Congratulations to Yang Zan for receiving funding from the 2024 Youth Students Basic Research Projects (Ph.D. Students)
The National Natural Science Foundation of China recently announced the funding results for the 2024 Youth Students Basic Research Projects (Ph.D. Students). Ph.D. student Yang Zan from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) was awarded funding for her project titled Mechanisms of Stress-Induced NLRP6 Nuclear Translocation in Intestinal Diseases. The project will be conducted under the guidance of Professor Shu Zhu at the Lab of Intestinal Immune and Microbiota.
The funded project focuses on the innate immune receptor NLRP6, which is highly expressed in intestinal epithelial cells. Previous studies demonstrated that NLRP6 integrates host defense functions through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in the cytoplasm, promoting inflammasome assembly and interferon responses. Recent findings revealed that NLRP6 exhibits significant nuclear localization in reactive oxygen species (ROS)-rich intestinal crypt regions, hinting at a role in sensing damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). This research aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms of stress-induced nuclear translocation of NLRP6, its regulatory functions, and its roles in intestinal diseases such as radiation-induced injury, inflammatory bowel disease, and colorectal cancer.
Yang Zan is a Ph.D. student in USTC's 2024 cohort, specializing in basic immunology under the supervision of Professor Shu Zhu. Her research focuses on mucosal innate immune recognition, particularly the activation and regulation mechanisms of NLRP6 and its role in intestinal health. She has published papers as a co-first author in journals such as PNAS and Precision Clinical Medicine.
