; 354(6311): 419-420. “Warburg meets epigenetics”.

Preview in Dev Cell, 2016 November 7;39: 286-287. “Metabolic Control of Cellular Differentiation”.

Preview in Cell Metab, 2016 November 8; 24: 651-652. “Metabolic Signaling Drives IFN-g”.

3. Jiangbin Ye, Wilhelm Palm, Min Peng, Bryan King, Tullia Lindsten, Ming O. Li, Constantinos Koumenis, Craig B. Thompson. GCN2 sustains mTORC1 suppression upon amino acid deprivation by inducing Sestrin2. Genes Dev. 2015 Nov 15; 29 (22): 2331-6.

4. Min Peng, Na Yin, Ming O. Li. Sestrins Function as Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitors for Rag GTPases to Control mTORC1 Signaling. Cell. 2014 Sep 25; 159(1): 122-33.

Highlighted in Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol, 2014; 15: 701, “A RAG dissociation inhibitor”.

5. Weiming Ouyang, Will Liao, Chong T. Luo, Na Yin, Morgan Huse, Myoungjoo V. Kim, Min Peng, Pamela Chan, Qian Ma, Yifan Mo, Dies Meijer, Keji Zhao, Alexander Y. Rudensky, Gurinder Atwal, Michael Q. Zhang, Ming O. Li. Novel Foxo1-dependent transcriptional programs control Treg cell function. Nature. 2012 Nov 22; 491(7425): 554-9.