Cellular Homeostasis and Aging Group

Principal Investigator

Huai-Rong Luo

Professor

Contact information

Room B307B, Science & Life Building, Nanchang University, 999 Xuefu Avenue, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China

Email: huairongluo@ncu.edu.cn

Tel: +8619870051339

Biography

Dr. Luo graduated with a bachelor's degree from Lanzhou University in 1998. She received her Ph.D. from the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Kunming Institute of Zoology) in 2003. After completing her doctorate, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at University of Kansas Medical Center and University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Luo started as a Principal Investigator at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008. In 2023, Dr. Luo joined the Institute of Human Aging at Nanchang University and her group focus on the research of cellular homeostasis and aging.

Research Areas

Cellular homeostasis and aging, Healthy lifespan, Metabolomics, Anti-aging, Drug screening, Caenorhabditis elegans, Animal model

Research Summary

Revealing the cause for aging and anti-aging mechanism will help to answer how to enter aging population healthily. The insulin/ins signaling pathway and dietary restriction pathway are the main aging modulation pathway related with nutrition regulation and have an important role in reproduction development and reproductive aging.

In our research, we investigate the mechanism of healthy lifespan and aging regulation in a systemic biology approach, such as proteomics, metabolomics and transcriptome study. These researches would provide the protein and gene expression and metabolite profile related to aging. Then, we use RT-PCR, Western blot to confirm the genes discovered to relate with aging from omics at cellular level, or in Caenorhabditis elegans, or animal models. We have also carried out experiment to confirm metabolites related with aging phenotypes using metabolite standard. Further investigation of the discovered underlying molecular pathways on regulation of aging could be performed rigorously using RNAi or mutant C elegans strains, as well as animal models.

We are also interested in drug screening for anti-aging and aging-related diseases from natural products, especially the compounds from traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Our study will provide new information on the mechanism of aging and help to solve the aging related problems.

Recent Publications

1. Li B, Li D, Meng W, Xiong SY, Wu GS, Ma WZ*, Luo HR*. Phloretic acid requires the insulin/IGF-1 pathway and autophagy to enhance stress resistance and extend the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans. Front Pharmacol. 2024; 15:1384227.

2. Xiong SY, Wu GS, Li C, Ma W*, Luo HR*. Clinical efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2024; 14: 1358063.

3. Zhang Y, Liu P, Tang LJ, Lin PM, Li R, Luo HR*, Luo P*. Basing on the machine learning model to analyse the coronary calcification score and the coronary flow reserve score to evaluate the degree of coronary artery stenosis. Comput Biol Med. 2023; 163: 107130.

4. Shi L, Yu XT, Li H, Wu GS*, Luo HR*. D-chiro-inositol increases antioxidant capacity and longevity of Caenorhabditis elegans via activating Nrf-2/SKN-1 and FOXO/DAF-16. Exp Gerontol. 2023; 175: 112145.

5. Tan L, Zheng ZY, Huang L, Jin Z, Li SL, Wu GS*, Luo HR*. Flavonol glycoside complanatoside A requires FOXO/DAF-16, NRF2/SKN-1, and HSF-1 to improve stress resistances and extend the lifespan of C. elegans. Front Pharmacol. 2022; 13: 931886.

6. Lei W, Chen J, Chen J, Tan Y, Liu K, Zhang T, Luo H*, Xiang B*. Altered spontaneous brain activity in major depressive disorder: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2022; 314:19-26.

7. Yang ZL, Chen JN, Lu YY, Lu M, Wan QL, Wu GS*, Luo HR*. Inositol polyphosphate multikinase ipmk-1 regulates development through IP3/calcium signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans. Cell Calcium. 2021; 93: 102327.

8. Lu M, Tan L, Zhou XG, Yang ZL, Zhu Q, Chen JN, Luo HR*, Wu GS*. Tectochrysin increases stress resistance and extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans via FOXO/DAF-16. Biogerontology. 2020; 21(5): 669-682.

Research Project

1. Research on Aging Mechanisms and Related Technologies for Delaying Aging, Key Research and Development Plan of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Project Number: 2023YFC3603301 (Core Member and Sub-Project Leader, Project Leader: Professor Ting Ni), Funding: 1,050,000 RMB, Duration: December 2023 - November 2026.

2. Discovery and mechanism of anti-aging compounds in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Government of Jiangxi Province, Project Number: 20232BCJ22024, Funding: 500,000 RMB, Duration: January 2024-December 2026.

3. Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Aging and Disease, Government of Jiangxi Province, Project Number: 2024BCD40001, Funding: 500,000 RMB, Duration: July 2024-June 2027.

4. Mechanism of regulation on lipid metabolism and aging in Caenorhabditis elegans via kinesin light chain gene (klc-1), Government of Jiangxi Province, Project Number: 20232ACB206015, Funding: 200,000 RMB, Duration: July 2023-June 2026.

5. inositol phosphorylate multikinase (IPMK) regulates aging through cell stress response in Caenorhabditis elegans, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Project Number: 82171555, Funding: 550,000 RMB, Duration: January 2022-December 2025.

6. Mechanism of reproductive system on lifespan regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Project Number: 81671405, Funding: 570,000 RMB, Duration: January 2017-December 2020.

7. Mechanism of antiaging in Caenorhabditis elegans by aspirin, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Project Number: 81370453, Funding: 700,000 RMB, Duration: January 2014-December 2017.

Team Photo