ABSTRACT
First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Wenjing Liu is first author on ‘ LMBR1L regulates the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells through Norrin/β-catenin signaling’, published in JCS. Wenjing is a PhD student in the lab of Xianjun Zhu at Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, China, investigating the molecular mechanisms of retinal vascular diseases.
Wenjing Liu
How would you explain the main findings of your paper in lay terms?
Vision is very important for us to see the world. Many retinopathy patients suffer from blurred vision, reduced vision or even blindness, which causes great inconvenience and a heavy economic burden. A well-organized ocular vascular system has evolved to meet the high demand the retina has for oxygen and nutrients. The Wnt signaling pathway plays a key role in retinal angiogenesis. Inhibition or overactivation of the Wnt signaling pathway can lead to defects in vascular development, which means precise regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway is critical for retinal angiogenesis. LMBR1L is a negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway, and we show that LMBR1L deficiency causes delayed vascular development through unchecked activation of the Wnt signaling pathway.
Were there any specific challenges associated with this project? If so, how did you overcome them?
Previous studies on the relationship between the Wnt signaling pathway and retinal vascular development suggested that the defects of retinal angiogenesis is caused by inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway. Defects in retinal angiogenesis caused by excessive activation of the Wnt signaling pathway have rarely been reported. In this study, we needed to present extensive evidence to demonstrate how overactivation of the Wnt signaling pathway leads to defective vascular development from multiple perspectives. We found that Lmbr1l-deficient mice exhibited delayed vascular progression with increased vessel density.
When doing the research, did you have a particular result or ‘eureka’ moment that has stuck with you?
The key turning point of our study was the finding that loss of LMBR1L resulted in increased expression of adherens junction components. β-catenin is not only the core molecule of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, but also an essential partner for the cytoplasmic tail of various cadherins. We considered that the role of β-catenin in adherens junctions might be responsible for the retarded vascular progression with increased vessel density. In vitro experiments revealed that migration ability of endothelial cells was impaired when LMBR1L was inhibited.
Why did you choose Journal of Cell Science for your paper?
Journal of Cell Science is a well-established journal, and we had published our first paper ‘TMEM30A deficiency in endothelial cells impairs cell proliferation and angiogenesis’ in Journal of Cell Science. We thought it was nice to enrich our research on retinal angiogenesis defects in this journal.
Immunofluorescence images of VE-cadherin of shCtrl-HRECs and shLMBR1L-HRECs in the presence or absence of ARA014418, an inhibitor of GSK3β phosphorylation.
Immunofluorescence images of VE-cadherin of shCtrl-HRECs and shLMBR1L-HRECs in the presence or absence of ARA014418, an inhibitor of GSK3β phosphorylation.
Have you had any significant mentors who have helped you beyond supervision in the lab? How was their guidance special?
I am very grateful to my mentor, Professor Xianjun Zhu, who has devoted himself to scientific research and always guided my academic direction. Drs Shujin Li and Mu Yang provided me with a lot of help for my experiment and encouraged me all the time. It would have been impossible for me to finish this paper without their help.
What motivated you to pursue a career in science, and what have been the most interesting moments on the path that led you to where you are now?
When I learned more biological knowledge in high school, I was amused by the charm and magic of living organisms. I hope that I can learn more mysteries of life, and that my research can help others someday.
Who are your role models in science? Why?
Ralf H. Adam. His research on retinal angiogenesis is in-depth, and reading his articles gave me some new ideas. I attended his academic talk at a research conference and I found he is very passionate about research. This may be one of the reasons why he can succeed in his field.
What's next for you?
I will graduate with my doctoral degree this July. During this period, I have been working on investigating the role of genes in retinal angiogenesis. I hope to continue doing research in this field and hone my skills, so that I can eventually make a difference just like my mentor.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that wouldn't be on your CV
I am good at cooking some popular Chinese food, like hot pot and Mapo tofu. I also like Zumba very much. It makes me happy and helps me forget setbacks quickly.
Wenjing Liu's contact details: No. 32, West Second Section of First Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
E-mail: [email protected]
