Recently, the research team of Associate Professor Yongping Bai, Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, and the team of Associate Professor Longhou Fang of Texas Medical Center have made significant progress in their joint research of atherosclerosis.Science(IF: 41.058) has published the result in the form of Report, titledAIBP-mediated Cholesterol Efflux Instructs Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Fate. Associate Professor Kaifu Chen, Associate Professor Yongping Bai and Associate Professor Longhou Fang are the co-corresponding authors.

Hypercholesterolemia is an important driving factor for the development and progression of atherosclerosis and promotes the proliferation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) during atherosclerosis. However, the association and mechanisms between hypercholesterolemia and hematopoietic function are unknown. The study first observed that elevated plasma cholesterol level can activate endothelial cell SREBP2 and act together with Notch1 signaling pathway to activate hematopoietic endothelium, thereby promoting proliferation and mobilization of HSPCs and release of inflammatory factors, and promoting the development of atherosclerosis.

This study systematically described the specific molecular mechanisms of hyperlipidemia associated with hematopoietic processes, and revealed the regulation role of apolipoprotein A1 binding protein (AIBP) in the hematopoietic process of hematopoietic endothelial cells through the above two pathways and the specific effects in atherosclerosis. This has provided a new entry point for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic diseases.

Under the guidance of the instructor Professor Guogang Zhang, Associate Professor Yongping Bai has been focusing on the research of prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease for a long time. His team has published a number of research results in the top international journals, and trained many outstanding professionals. In addition, the team has maintained long-term and stable cooperative relations with a number of first-class laboratories in the United States and China, and promoted respective development and improvement through mutual visits and joint training of students.

论文链接：

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2019/01/30/science.aav1749

Source: Xiangya Hospital