University of Missouri – Columbia (MU)
My major focus is on the uterine functions during early pregnancy. I identified the critical roles of TRIM28, acted as a co-regulator of progesterone receptor (PGR), to modulate the uterine biology using primary human endometrial stromal cells and genetic modified mouse models. Meanwhile, I discovered PGR mediated LIF transcription and FOXO1 nuclear translocation in the uterine epithelium to support the uterine receptivity during pregnancy. I also applied spatial transcriptome, single cell RNA-seq and muti-omic technology to understand the 2D-transcriptome, cistrome, interactome and chromatin accessibility in pregnant mouse uterus and primary human endometrial cells. Recently, I collaborated with Dr. Jae Wook Jeong to study the uterine pathology in endometriosis associated infertility using both human tissues and mouse endometriosis models. I plan to reveal the spatial and cellular changes in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium to establish novel biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for humans.