About Hua Lou
Hua Lou received a Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbaba-Champaign in 1993. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center working with Dr. Robert Gagel, Dr. Lou moved to Baylor College of Medicine to work with Dr. Susan Berget as an Instructor, where she continued her work on alternative splicing. Dr. Lou joined the Department of Genetics in 2000.
Trainee achievements:
Hui Zhu (Ph.D., 2007): American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship (2004-2006); 2007 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award.
Hua-Lin Zhou (Ph.D.): American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship (2007-2009).
Victoria Barron (Ph.D. candidate): American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship (2008-2010).
Research
The research focus of our laboratory is to understand the mechanisms that regulate tissue-specific alternative RNA processing in mammals. We are specifically interested in such regulation in neurons using the human calcitonin/calcitonin gene-related protein (CGRP) gene as a model. Two distinct mRNAs are generated from the pre-mRNA of this gene through alternative splicing/polyadenylation in a tissue-specific fashion.
Recently, we discovered that the Hu family of paraneoplastic neurologic disease (PND) antigens function as alternative splicing regulators in neurons. Hu proteins belong to a group of neuronal RNA-binding proteins that were cloned using antiserum from PND patients and are antigens of the Hu syndrome triggered by small cell lung carcinomas. Hu proteins were shown to be required for neuronal differentiation in the mammalian nervous system. However, the function of Hu proteins as RNA-binding proteins is not well understood. Except for a handful of examples indicating that they bind to the AU-rich element of 3´-untanslated region of mRNA to regulate mRNA stability and translation, the in vivo targets of Hu proteins are largely unknown. Recently we have identified two RNA targets for Hu proteins including the calcitonin/CGRP and neurofibromatosis type I pre-mRNAs and provided compelling evidence for a prominent role of these proteins as alternative splicing regulators. We are currently studying the mechanisms that control the neuron-specific alternative RNA processing of the two newly identified Hu target-containing pre-mRNAs by Hu proteins. Work is also in progress to identify additional neuronal targets bound by Hu proteins. These studies will provide not only significant insights into the role of Hu proteins in the development and function of neurons, but also important hints of pathogenesis of the PND disease, the Hu syndrome. Finally, these studies will also greatly increase our understanding of the mechanisms controlling alternative splicing in neurons.
Selected Publications
| Barron VA, Zhu H, Hinman MN, Ladd AN, Lou H (2009) | | The neurofibromatosis type I pre-mRNA is a novel target of CELF protein-mediated splicing regulation. | | Nucleic Acids Res;: | | See PubMed abstract |
| Zhou HL, Lou H (2008) | | Repression of prespliceosome complex formation at two distinct steps by Fox-1/Fox-2 proteins. | | Mol Cell Biol;28(17):5507-16 | | See PubMed abstract |
| Hinman MN, Lou H (2008) | | Diverse molecular functions of Hu proteins. | | Cell Mol Life Sci;: | | See PubMed abstract |
| Zhu H, Hinman MN, Hasman RA, Mehta P, Lou H (2007) | | Regulation of Neuron-Specific Alternative Splicing of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Pre-mRNA. | | Mol Cell Biol;: | | See PubMed abstract |
| Zhou HL, Baraniak AP, Lou H (2007) | | Role for Fox-1/Fox-2 in mediating the neuronal pathway of calcitonin/calcitonin gene-related peptide alternative RNA processing. | | Mol Cell Biol;27(3):830-41 | | See PubMed abstract |
| Zhu H, Zhou HL, Hasman RA, Lou H (2007) | | Hu proteins regulate polyadenylation by blocking sites containing U-rich sequences. | | J Biol Chem;282(4):2203-10 | | See PubMed abstract |
| Zhu H, Hasman RA, Barron VA, Luo G, Lou H (2006) | | A nuclear function of Hu proteins as neuron-specific alternative RNA processing regulators. | | Mol Biol Cell;17(12):5105-14 | | See PubMed abstract |
| Zhu H, Hasman RA, Young KM, Kedersha NL, Lou H (2003) | | U1 snRNP-dependent function of TIAR in the regulation of alternative RNA processing of the human calcitonin/CGRP pre-mRNA. | | Mol Cell Biol;23(17):5959-71 | | See PubMed abstract |
| Lou H, Gagel RF (2001) | | Alternative ribonucleic acid processing in endocrine systems. | | Endocr Rev;22(2):205-25 | | See PubMed abstract |
| Lou H, Helfman DM, Gagel RF, Berget SM (1999) | | Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein positively regulates inclusion of an alternative 3'-terminal exon. | | Mol Cell Biol;19(1):78-85 | | See PubMed abstract |
| Lou H, Gagel RF (1998) | | Alternative RNA processing--its role in regulating expression of calcitonin/calcitonin gene-related peptide. | | J Endocrinol;156(3):401-5 | | See PubMed abstract |
| Lou H, Gagel RF, Berget SM (1996) | | An intron enhancer recognized by splicing factors activates polyadenylation. | | Genes Dev;10(2):208-19 | | See PubMed abstract |
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