NAME: Xu, Yafei

POSITION TITLE: Lecturer of Cell Biology and Medical Genetics; Shenzhen University School of Medicine

EDUCATION/TRAINING

A.   Personal Statement

My research interests fall in the molecular mechanisms of tumor development, prognosis prediction and comprehensive treatment, especially for nasopharyngeal carcinoma . Over recent years, I have published eight SCI papers as a first or co-first author, in journals such as Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Cancer Lett, Radiother Oncol. R esearch in my lab has been continuously supported by the Natural Science Funding of Shenzhen (2016), the Natural Science Foundation of SZU (2016), and the Natural Science Funding of Guangdong Province (2017).

B.   Positions and Honors

Positions and Employment

0 8 / 2010 – 08 / 2012         Resident, Department of Radiation Oncology, Weifang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shandong, China

0 7 /201 5 – present        Lecturer of cell biology and medical genetics; Shenzhen University School of Medicine , Shenzhen, China

Organizing International Meetings

    None

Other Experience and Honors

    None

C.   Contributions to Science ( ^# : first /co-first author; *: corresponding/co-corresponding author)

A full list of my publications (in a total of 9) is enclosed at the end of this document.

1.    Smoking is associated with EBV activation in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

During my M.S. degree in Professor Jia Weihua’s Lab, I found that smoking is not only associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk in individuals from China but is also associated with EBV seropositivity in healthy males and is involved in EBV activation. This study was the first to systematically conduct a large-scale investigation aimed at characterizing the relationship between cigarette smoking and EBV reactivation as a potential novel mechanism of NPC etiology.

1)    Xu FH^#, Xiong D^#, Xu YF^#, Cao SM, Xue WQ, Qin HD, Liu WS, Cao JY,   Zhang Y, Feng QS, Chen LZ, Li MZ, Liu ZW, Liu Q, Hong MH, Shugart YY, Zeng YX, Zeng MS*, Jia WH*. 2012. An epidemiological and molecular study of the relationship between smoking, risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and Epstein-Barr virus activation. J Natl Cancer Inst, 104(18):1396-410

2.    miRNA plays important role in the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

During my Ph.D. work in Professor Ma Jun’ Lab, I identified miR-143 as a tumour suppressor in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and KRAS was further confirmed as a direct target of miR-143. Silencing KRAS expression suppressed NPC cell viability and proliferation (Int J Biochem Cell B, 2015). Additionally, I identified miR-93 as an oncogene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and miR-93 promoted cell growth and invasion by targeting disabled homolog-2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (Cancer Lett, 2015).

1)    Xu YF^#, Li YQ^#, Guo R^#, He QM, Ren XY, Tang XR, Jia WH, Kang TB, Zeng MS, Sun Y, Ma J*, Liu N*, 2015. Identification of miR-143 as a tumour suppressor in nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on microRNA expression profiling. Int J Biochem Cell B, 61:120-128

2)    Xu YF^#, Mao YP^#, Li YQ, Ren XY, He QM, Tang XR, Sun Y, Liu N*, Ma J*, 2015. MicroRNA-93 enhances cell growth and invasion through targeting Disabled homolog-2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Cancer Lett, 363:146-155

3.    The identification of molecular biomarkers in the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The TNM staging system alone is inadequate for accurately predicting prognosis. Our group has found that high expression of Talin-1 is associated with significantly poorer overall survival and poorer distant metastasis free survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Depletion of Talin-1 expression inhibited nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell migration and invasion, indicating that Talin-1 may serve as novel prognostic biomarker in this disease (BMC Cancer, 2015). We also found that the CXCL12 rs1801157 AA genotype might serve as a potential prognostic factor in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (Oncotargets Ther, 2015).

1)    Xu YF^#, Ren XY^#, Li YQ, He QM, Tang XR, Sun Y, Shao JY, Jia WH, Kang TB, Zeng MS, Liu N*, Ma J*, 2015. High expression of Talin-1 is associated with poor prognosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. BMC Cancer, 15(1):332

2)    Chen RW^#, Xu YF^#, Du XJ^#, Liu N, Jiang N, Jiang W, Li YQ, He QM, Tang LL, Mao YP, Sun Y, Chen L*, Ma J*, 2015. CXCL12 genetic variants as a prognostic marker in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Oncotargets Ther, 8:2835–2842

D.   Research Support

Ongoing Research Support

The National Science Foundation Projects of Guangdong Province (2017A030310468),                                                                                                                 5/31/2017 to 05/30/2020

Yafei Xu,                                                                      ￥100,000

The function and mechanism of TRPV1 in naopharyngeal carcinoma proliferation and metastasis

The Natural Science Funding of Shenzhen (JCYJ20160422091914681),

06/22/2016 to 06/30/2018

Yafei Xu,                                                                   ￥400,000

The molecular mechanism of TRPV1 in the proliferation and metastasis of naopharyngeal carcinoma

The Natural Science Foundation of SZU (2016082),        06/01/2016 to 06/01/2018

Yafei Xu,                                                                   ￥60,000

The molecular mechanism of VR1 in the metastasis of naopharyngeal carcinoma

E.    Peer-reviewed publications ( ^# : first /co-first author; *: corresponding/co-corresponding author)

1.      Zhang S^#, Xu Y^#, Hui X, Yang F, Hu Y, Shao J, Liang H*, Wang Y*. Improvement in prediction of prostate cancer prognosis with somatic mutational signatures. J Cancer. 2017, 8(16):3261-3267.

2.      Xu FH^#, Xiong D^#, Xu YF^#, Cao SM, Xue WQ, Qin HD, Liu WS, Cao JY, Zhang Y, Feng QS, Chen LZ, Li MZ, Liu ZW, Liu Q, Hong MH, Shugart YY, Zeng YX, Zeng MS*, Jia WH*, An epidemiological and molecular study of the relationship between smoking, risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and Epstein-Barr virus activation. J Natl Cancer Inst, 2012, 104(18):1396-410

3.      Xu YF^#, Mao YP^#, Li YQ, Ren XY, He QM, Tang XR, Sun Y, Liu N*, Ma J*, MicroRNA-93 enhances cell growth and invasion through targeting Disabled homolog-2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Cancer Lett, 2015, 363:146-155

4.      Yue D^#, Xu YF^#, Zhang F, Lin L, Mao YP, Li WF, Chen L, Sun Y, Liu LZ, Lin AH, Li L, Ma J*, Is replacement of the supraclavicular fossa with the lower level classification based on magnetic resonance imaging beneficial in nasopharyngeal carcinoma? Radiother Oncol, 2014, 113(1): 108-114

5.      Xu YF^#, Li YQ^#, Guo R^#, He QM, Ren XY, Tang XR, Jia WH, Kang TB, Zeng MS, Sun Y, Ma J*, Liu N*, Identification of miR-143 as a tumour suppressor in nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on microRNA expression profiling. Int J Biochem Cell B, 2015, 61:120-128

6.      Xu YF^#, Ren XY^#, Li YQ, He QM, Tang XR, Sun Y, Shao JY, Jia WH, Kang TB, Zeng MS, Liu N*, Ma J*, High expression of Talin-1 is associated with poor prognosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. BMC Cancer, 2015, 15(1):332

7.      Chen RW^#, Xu YF^#, Du XJ^#, Liu N, Jiang N, Jiang W, Li YQ, He QM, Tang LL, Mao YP, Sun Y, Chen L*, Ma J*, CXCL12 genetic variants as a prognostic marker in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Oncotargets Ther, 2015, 8:2835–2842

8.      Xu YF^#, Liu WL, Dong JQ, Liu WS, Feng QS, Chen LZ, Zeng YX, Zeng MS*, Jia WH*, Sequencing of DC-SIGN promoter indicates an association between promoter variation and risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in cantonese, BMC Med Genet, 2010, 11:161

9.      Xu YF^#, Pan QH, Cui C, Chen LZ, Feng QS, Zeng YX, Jia WH, Association of nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk with cytochrome P450 CYP1A1 gene polymorphisms, Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi, 2009, 43(7):586-90.