Peng Du, Ph.D., is assistant Professor in the College of Life Sciences at Peking University, and Principal Investigator in Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences. He received a Ph.D. from Peking University in 2012, and his postdoctoral work was performed at Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, USA. His postdoctoral research focused on mechanisms of miRNA biogenesis and function in Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs). The Du laboratory was established in 2018, the research of which has focused on identification and studying on posttranscriptional RNA regulatory pathways and exploring their biological relevance in mammalian early embryonic development, ESCs and human disease. As well, Dr. Du is interested in reconstitution of plant unique RNA regulatory pathways in mammalian cells and exploring its potential applications in medicine.

2006.09-2012.07， Ph.D., College of Life Sciences, Peking University；
2002.09-2006.07， B.S., College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University

2018.09-Present, Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China；
2018.09-Present, Investigator, Peking-Tsinghua Center For Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China；
2012.09–2018.09, Postdoc Research fellow, Boston Childrens Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA；
2010.09–2012.04, Visiting Scholar, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA

2021, Chinese Society For Stem Cell Research Young Investigator Award；
2021, Boehringer Ingelheim Young Faculty Research Award；
2019, Bayer Investigator;
2019, Yi-Fang Scholar；
2016, Harvard Chinese Life Science Research Award；
2012, Excellent Graduate Thesis of Peking University

Our study focuses on RNA biology in stem cells and cancers . By combining virous research approaches, including biochemistry, molecular biology, high-throughput sequencing, bioinformatics, etc., we aim to identify novel RNA regulatory pathways, and to further investigate their biological relevance in Embryonic Stem Cells and early embryonic development. We are also interested in rebuilding plants and microbiology specific RNA regulatory pathways (proteins) in mammalian cells to explore their potential medical applications.
Main projects:
1, To identify novel RNA regulatory elements and study on the related regulatory mechanisms.
2, To investigate the roles of RNA regulation on ESCs totipotency and pluripotency transitions.
3, To reconstitute RNA regulatory pathways (proteins), which are unique in plants or microbiology, in mammalian cells and to investigate their potential applications in medicine.

1. Ye Qi#, Li Ding#, Siwen Zhang, Shengze Yao, Jennie Ong, Yi Li, Hong Wu, and Peng Du* (2022). A plant immune protein enables broad antitumor response by rescuing microRNA deficiency. Cell, in press. (*Corresponding author)
2. Yanxin Li#, Zhongqiu Li#, Min Yang#, Feiyang Wang#, Yuehong Zhang#, Rong Li, Qian Li, Yunxia Gong, Binhong Wang, Baoguang Fan, Chunyue Wang, Lei Chen, Hong Li, Jennie Ong, Zhaoqian Teng, Lei Jin*, Yan-Ling Wang*, Peng Du* and Jianwei Jiao* (2022). Decoding the temporal and regional specification of microglia in the developing human brain. Cell Stem Cell, 29: 620-634. (*Corresponding author)
3. Hui Shen#, Min Yang#, Shiyu Li#, Jing Zhang, Bing Peng, Chunhui Wang, Zai Chang, Jennie Ong, and Peng Du* (2021). Mouse totipotent stem cells captured through spliceosomal repression. Cell.184:2843-2859.(*Corresponding author)
4. Yingzi Cui#, Xuehui Lyu#, Li Ding, Lan Ke, Dechang Yang, Mehdi Pirouz, Ye Qi, Jennie Ong, Ge Gao, Peng Du*, and Richard I. Gregory* (2021). Global miRNA dosage control of embryonic germ layer specification. Nature.593:602-606. (*Corresponding author)
5. Choe J, Lin S, Zhang W, Liu Q, Wang L, Ramirez-Moya J, Du P, Kim W, Tang S, Sliz P, Santisteban P, George RE, Richards WG, Wong KK, Locker N, Slack FJ, Gregory RI (2018). mRNA circularization by METTL3-eIF3h enhances translation and promotes oncogenesis. Nature. 561:556-560.
6. Park HH, Triboulet R, Bentler M, Guda S, Du P, Xu H, Gregory RI, Brendel C, Williams DA (2018). DROSHA Knockout Leads to Enhancement of Viral Titers for Vectors Encoding miRNA-Adapted shRNAs. Mollecular Therapy. 12:591-599.
7. Du P, Pirouz M, Choi J, Huebner AJ, Clement K, Meissner A, Hochedlinger K, and Gregory RI (2018). An Intermediate Pluripotent State Controlled by microRNAs is Required for the Naïve to Primed Stem Cell Transition. Cell Stem Cell. 22:851-864.
8. Pirouz M, Du P, Munafò M, Gregory RI (2016). Dis3l2-Mediated Decay Is a Quality Control Pathway for Noncoding RNAs. Cell Reports. 16:1861-73.
9. Lin S, Choe J, Du P, Triboulet R and Gregory RI (2016). METTL3 promotes translation in human cancer cells. Molecular Cell. 62:335-45.
10. Du P, Wang L, Sliz P, Gregory RI (2015). A Biogenesis Step Upstream of Microprocessor Controls miR-17∼92 Expression. Cell. 162:885-99.
11. Guda S, Brendel C, Renella R, Du P, Bauer DE, Canver MC, Grenier JK, Grimson AW, Kamran SC, Thornton J, de Boer H, Root DE, Milsom MD, Orkin SH, Gregory RI, Williams DA (2015). miRNA-embedded shRNAs for Lineage-specific BCL11A Knockdown and Hemoglobin F Induction. Molecular Therapy 10.1038
12. Thornton JE, Du P, Jing L, Sjekloca L, Lin S, Grossi E, Sliz P, Zon LI, Gregory RI (2014). Selective microRNA uridylation by Zcchc6 (TUT7) and Zcchc11 (TUT4). Nucleic Acids Res. 42:11777-91
13. Cao MJ#, Du P#, Wang XB, Li Y, Ding SW (2014). Virus infection triggers widespread silencing of host genes by a distinct class of endogenous siRNAs in Arabidopsis. PNAS. 111:14613-8. (# Co-first auther).
14. Du P#, Wu JG#, Zhang J, Zhao SQ, Zheng H, Gao G, Wei L, Li Y. (2011) Viral Infection Induces Expression of Novel Phased MicroRNAs from Conserved Cellular MicroRNA Precursors. PLoS Pathogens. 7:e1002176 (# Co-first author).

Laboratory Introduction