个人简介南京大学生命科学学院PI，从事代谢性细胞死亡研究，在Nature、Molecular Cell等期刊发表文章，累计引用超9000。 研究方向细胞死亡是维持组织稳态、调控发育过程以及多细胞生物应对外部环境变化的重要基础生物学机制。细胞死亡调控机制的紊乱与多种重大疾病密切相关，尤其在肿瘤发生、发展与治疗耐药中扮演关键角色。根据发生方式的不同，细胞死亡大致可分为被动性死亡（如外伤或化学毒性导致的不可逆损伤）和主动性死亡（即受调控细胞死亡，regulated cell death, RCD），后者是由精细信号通路和分子效应器控制的程序化过程。 受调控细胞死亡的研究起源于20世纪60年代对昆虫发育的观察，随后在70年代，细胞凋亡（apoptosis）的概念提出，揭示了Bcl-2家族和胱天蛋白酶等核心元件的作用机制，为该领域奠定了理论基础。进入21世纪，人们陆续识别出多种新型RCD亚型，包括坏死性凋亡（necroptosis）、细胞焦亡（pyroptosis）等炎症相关死亡形式。过去十年，随着代谢研究与细胞死亡机制的交叉融合，一系列代谢依赖的新型细胞死亡形式被相继发现，包括铁死亡（ferroptosis）、铜死亡（cuproptosis）和双硫死亡（disulfidptosis）。这些类型的细胞死亡并非依赖传统意义上的执行蛋白，而是由细胞内代谢失衡及氧化应激等因素主导，揭示了肿瘤细胞对特定应激反应的脆弱性。 在机制层面，铁死亡是由脂质过氧化和铁离子积累驱动的不可逆性过程；铜死亡则涉及铜诱导的线粒体脂酰化应激和蛋白质聚集；而双硫死亡则源于胞内异常的二硫键形成，造成细胞骨架和蛋白稳态的严重破坏。这些“非典型”的死亡形式不仅深化了我们对细胞命运调控的理解，也为肿瘤治疗提供了新颖的靶点。 我们实验室长期致力于研究癌症代谢与受调控细胞死亡之间的相互作用机制，特别关注以下两个核心科学问题： 1.肿瘤细胞如何通过代谢重编程逃逸铁死亡等代谢应激诱导的细胞死亡； 2.如何基于铁死亡、铜死亡等新型细胞死亡形式设计克服治疗耐药性的精准抗癌策略。 通过整合代谢组学、遗传编辑、动物模型和临床样本分析等多种手段，我们旨在揭示受调控细胞死亡背后的代谢依赖机制，并推动相关靶点的临床转化，为治疗耐药性肿瘤开辟全新路径。 欢迎对代谢性细胞死亡研究有兴趣的本科生、研究生、博士后，科研助理及副研究员等加盟，有意者请与PI联系（chaomao@nju.edu.cn）。 学术兼职工作经历科研成果First (#) & Corresponding Author (*) Publications： 1. Chao Mao#*; Shengrong Wu#; Girish H. Rajacharya; Min Wang; Zhengze Lu; David Huo; Yuelong Yan; Xiong Chen; Guang Lei; Zhihao Xu; Qidong Li; MingChuang Sun; Xi Zhao; Li Zhuang; Dadi Jiang; Albert C. Koong; Steven H. Lin; Pankaj K. Singh; Boyi Gan*; DHODH-Mediated Suppression of Ferroptosis Supports Radioresistance and Represents a Therapeutic Vulnerability in Lung Cancer, Cancer Research, 2026 2. Chao Mao#; Dadi Jiang#*; Albert C Koong*; Boyi Gan*; Exploiting metabolic cell death for cancer therapy, Nature Reviews Cancer, 2026 3. Chao Mao#*; Guang Lei; Amber Horbath; Min Wang; Zhengze Lu; Yuelong Yan; Xiaoguang Liu; Lavanya Kondiparthi; Xiong Chen; Jun Cheng; Qidong Li; Zhihao Xu; Li Zhuang; Bingliang Fang; Joseph R Marszalek; Masha V Poyurovsky; Kellen Olszewski; Boyi Gan*; Unraveling ETC complex I function in ferroptosis reveals a potential ferroptosis-inducing therapeutic strategy for LKB1-deficient cancers, Molecular Cell, 2024 4. Chao Mao#; Min Wang#; Li Zhuang; Boyi Gan*; Metabolic cell death in cancer: Ferroptosis, cuproptosis, disulfidptosis, and beyond, Protein & Cell, 2024 5. Chao Mao#; Boyi Gan*; Navigating ferroptosis via an NADPH sensor, Nature Cell Biology, 2022 6. Shiqi Wu#; Chao Mao#; Lavanya Kondiparthi; Masha V Poyurovsky; Kellen Olszewski; Boyi Gan*; A ferroptosis defense mechanism mediated by glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2 in mitochondria, PNAS, 2022 7. Chao Mao#; Guang Lei; Li Zhuang; Boyi Gan*; Ferroptosis as an important driver of lupus, Protein & Cell, 2022 8. Chao Mao#; Guang Lei#; Amber Horbath#; Boyi Gan*; Assessment of lipid peroxidation in irradiated cells, Methods in Cell Biology, 2022 9. Chao Mao#; Xiaoguang Liu; Yilei Zhang; Guang Lei; Yuelong Yan; Hyemin Lee; Pranavi Koppula; Shiqi Wu; Li Zhuang; Bingliang Fang; Masha V Poyurovsky; Kellen Olszewski*; Boyi Gan*; DHODH-mediated ferroptosis defence is a targetable vulnerability in cancer, Nature, 2021 10. Chao Mao#; Guang Lei; Li Zhuang; Boyi Gan*; Phospholipase iPLA2β acts as a guardian against ferroptosis, Cancer Communications, 2021 11. Min Wang#; Chao Mao#; Lianlian Ouyang; Yating Liu; Weiwei Lai; Na Liu; Ying Shi; Ling Chen; Desheng Xiao; Fenglei Yu; Xiang Wang; Hu Zhou; Ya Cao; Shuang Liu; Qin Yan; Yongguang Tao*; Bin Zhang*; Long noncoding RNA LINC00336 inhibits ferroptosis in lung cancer by functioning as a competing endogenous RNA, Cell Death & Differentiation, 2019 12. Chao Mao#; Xiang Wang#; Yating Liu; Min Wang; Bin Yan; Yiqun Jiang; Ying Shi; Yi Shen; Xiaoli Liu; Weiwei Lai; Rui Yang; Desheng Xiao; Yan Cheng; Shuang Liu; Hu Zhou; Ya Cao; Weishi Yu; Muegge Kathrin; Herbert Yu; Yongguang Tao*; A G3BP1-Interacting lncRNA Promotes Ferroptosis and Apoptosis in Cancer via Nuclear Sequestration of p53, Cancer Research, 2018 13. Chao Mao#; Min Wang#; Banglun Qian; Lianlian Ouyang; Ying Shi; Na Liu; Ling Chen; Desheng Xiao; Xiang Wang; Ya Cao; Shuang Liu; Yongguang Tao*; Wenliang Liu*; Aryl hydrocarbon receptor activated by benzo (a) pyrene promotes SMARCA6 expression in NSCLC, American Journal of Cancer Research, 2018 获奖情况2022 Stat Wunderkind 2022 Odyssey Program Outstanding Research Publication Award 2022 Harter Prize 2021 Jeffrey Lee Cousins Fellowship in Lung Cancer Research |
