Qingyu Wu

Qingyu Wu received his MD from Suzhou Medical College in 1982 and PhD from University of Paris VII in 1988. He did his postdoctoral training at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, USA. Currently, Dr. Wu is a Professor at Soochow University and a Professor at Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, USA.

Dr. Wu's research focuses on proteolytic enzymes, especially cell membrane associated proteases. His lab discovered corin, a cardiac protease that regulates blood pressure and cardiac function. His team identified corin gene mutations that cause hypertension and heart disease in patients. Their studies show that corin plays a critical role in uterine artery remodeling and that corin deficiency may cause preeclampsia. Most recently, his team identified a protease responsible for corin activation and plays an important role in blood pressure regulation. His research is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation of China and the National Institutes of Health of the USA.

Representative Publications:

1. Chen S, Cao P, Dong N, Peng J, Zhang C, Wang H, Zhou T, Yang J, Zhang Y, Martelli EE, Naga Prasad SV, Miller RE, Malfait AM, Zhou Y, Wu Q. PCSK6-mediated corin activation is essential for normal blood pressure. Nat Med 2015;21:1048-53.

2. Dong N, Zhou T, Zhang Y, Liu M, Li H, Huang X, Liu Z, Wu Y, Fukuda K, Qin J, Wu Q. Corin mutations K317E and S472G from preeclamptic patients alter zymogen activation and cell surface targeting. J Biol Chem 2014;289:17909-16.

3. Gao L*, Liu M*, Dong N, Jiang Y, Lin C-Y, Huang M, Wu D, Wu Q. Matriptase is highly up-regulated in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and promotes cancer cell invasion. Leukemia 2013;27:1191-4.*co-first authors

4. Cui Y*, Wang W*, Dong N*, Lou J*, Srinivasan D, Cheng W, Huang X, Liu M, Fang C, Peng J, Chen S, Wu S, Liu Z, Dong L, Zhou Y, Wu Q. Role of corin in trophoblast invasion and uterine spiral artery remodeling in pregnancy. Nature 2012;484:246-50. *co-first authors

5. Qi X, Jiang J, Zhu M, Wu Q. Human corin isoforms with different cytoplasmic tails that alter cell surface targeting. J Biol Chem 2011;286:20963-9.

6. Dong N, Chen S, Yang J, He L, Liu P, Zheng D, Li L, Zhou Y, Ruan C, Plow E, Wu Q. Plasma soluble corin in patients with heart failure. Circ Heart Fail 2010;3:207-11.

7. Bugge T, Antalis T, Wu Q. Type II transmembrane serine proteases. J Biol Chem 2009;284:23177-81.

8. Wang W, Liao X, Fukuda K, Knappe S, Wu F, Dries DL, Qin J, Wu Q. Corin variant associated with hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy exhibits impaired zymogen activation and natriuretic peptide processing activity. Circ Res 2008;103:502-8.

9. Liao X, Wang W, Chen S, Wu Q. Role of glycosylation in corin zymogen activation. J Biol Chem 2007;282:27728-35.

10. Chan J, Knudson O, Wu F, Morser J, Dole WP, Wu Q. Hypertension in mice lacking the pro-atrial natriuretic peptide convertase, corin. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2005;102:785-90.