Wang Pei-Hui was born in Anhui province, P.R. China. He joins Advanced Medical Research Institute of Shandong University as the Professor, supervisor of master and Ph.D. students, and awarded as “Cheeloo Young Scholar”. He obtained his B.Sc. & M.Sc. degrees in Biology from Sun Yat-Sen University (Sep. 2004-Jun. 2011). He got his Ph.D. (Sep. 2011-Sep. 2015) in Biomedical Sciences and received post-doctoral training in antiviral immunity at the University of Hong Kong (Oct. 2015-Feb. 2019).

During the period at Sun Yat-Sen University, he studied the antiviral immunity of Pacific white shrimp, an economically important marine invertebrate, and demonstrated that invertebrates possess nucleic acid-induced non-specific antiviral immunity for the first time, and this antiviral response is a novel immune mechanism parallel to the mammalian interferon (IFN) system. Related results were published on Cell Mol Immunol and Antiviral Res. During his study at The University of Hong Kong, he continued his research on immunology and reported two alternative transcripts of IFI16 and STING who play essential roles in the negative regulation of inflammasome activation and IFN production, respectively, during viral infections and the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. His findings propose that distinctive isoforms generated from alternative splicing/transcription represent another layer of immune regulators. Relevant results were published on EMBO Rep and Nucleic Acids Res.

Now he focuses his studies on the activation and regulation of antiviral/antitumor immunity and their roles in disease development. We will utilize large-scale, high-throughput screening techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9 and high-throughput sequencing (NGS) to discover genes that participate in antiviral/antitumor immunity. The roles of these genes in the host resistance to pathogenic microbial infections as well as in the pathogenesis of immune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), inflammatory responses, and tumors will be further characterized through gene overexpression/knockdown, knockout and transgenic mice, animal disease models, etc. The specific contents include: 1) Pattern recognition and immune activation of harmful substances produced by pathogenic microorganisms and self-pathological processes (such as DNA abnormally present in the cytoplasm); 2) Activation and regulation of interferon and inflammasome pathways; 3) Expression, activation and regulation of antitumor immunity-related molecules (such as PD-1/PD-L1) and their applications in cancer immunotherapy.

Prof. Wang Pei-Hui serves as editorial members of several international journals. He is also an independent reviewer of more than a dozen journals and has been invited to write “review articles” for Antiviral Res, Int Rev Cell Mol Bio, Mol Immunol, and Adv Exp Med Biol. Up to now, he has published 19 first/corresponding-author papers, with an H index of 19 and a total citation of 1068.

Representative publications (*corresponding author): 

019. Wang PH, Ye ZW, Deng JJ, Siu SK, Gao WW, Chaudhary V, Cheng Y, Fung SY, Yuen KS, Ho TH, Chan CP, Zhang Y, Kok KH, Yang W, Chan CP, and Jin DY*. Inhibition of AIM2 inflammasome activation by a novel transcript isoform of IFI16. EMBO Rep 2018 Otc;19(10).(Featured as a cover story, IF=8.749, citation: 0)

018. Wang PH, Fung SY, Gao WW, Siu SK, Lui PY, Yuen KS, Cheng Y, Deng JJ, Ho TH, Chan CP, Chaudhary V, Zhang Y, Yang W, Chan CP, Kok KH and Jin DY*. Identification and characterization of a novel transcript isoform of STING that dominantly inhibits innate immune response. Nucleic Acids Res 2018 4;46(8):4054-4071. (IF=11.561, citation: 4)

017. Deng J and Wang PH*. Inflammasome Activation and Th17 responses. Mol Immunol 2019. (Invited Review) (IF=3.188, citation: 0)

016. Wang PH* and He JG*. Nucleic acid sensing in invertebrates.Int Rev Cel Mol Bio 2019. (Invited Review) (IF=3.62, citation: 0)

015. Zhu Y, Li JY, Deng J, and Wang PH*. The interplay between PRRs and autophagy in inflammasome. Adv Exp Med Biol (Invited Review, in press) (IF=1.76, citation: 0)

014. Li JY, Deng J, and Wang PH*. TLR signaling in health and diseases. Innate Immunity 2019(Invited Review, in press) (IF=2.31, citation: 0)

013. Wang PH*, Weng SP, He JG*. Nucleic acid-induced antiviral immunity in invertebrates: An evolutionary perspective. Dev Comp Immunol 48(2):291-296, 2015. (IF=2.913, citation: 32)

012. Wang PH, Huang TZ, Zhang XB*, He JG*. Antiviral defense in shrimp: from innate immunity to antiviral infection. Antiviral Res 108:129-142, 2014. (IF=4.307, citation: 32)

011. Wang PH*, Wan DH, Chen, YG, Weng SP, Yu XQ, He JG*. Characterization of four novel caspases from Litopenaeus vannamei (Lvcaspase2-5) and their role in WSSV infection through dsRNA-mediated gene silencing. PLoS One 8(12):e80418, 2013. (IF=2.766, citation: 19)

010. Wang PH*, Gu ZH, Wan DH, Liu BD, Huang XD, Weng SP, Yu XQ, He JG*. The shrimp IKK-NF-κB signaling pathway regulates antimicrobial peptide expression and may be subverted by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) to facilitate viral gene expression. Cell Mol Immunol 10(5):423-36, 2013. (IF=7.551, citation: 36)

009. Wang PH*, Wan DH, Gu ZH, Qiu W, Chen YG, Weng SP, Yu XQ, He JG*. Analysis of expression, cellular localization, and function of three inhibitors of apoptosis (IAPs) from Litopenaeus vannamei during WSSV infection and in regulation of antimicrobial peptide genes (AMPs). PLoS One 8(8): e72592, 2013. (IF=2.766, citation: 25)

008. Wang PH*, Yang LS, Gu ZH, Weng SP, Yu XQ, He JG*. Nucleic acid-induced antiviral immunity in shrimp. Antiviral Res 99(3):270-80, 2013 (IF=4.307, citation: 27)

007. Wang PH*, Gu ZH, Wan DH, Zhu WB, Qiu W, Chen YG, Weng SP, Yu XQ, He JG*. Litopenaeus vannamei Toll-interacting protein (LvTollip) is a potential negative regulator of the shrimp Toll pathway involved in the regulation of the shrimp antimicrobial peptide gene penaeidin-4 (PEN4). Dev Comp Immunol 40(3-4):266-77, 2013. (IF=2.913, citation: 20)

006. Wang PH*, Gu ZH, Wan DH, Zhu WB, Qiu W, Weng SP, Yu XQ, He JG*. Litopenaeus vannamei Sterile-Alpha and Armadillo Motif Containing Protein (LvSARM) Is Involved in Regulation of Penaeidins and antilipopolysaccharide factors. PLoS One (2):e52088, 2013. (IF=2.766, citation: 22)

005. Wang PH, Liang JP, Gu ZH, Wan DH, Weng SP, Yu XQ, He JG*. Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of two novel Tolls (LvToll2 and LvToll3) and three putative Spätzle-like Toll ligands (LvSpz1-3) from Litopenaeus vannamei. Dev Comp Immunol 36(2):359-71, 2012. (IF=2.913, citation: 144)

004. Wang PH, Wan DH, Pang LR, Gu ZH, Qiu W, Weng SP, Yu XQ, He JG*. Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily gene, TNF receptor superfamily gene and lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-α factor (LITAF) gene from Litopenaeus vannamei. Dev Comp Immunol 36(1):39-50, 2012. (IF=2.913, citation: 59)

003. Wang PH, Gu ZH, Wan DH, Zhang MY, Weng SP, Yu XQ, He JG*. The shrimp NF-κB pathway is activated by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) 449 to facilitate the expression of WSSV069 (ie1), WSSV303 and WSSV371. PLoS One 6(9):e24773, 2011. (IF=2.766, citation: 81)

002. Wang PH, Wan DH, Gu ZH, Deng XX, Weng SP, Yu XQ, He JG*. Litopenaeus vannamei tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) responds to Vibrio alginolyticus and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection and activates antimicrobial peptide genes. Dev Comp Immunol 35(1):105-14, 2011. (IF=2.913, citation: 74)

001. Wang PH, Gu ZH, Huang XD, Liu BD, Deng XX, Ai HS, Wang J, Yin ZX, Weng SP, Yu XQ*, He JG*. An immune deficiency homolog from the white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, activates antimicrobial peptide genes. Mol Immunol 46(8-9):1897-904, 2009. (IF=3.188, citation: 80)