Jianfei Qi, PhD

1997                Bachelor, China Medical University 

2000                M.S., China Medical University       

2006                Ph.D., Biochemistry, Toronto University

2010                Postdoctoral Fellow, Signal Transduction Program, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute

2013                Staff Scientist, Signal Transduction Program, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute

My research interests aim to understand the molecular mechanisms of ubiquitin ligases and histone demethylases in the development and progression of human prostate cancer. My background is in prostate cancer biology, ubiquitination, histone modification and transcriptional gene regulation.The experiment approaches used in my laboratory include molecular cell biology, biochemistry, and mouse prostate cancer models. We have also established stable collaboration with the experts in prostate cancer pathology or system biology, who can complement our research with the immunohistochemistry analyses of human prostate cancer tissues, the profiling array or ChIP-seq analyses of the global gene regulation. Our previous study revealed a key tumor-promoting role for histone demethylase JMJD1A and ubiquitin ligase Siah2 or HUWE1 in prostate cancer, and further understanding their mechanisms to drive the prostate cancer progression and therapeutic resistance is critical towards identifying new targets and developing new rationale therapies for the advanced prostate cancer. 

transcriptional gene regulation, signaling transduction, histone demethylase, ubiquitin ligase, androgen receptor, c-Myc, prostate cancer, castration-resistant prostate cancer, DNA damage response

Fan L, Peng G, Sahgal N, Ladan F, Gleave M, Zhang Y, Hussain A, and Qi J. (2016). Regulation of c-Myc expression by the histone demethylase JMJD1A is essential for prostate cancer cell growth and survival. Oncogene. 35, 2441-2452.

Fan L, Peng G, Hussain A, Ladan F, Guns E, Gleave M, and Qi J. (2015). The steroidogenic enzyme AKR1C3 regulates stability of the ubiquitin ligase Siah2 in prostate cancer cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 290, 20865-20879.

Qi J, Tripathi M, Mishra R, Sahgal N, Fazil L, Ettinger S, Placzek WJ, Claps G, Chung LW, Bowtell D, Gleave M, Bhowmick N, and Ronai Z. (2013). The E3 ubiquitin ligase Siah2 contributes to castration-resistant prostate cancers by regulation of androgen receptor activity. Cancer Cell. 23, 332-346

Qi J, Nakayama K, Cardiff RD, Borowsky AD, Williams R, Krajewski S, Carpenter P, Mercola D, Bowtell D, and Ronai Z. (2010). Concerted activity of HIF and FoxA2 regulates formation of neuroendocrine prostate tumors and neuroendocrine phenotype of human metastatic prostate cancers. Cancer Cell 18, 23-38.

Qi J, Nakayama K, Gaitonde S, Goydos JS, Krajewski S, Eroshkin A, Bar-Sagi D, Bowtell D, and Ronai Z. (2008). The ubiquitin ligase Siah2 regulates tumorigenesis and metastasis by HIF-dependent and -independent pathways. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U S A 105, 16713-16718.