In 2010, obtained a PhD in Reproductive Biology from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
From 2011 to 2018, received postdoctoral training at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the U.S.
Research Interests
Abnormalities in germ cell development causing reproductive disorders and birth defects present a significant challenge to population health in China. Currently, due to changes in lifestyle/diet and environmental pollution, it is estimated that around 10-15% of couples of reproductive ages in China face infertility issues, and 3-6% of newborns each year suffer from congenital birth defects. These issues pose enormous challenges to public health and society. Our research group aims to explore the molecular mechanisms of mammalian germ cell development, differentiation, fertilization, and the transgenerational transmission of environmentally acquired traits from a genetic and epigenetic perspective. We will achieve this by creating genetically modified mouse models, using a combination of cell biology and molecular biology techniques, and incorporating human clinical pathology samples.
Currently, the lab focuses on:
1) Developing sensitive high-throughput omics technologies for low-input samples to explore and address frontier scientific questions in reproductive biology;
2) Developing and optimizing efficient and precise long-fragment gene knock-in technologies.
Over the past five years, as a corresponding author, relevant research findings have been published in *Nature Communications*, *Nucleic Acids Research*, *PNAS*, *eLife*, and *WIREs RNA*, among others.
Publication
1: Azhar M, Xu C, Jiang X, Li W, Cao Y, Zhu X, Xing X, Wu L, Zou J, Meng L, Cheng Y, Han W, Bao J. The arginine methyltransferase Prmt1 coordinates the germline arginine methylome essential for spermatogonial homeostasis and male fertility. Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 Sep 22:gkad769. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkad769. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37739418.
2: Jiang X, Cheng Y, Zhu Y, Xu C, Li Q, Xing X, Li W, Zou J, Meng L, Azhar M, Cao Y, Tong X, Qin W, Zhu X, Bao J. Maternal NAT10 orchestrates oocyte meiotic cell-cycle progression and maturation in mice. Nat Commun. 2023 Jun 22;14(1):3729. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39256-0. PMID: 37349316; PMCID: PMC10287700.
3: Huang L, Li W, Dai X, Zhao S, Xu B, Wang F, Jin RT, Luo L, Wu L, Jiang X, Cheng Y, Zou J, Xu C, Tong X, Fan HY, Zhao H, Bao J. Biallelic variants in MAD2L1BP (p31comet) cause female infertility characterized by oocyte maturation arrest. Elife. 2023 Jun 19;12:e85649. doi: 10.7554/eLife.85649. PMID: 37334967; PMCID: PMC10319434.
4: Han W, Li Z, Guo Y, He K, Li W, Xu C, Ge L, He M, Yin X, Zhou J, Li C, Yao D, Bao J, Liang H. Efficient precise integration of large DNA sequences with 3'-overhang dsDNA donors using CRISPR/Cas9. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 May 30;120(22):e2221127120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2221127120. Epub 2023 May 22. PMID: 37216515; PMCID: PMC10235934.
5: Wang Y, Zhang Y, Yu N, Li B, Gong J, Mei Y, Bao J, Ma S. Decoding transcriptional regulation via a human gene expression predictor. J Genet Genomics. 2023 May;50(5):305-317. doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2023.01.006. Epub 2023 Jan 21. PMID: 36693565.
6: Cao Y, Meng L, Cheng Y, Azhar M, Jiang X, Xing X, Bao J. Optimized protocol for isolation of germ cells from mouse testis by centrifugal elutriation. STAR Protoc. 2022 Sep 16;3(3):101540. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101540. Epub 2022 Jul 13. PMID: 35834386; PMCID: PMC9293666.
7: Xu C, Cao Y, Bao J. Building RNA-protein germ granules: insights from the multifaceted functions of DEAD-box helicase Vasa/Ddx4 in germline development. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2021 Dec 18;79(1):4. doi: 10.1007/s00018-021-04069-1. PMID: 34921622.
8: Jiang X, Zhu X, Cheng Y, Azhar M, Xing X, Li W, Cao Y, Shi Q, Bao J. The Spin1 interactor, Spindoc, is dispensable for meiotic division, but essential for haploid spermatid development in mice. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2021 Sep 15;19(1):144. doi: 10.1186/s12958-021-00828-8. PMID: 34526015; PMCID: PMC8442334.
9: Azhar M, Altaf S, Uddin I, Cheng J, Wu L, Tong X, Qin W, Bao J. Towards Post- Meiotic Sperm Production: Genetic Insight into Human Infertility from Mouse Models. Int J Biol Sci. 2021 Jun 16;17(10):2487-2503. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.60384. PMID: 34326689; PMCID: PMC8315030.
10: Altaf S, Bao J. Exome sequencing shines in empty follicle syndrome: zona pellucida gene mutations manifest genuine empty follicle syndrome. Fertil Steril. 2021 May;115(5):1170-1171. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.03.007. Epub 2021 Mar 26. PMID: 33775396.
11: Xu Q, Zhu X, Maqsood M, Li W, Tong X, Kong S, Wang F, Liu X, Wei Z, Zhang Z, Zhu F, Cao Y, Bao J. A novel homozygous nonsense ZP1 variant causes human female infertility associated with empty follicle syndrome (EFS). Mol Genet Genomic Med. 2020 Jul;8(7):e1269. doi: 10.1002/mgg3.1269. Epub 2020 Apr 23. PMID: 32329253; PMCID: PMC7336750.
12: Zhang B, Ma H, Khan T, Ma A, Li T, Zhang H, Gao J, Zhou J, Li Y, Yu C, Bao J, Ali A, Murtaza G, Yin H, Gao Q, Jiang X, Zhang F, Liu C, Khan I, Zubair M, Hussain HMJ, Khan R, Yousaf A, Yuan L, Lu Y, Xu X, Wang Y, Tao Q, Hao Q, Fang H, Cheng H, Zhang Y, Shi Q. A DNAH17 missense variant causes flagella destabilization and asthenozoospermia. J Exp Med. 2020 Feb 3;217(2):e20182365. doi: 10.1084/jem.20182365. PMID: 31658987; PMCID: PMC7041708.
13: Avasarala S, Wu PY, Khan SQ, Yanlin S, Van Scoyk M, Bao J, Di Lorenzo A, David O, Bedford MT, Gupta V, Winn RA, Bikkavilli RK. PRMT6 Promotes Lung Tumor Progression via the Alternate Activation of Tumor-Associated Macrophages. Mol Cancer Res. 2020 Jan;18(1):166-178. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-19-0204. Epub 2019 Oct 16. PMID: 31619507; PMCID: PMC6942249.
14: Jiang X, Yin S, Fan S, Bao J, Jiao Y, Ali A, Iqbal F, Xu J, Zhang Y, Shi Q. Npat-dependent programmed Sertoli cell proliferation is indispensable for testis cord development and germ cell mitotic arrest. FASEB J. 2019 Aug;33(8):9075-9086. doi: 10.1096/fj.201802289RR. Epub 2019 May 14. PMID: 31084574.
15: Bao J, Di Lorenzo A, Lin K, Lu Y, Zhong Y, Sebastian MM, Muller WJ, Yang Y, Bedford MT. Mouse Models of Overexpression Reveal Distinct Oncogenic Roles for Different Type I Protein Arginine Methyltransferases. Cancer Res. 2019 Jan 1;79(1):21-32. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-18-1995. Epub 2018 Oct 23. PMID: 30352814; PMCID: PMC6714580.
Publication Links:
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=M582R4cAAAAJ&hl=en
Recruitment
The lab is hiring associate researchers and assistant researchers, and is open to postdoctoral researchers and graduate students year-round. Benefits are provided according to the University of Science and Technology of China and the First Affiliated Hospital. We welcome talented individuals with expertise in reproductive developmental biology, molecular biology, cell biology, or bioinformatics. Undergraduate students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in our research areas are also encouraged to apply.
Contact Information
Medical Building, Room 407 (Office) or 408 (Lab), USTC Central Campus
E-mail: jqbao@ustc.edu.cn
Office: 0551 63606389
Lab: 0551 63607625