K. Lu

Sex-specific effects of gut microbiome on shaping bile acid metabolism

This study investigates sex-specific effects of gut microbiome on bile acid metabolism by transplanting feces from male and female mice and measuring bile acid profiles and gene expression.

Two major-effect loci influence assortative mating in females of the sibling species, Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia

This study identifies two major-effect loci influencing assortative mating in female Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia, linked to pheromone production and species separation.

Distinct functions of EHMT1 and EHMT2 in cancer chemotherapy and immunotherapy

This study shows EHMT1 and EHMT2 have distinct roles in cancer therapy, with EHMT1 affecting DNA replication and alkylating agents, while EHMT2 influences immunotherapy response via STING expression.

Propionyl-CoA carboxylase subunit B regulates anti-tumor T cells in a pancreatic cancer mouse model

This study identifies Pccb as a regulator of anti-tumor T cell activity in pancreatic cancer, showing that its deletion impairs T cell function and that PD-L1/PD1 blockade can restore T cell activity.

Excessive apoptosis of naïve T cells resulting hyperactivation as a cause of mammalian aging

This study shows that excessive apoptosis in naïve T cells causes hyperactivation and accelerates aging in mice, suggesting T-cell changes are a cause of aging.

Sustained Delivery of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists from Injectable Biomimetic Hydrogels Improves Treatment of Diabetes

This paper develops a hydrogel-based GLP-1 receptor agonist delivery system that provides sustained therapy for up to 42 days in rats, improving diabetes management compared to daily injections.

Antimicrobial copper as an effective and practical deterrent to surface transmission of SARS-CoV-2

This study demonstrates that copper surfaces inactivate SARS-CoV-2 within minutes, with 99.9% infectivity loss observed in TCID50 and plaque assays.

An individualized causal framework for learning intercellular communicationnetworks that define microenvironments of individual tumors

The paper develops a causal framework to identify tumor-specific intercellular communication networks in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, revealing subtype-specific patterns linked to clinical outcomes.

Protective and aggressive bacterial subsets and metabolites modify hepatobiliary inflammation and fibrosis in PSC.

This study identifies protective and aggressive bacterial subsets and metabolites in PSC patients and mice, showing their impact on hepatobiliary inflammation and fibrosis.

Two Types of Cinnamoyl-CoA Reductase Function Divergently in Tissue Lignification, Phenylpropanoids Flux Control, and Inter-pathway Cross-talk with Glucosinolates as Revealed in Brassica napus

This study identifies and characterizes two divergent CCR subfamilies in Brassica napus, revealing their distinct roles in lignin biosynthesis, phenylpropanoid flux, and glucosinolate interactions.

Improved microbial community characterization of 16S rRNA via metagenome hybridization capture enrichment

The paper develops 16S rRNA sequence capture baits to improve microbial community characterization by balancing the advantages of amplicon and shotgun metagenomic methods.

exosome-LncPICALM-AU1 regulates endothelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatopulmonary syndrome

This study identifies exosomal lncRNA PICALM-AU1 from cholangiocytes as a key regulator of endothelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatopulmonary syndrome, with potential as a biomarker and therapeutic target.

Primate heart regeneration via migration and fibroblast repulsion by human heart progenitors

This study shows human heart progenitors can regenerate primate hearts by migrating to injury sites, repelling fibroblasts, and replacing damaged tissue through CXCL12/CXCR4 and SLIT2/ROBO1 signaling.

Cryo-EM structure of C9ORF72-SMCR8-WDR41 reveals the role as a GAP for Rab8a and Rab11a

This paper reports the cryo-EM structure of the C9ORF72-SMCR8-WDR41 complex, revealing its role as a GAP for Rab8a and Rab11a.

Penaeidins are a novel family of antiviral effectors against WSSV in shrimp

This study identifies penaeidins as antiviral effectors in shrimp that bind WSSV virions, inhibit viral entry, and are regulated by Toll and IMD pathways.

Systematic Discovery of the Functional Impact of Somatic Genome Alterations in Individual Tumors through Tumor-specific Causal Inference

This paper introduces a tumor-specific causal inference framework to identify causative somatic genome alterations and their impact on molecular phenotypes in individual tumors.