Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes acute and chronic hepatitis and liver cancer, and becomes a major worldwide human health problem. It currently infects more than 170 million people in the world and 38 million people in China. Great progress has been made in the treatment of chronic hepatitis c in recent years. However, due to the lack of HCV vaccine, HCV infection is still threatening public health. 

The main interest of my laboratory is to study biology of HCV infection and virus-host interactions at the molecular and cellular levels. The ongoing projects include: 1. Study the functional roles of virus-encoded proteins and host factors in the processes of HCV replication and assembly; 2. Study pathogenesis HCV infection; 3. Study how HCV infection induces and evades host innate immune responses. 4. Develop HCV vaccine. Hopefully by further understanding how the virus prevails during the infection and how the host limits the viral infection, we will be able to find a better way to prevent and treat HCV infection.

-- PhD

2003.08 PhD., Microbiology, Unviersity of Texas at Austin, USA 

1997.07 M.S., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University, China

1997.07 B.S., Biochemistry, Sichuan University, China

Virology

（1） IFN-λ4 desensitizes the response to IFN-α treatment in chronic hepatitis C through long-term induction of USP18., J Gen Virol., 2016, Co-corresponding author
（2） Innate immunity against hepatitis C virus., Current Opinion in Immunology., 2016, Corresponding author
（3） Altered glycosylation patterns increase immunogenicity of a subunit HCV vaccine inducing neutralizing antibodies which confer protection in mice., J Virol., 2016, Co-corresponding author
（4） Identification of cholesterol-25-hydroxylase as a novel host restriction factor as a part of primary innate immune responses against HCV infection, J Virol., 2015, Corresponding author
（5） Hepatitis C virus vaccine development: old challenges and new opportunities., National Science Review, 2015, Corresponding author
（6） Association of serum level of growth differentiation factor 15 with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma., PLoS One., 2015, Co-corresponding author
（7） A novel strategy to develop robust infectious hepatitis C virus cell culture system directly from a clinical isolate., J. Virology, 2014, Corresponding author
（8） MDA5 Plays a Critical Role in Interferon Response during Hepatitis C Virus Infection., J. Hepatology., 2014, Corresponding author
（9） HCV Genomic RNA Activates the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Human Myeloid Cells. , PLoS One, 2014, Co-corresponding author
（10） DDB1 is a cellular substrate of NS3/4A protease and required for hepatitis C virus., Virology, 2013, Co-corresponding author
（11） Hepatitis C virus NS4B blocks the interaction of STING and TBK1 to evade host innate immunity., J. Hepatology., 2013, Corresponding author
（12） Construction and characterization of infectious hepatitis C virus chimera containing structural proteins directly from genotype 1b clinical isolates., Virology, 2013, Corresponding author
（13） Inhibition of Hepatitis C Virus Infection by Polyoxometalates., Antiviral Research, 2013, Corresponding author
（14） Mycoplasma hyorhinis Activates the NLRP3 Inflammasome and Promotes Migration and Invasion of Gastric Cancer Cells. , PLoS One, 2013, Co-corresponding author
（15） The N-terminal helix α(0) of hepatitis C virus NS3 protein dictates the subcellular localization and stability of NS3/NS4A complex., Virology, 2012,  Corresponding author
（16） Hepatitis C virus NS3/4A protease blocks IL-28 production., Eur J Immunol., 2012, Corresponding author
（17） Viral Sequence Evolution in Chinese Genotype 1b Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Experiencing Unsuccessful Interferon Treatment., Infect. Genet. Evol., 2011,  Corresponding author
（18） Production of hepatitis C virus lacking the envelope-encoding genes for single-cycle infection by providing homologous envelope proteins or vesicular stomatitis virus glycoproteins in trans.,  J. Virol., 2011, Corresponding author
（19） A Single Point Mutation in E2 Enhances Hepatitis C Virus Infectivity and Alters Lipoprotein Association of Viral Particles., Virology, 2009, Corresponding author
（20） Double-stranded DNA and double-stranded RNA induce a common antiviral signaling pathway in human cells., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2007, Second author
（21） The Recent Progress on Experimental Models and Molecular Virology of Hepatitis C Virus.,  Chin. J. Hepatol., 2007, First author
（22） Inhibition of Double-Stranded RNA- Induced Signaling in Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Cells by NS3 Protease-Dependent and -Independent Mechanisms.,  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2006, Second author
（23）  Persistent HCV infection in vitro: co-evolution of virus and host. , J.Virol., 2006, First author
（24） Robust hepatitis C virus infection in vitro. , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2005, First author

（ 1 ） Studies of biology of difficult-to-treat hepatitis C and development of novel strategies for its treatment., Principal investigator, Eleventh Five-Year National Key Programs on Infectious Diseases, 2008-01--2011-12
（ 2 ） Development of highly efficient and novel cell culture model for hepatitis C virus infection., Project leader,  The 973 Program , 2009-01--2013-08
（ 3 ） Subversion of the interferon (ifn) signalling pathway by hepatitis c virus (hcv): role of the virus core protein as ifn antagonist due to its interaction with microtubule network., Participant, French Actions Concertees InterPasteuriennes (ACIP) Grant, 2010-01--2011-12
（ 4 ） Develpment of a novel cell culture model for Hepatitis C virus (hcv) Infection and its application in HCV research., Principal investigator, National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Project), 2012-01--2015-12
（ 5 ） Studies of prediction and progonosis of difficult-to-treat hepatitis C., Principal investigator, Twelfth Five-Year National Key Programs on Infectious Diseases, 2012-01--2015-12
（ 6 ） Study of role of the n-terminal alpha helix of  hepatitis c virus ns3 protein in virus assembly, Principal investigator, National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Project), 2013-01--2016-12
（ 7 ） The studies of molecular mechanisms for hepatitis C virus inducing and evading host interferon signaling pathway, Principal investigator, National Natural Science Foundation of China (Key Project), 2014-01--2018-12
（ 8 ） Studies of immune evasion and immunopathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C virus infection., Chief Scientist, The 973 Program, 2015-01--2019-08 

Graduated:

Ying HE  01  19178  

Wanyin TAO  01  19178  

Rui LI 01  19178  

Jie LU  01  19178  

Qiang Ding  01  19178  

Xuezhi CAO  01  19178  

Yu XIANG  01  19178 

Enrolled Students:

Tao YU  01  19178  

Yu YAN  01  19178  

Lei HEI  01  19178  

Yisha LIANG  02  19178  

Liqing YE  02  19178  

Qingchao LI  01  19178  

Zhenliang HE  01  19178  

Xuesong WANG  01  19178  

Lin HAN  02  19182  

Mingzhe GUO  01  19178  

Yanan ZHAO  01  19178  

Qiankun YANG  01  19178  

Tianyu GAN  01  19178  

071005-Microbiology
071009-Cellular Biology