On Dec 3rd, 2019, Prof. Meng Carla Wang, from Baylor College of Medicine, visited the Institute of Biophysics by the invitation of Prof. Pingsheng Liu, and gave a wonderful BEI Shizhang Lecture. The title of the talk is “Messenger Metabolites, Lipid Metabolism & Longevity Regulation” Metabolism is fundamental to life. During metabolic reactions, thousands of metabolites are generated, which are directly connected with cellular activities and highly conserved across species. In addition to their well-known functions as structural building blocks and energy sources, Wang’s team focuses on the signaling roles in orchestrating cellular homeostasis and organismal fitness. They discovered two metabolite-directed communication systems: lysosome-to-nucleus signals and bacteria-to-mitochondria messages. They uncovered a metabolite communicating between the lysosome and the nucleus, and its associated lysosome-to-nucleus retrograde signaling pathway in regulating longevity. Based on symbiogenesis, eukaryotic mitochondria are ancient relatives of bacteria. Wang’s team discovered that bacteria-secreted metabolites actively regulate mitochondrial dynamics to influence host longevity, and deciphered underlying molecular mechanisms. Technically, Wang’s team applied stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy to track spatial-temporal distribution of lipid molecules in living cells and organisms, revealing new metabolic regulatory mechanisms. Prof. Meng Wang’s lecture is in-depth, full of content, clear logic, and rigorous thinking, which benefited participants. After the lecture, many professors, researchers and students asked their interested questions. Prof. Meng Wang and the audiences shared their views on the issues of common interest. 
Prof. Pingsheng Liu hosted the lecturer 
Prof. Meng Carla Wang was giving the lecture 
The Audience 
Prof. Pingsheng Liu and Prof. Meng Carla Wang （Reported by Liu Pingsheng's group） |
