Wenji Piao, DrMed, BM

I recieved my doctoral degree (Dr.med/Ph.D.) in molecular immunology in the Hematology and Oncology Department of Hannover Medical School, Germany, where I received intensive training in molecular and cellular immunology and gained expertise on T cell immunity, with an emphasis on T cell immune tolerance on bone marrow/stem cell transplantation. My graduate thesis was published in Blood. 

post-doctoral training: in T cell immunity at La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California and RIKEN center for Allergy and Immunology, Yokohama, Japan, where I mastered advanced molecular, cellular, and animal techniques. Later I  received intensive training in the area of biochemistry of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling at Microbiology and Immunology Department, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery. My research is focused on the molecular and cellular determinants of alloantigen specific tolerance using murine models of cardiac and pancreatic islet transplantation, specifically to determine the mechanisms drive regulatory T cell migration and immune suppression. I have a solid background in Cell Biology and Immunology, with specific training and expertise in Molecular Cell Biology and Biochemistry. I laid the groundwork for the proposed research on the post-translational modifications and interactions of key molecules of Toll Like Receptor signaling complexes associated with endotoxin tolerance and inflammatory diseases and documented in the following publications. My recent work advanced on identifying potential therapeutic peptides, which specifically block Lymphotoxin Receptor (LTbR)- canonical and non-canonical NFkB signaling and produced several high-profile publications. Recent works also include lymphotoxin and PD-1 of Tregs liscence immune cell lymphatic migration in transplantation and tumor immunity. In summary, I have the expertise, leadership, training, and motivation necessary to successfully carry out the proposed research project.

Regulatory T cell lymphatic migration, and the lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTbR) signaling in endothelial cells (EC).

1. Piao W, Li L, Saxena V, Iyyathurai J, Lakhan R, Zhang Y, Lape IT, Paluskievicz C, Hippen KL, Lee Y, Silverman E, Shirkey MW, Riella LV, Blazar BR, Bromberg JS. PD-L1 signaling selectively regulates T cell lymphatic transendothelial migration. Nat Commun.. 2022 Apr 21;13(1):2176. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29930-0.

2. Piao W, Xiong Y, Li L, Saxena V, Kile D. Smith, Keli L. Hippen, Christina Paluskievicz, Marina Willsonshirkey, Bruce R. Blazar, Reza Abdi, and Bromberg JS. (2020) Regulatory T Cells Condition Lymphatic Endothelia for Enhanced Transendothelial Migration. Cell Rep., 30, 1052–1062. PMID: 31995749.
3. Hisano Y, Kono M, Cartier A, Engelbrech E,Kano K, Kawakami K, Xiong Y, Piao W, Galvani S, Yanagida K, Kuo A, Ono Y, Ishida S, Aoki J, Proia RL, Bromberg JS, Inoue A, Hla T. (2019) Lysolipid Receptor Cross-Talk Regulates Lymphatic Endothelial Junctions in Lymph Nodes. J Exp Med.,216 (7), 1582-1598. PMID 31147448.
4. Xiong Y, Piao W, Brinkman CC, Li L, Kulinski JM, Olivera A, Cartier A, Hla T, Hippen KL, Blazar BR, Schwab SR, Bromberg JS. (2019). CD4 T cell sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor (S1PR)1 and S1PR4 and endothelial S1PR2 regulate afferent lymphatic migration. Sci Immunol., 15;4(33). PMID: 30877143. (co-first auther)
5. Piao W, Xiong Y, Famulski K, Brinkman CC, Li L, Toney N, Wagner C, Saxena V, Simon T and  Bromberg JS. (2018) Regulation of T cell afferent lymphatic migration by targeting LTβR-mediated non-classical NFκB signaling. Nat Commun., 9: 3020. PMID: 30069025. PMCID: PMC6070541.
6. Piao W, Ru LW, Toshchakov VY. (2016). Differential adapter recruitment by TLR2 co-receptors. Pathog Dis., 74(5). PMID: 27150837.
7. Piao W, Shirey KA, Ru LW, Lai W, Szmacinski H, Snyder GA, Sundberg EJ, Vogel SN, Toshchakov VY. (2015). A Decoy Peptide that Disrupts TIRAP Recruitment to TLRs Is Protective in a Murine Model of Influenza. Cell Rep., 11(12):1941-52. PMCID: PMC4490105.
8. Piao W, Ru LW, Piepenbrink KH, Sundberg EJ, Vogel SN, Toshchakov VY. (2013). Recruitment of TLR adapter TRIF to TLR4 signaling complex is mediated by the second helical region of TRIF TIR domain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 110(47):19036-41 PMID: 24194546. PMCID: PMC3578136.
9. Piao W, Vogel SN, Toshchakov VY. (2013). Inhibition of TLR4 Signaling by TRAM-Derived Decoy Peptides In Vitro and In Vivo. J. Immunol., 190:2263-2272. PMID: 23345333. PMCID: PMC3578136.
10. Leah A. Couture, Piao W, Ru Lisa W., Vogel SN, Toshchakov VY. (2012). Targeting Toll-like Receptor (TLR) Signaling by Toll/Interleukin-1 Receptor (TIR) Domain-containing Adapter Protein/MyD88 Adapter-like (TIRAP/Mal)-derived Decoy Peptides. J Biol Chem., 287:24641-24648. PMID: 22648407.
11. Medvedev AE, and Piao W. (2009). Analysis of functional role of TLR4 tyrosine phosphorylation. In: "Toll-Like Receptors", O'Neill L.A.J. and McCoy, C. (Eds). Methods Mol Biol., 517:145-67. PMID: 19378035.
12. Medvedev AE, Piao W, Shoenfelt J, Rhee SH, Chen H, Basu S, Wahl LM, Fenton MJ, Vogel SN. (2007). Role of TLR4 tyrosine phosphorylation in signal transduction and endotoxin tolerance. J Biol Chem., 282:16042-53. PMCID: PMC2675888
13. Piao W, Chen H, Song C, Marco Q, Wahl LM, Fitzgerald KA, Li LW, and Medvedev AE. (2009). Endotoxin tolerance dysregulates MyD88-dependent and TRIF-dependent signaling pathways and increases expression of negative regulators of TLR signaling. J Leukoc  Biol., 86:863-75. PMCID: PMC2796624
14. Piao W, Song C, Chen H, Wahl LM, Fitzgerald KA, O’Neill LA, Medvedev AE. (2008). Tyrosine phosphorylation of MyD88 Adapter-Like (Mal) is critical for Signal Transduction and Blocked in Endotoxin Tolerance. J Biol Chem., 283:3109-3119. PMCID: PMC2705934