Biography
Peng Du, Ph.D., Professor/Investigator in the College of Life Sciences/Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences at Peking University. He received a Ph.D. from Peking University in 2012, and his postdoctoral work was performed at Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, USA. His postdoctoral research focused on mechanisms of miRNA biogenesis and function in Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs). The Du laboratory was established in 2018, the research of which has focused on identification and studying on posttranscriptional RNA regulatory pathways and exploring their biological relevance in mammalian early embryonic development, ESCs and human disease. As well, Dr. Du is interested in reconstitution of plant unique RNA regulatory pathways in mammalian cells and exploring its potential applications in medicine.
Education
2006.09-2012.07， Ph.D., College of Life Sciences, Peking University；
2002.09-2006.07， B.S., College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University
Professional Experience
2023.12-Present, Investigator, Beijing Advanced Center of RNA Biology (BEACON), Peking University, Beijing, China；
2018.09-Present, Investigator, Peking-Tsinghua Center For Life Sciences, Peking University；
2024.02-Present, Professor, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China；
2023.02-2024.01, Associate Professor, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China；
2018.09-2023.01, Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China；
2012.09–2018.09, Postdoc Research fellow, Boston Childrens Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA；
2010.09–2012.04, Visiting Scholar, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
Honors and Awards
China Youth Science and Technology Award，2024
Tan Jiazhen Innovation Award，2024
CSCB Distinguished Young Investigator，2024
The Asian Young Scientist Fellowship，2023
Zhongnanshan Distinguished Young Investigator，2023
Gu Xiaocheng Lecture Award，2022
Distinguished Mentor Award of Peking Unviveristy，2022
CSSCR Distinguished Young Investigator，2021
BI Young Faculty Research Award，2021
Zheng Chang Xue Teaching Award of Peking University，2021
Bayer Investigator Award，2019
Yifang Investigator Award，2019
Porfessional Society Affiliations
2023-present, Vice President/Member of Developmental Biology Branch of Chinese Society for Cell Biology
2023-present, Member of Stem Cell Biology Branch of Chinese Society of Cell Biology
2023-present, Member of Beijing Society of Cell Biology, Chinese Society of Cell Biology
2022-present, Co-Director, Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Ministry of Education, Peking University
Our study focuses on RNA biology in stem cells and cancers . By combining virous research approaches, including biochemistry, molecular biology, high-throughput sequencing, bioinformatics, etc., we aim to identify novel RNA regulatory pathways, and to further investigate their biological relevance in Embryonic Stem Cells and early embryonic development. We are also interested in rebuilding plants and microbiology specific RNA regulatory pathways (proteins) in mammalian cells to explore their potential medical applications.
Main projects:
1, To identify novel RNA regulatory elements and study on the related regulatory mechanisms.
2, To investigate the roles of RNA regulation on ESCs totipotency and pluripotency transitions.
3, To reconstitute RNA regulatory pathways (proteins), which are unique in plants or microbiology, in mammalian cells and to investigate their potential applications in medicine.
1. Bing Peng, Qingyi Wang, Feixiang Zhang, Hui Shen, Peng Du* (2025) Mouse totipotent blastomere-like cells model embryogenesis from zygotic genome activation to post implantation. Cell Stem Cell. 10.1016/j.stem.2024.12.006
2. Shiyu Li, Min Yang, Hui Shen, Li Ding, Xuehui Lyu, Kexin Lin, Jennie Ong, and Peng Du* (2024). Capturing totipotency in human cells through spliceosomal repression. Cell. 187(13):3284-3302. e23.
3. Xuehui Lyu, Yingzi Cui, Yinfei Kong, Min Yang, Hui Shen, Shuyun Liao, Shiyu Li, Chenrui An, Haoyi Wang, Zhe Zhang, Jennie Ong, Yan Li, Peng Du* (2024). A transient transcriptional activation governs unpolarized-to-polarized morphogenesis during embryo implantation. Molecular Cell. S1097-2765(24)00483-0.
4. Peng Du* and Jun Wu* (2024). Hallmarks of totipotent and pluripotent stem cell states. Cell Stem Cell. 31:312-333.
5. Min Yang, Jennie Ong, Fanju Meng, Feixiang Zhang, Hui Shen, Kerstin Kitt, Tengfei Liu, Wei Tao and Peng Du* (2023). Spatiotemporal insight of early pregnancy governed by immune-featured stromal cells. Cell.186:4271-4288.
6. Yanxin Li, Zhongqiu Li, Changliang Wang, Min Yang, Ziqing He, Feiyang Wang, Yuehong Zhang, Rong Li, Yunxia Gong, Binhong Wang, Baoguang Fan, Chunyue Wang, Lei Chen, Hong Li, Peifu Shi, Nana Wang, Zhifeng Wei, Yan-Ling Wang, Lei Jin*, Peng Du*, Ji Dong*, and Jianwei Jiao* (2023). Spatiotemporal transcriptome atlas reveals the regional specification of the developing human brain. Cell.186:5892-5909.
7. Jianfeng Fu, Siru Zhou, Huilin Xu, Liming Liao, Hui Shen, Peng Du, and Xiaofeng Zheng* (2023). ATM–ESCO2–SMC3 axis promotes 53BP1 recruitment in response to DNA damage and safeguards genome integrity by stabilizing cohesin complex. Nucleic acids research. 51:7376-7391.
8. Yingzi Cui, Ye Qi, Li Ding, Shuangjin Ding, Zonglin Han, Yangming Wang* and Peng Du* (2023). miRNA dosage control in development and human disease. Trends in Cell Biology.34(1):31-47.
9. Ye Qi, Li Ding, Siwen Zhang, Shengze Yao, Jennie Ong, Yi Li, Hong Wu, and Peng Du* (2022). A plant immune protein enables broad antitumor response by rescuing microRNA deficiency in cancers. Cell.185:1888-1904.
10. Yanxin Li, Zhongqiu Li, Min Yang, Feiyang Wang, Yuehong Zhang, Rong Li, Qian Li, Yunxia Gong, Binhong Wang, Baoguang Fan, Chunyue Wang, Lei Chen, Hong Li, Jennie Ong, Zhaoqian Teng, Lei Jin*, Yan-Ling Wang*, Peng Du* and Jianwei Jiao* (2022). Decoding the temporal and regional specification of microglia in the developing human brain. Cell Stem Cell. 29: 620-634.
11. Hui Shen, Min Yang, Shiyu Li, Jing Zhang, Bing Peng, Chunhui Wang, Zai Chang, Jennie Ong, and Peng Du* (2021). Mouse totipotent stem cells captured and maintained through spliceosomal repression. Cell. 184:2843-2859.
12. Yingzi Cui, Xuehui Lyu, Li Ding, Lan Ke, Dechang Yang, Mehdi Pirouz, Ye Qi, Jennie Ong, Ge Gao, Peng Du*, and Richard Gregory* (2021). Global miRNA dosage control of embryonic germ layer specification. Nature.593:602-606.
13. Bingqing Xie, Da Sun, Yuanyuan Du, Jun Jia, Shicheng Sun, Jun Xu, Yifang Liu, Chengang Xiang, Sitong Chen, Huangfan Xie, Qiming Wang, Guangya Li, Xuehui Lyu, Hui Shen, Shiyu Li, Min Wu, Xiaonan Zhang, Yue Pu, Kuanhui Xiang, Weifeng Lai, Peng Du, Zhenghong Yuan, Cheng Li, Yan Shi, Shichun Lu, Hongkui Deng (2019). A two-step lineage reprogramming strategy to generate functionally competent human hepatocytes from fibroblasts. Cell research.29: 696-710.
14. Before Independent
15. Junho Choe, Shuibin Lin, Wencai Zhang, Qi Liu, Longfei Wang, Julia Ramirez-Moya, Peng Du, Wantae Kim, Shaojun Tang, Piotr Sliz, Pilar Santisteban, Rani E George, William G Richards, Kwok-Kin Wong, Nicolas Locker, Frank J Slack, Richard I Gregory (2018). mRNA circularization by METTL3-eIF3h enhances translation and promotes oncogenesis. Nature.561:556-560.
16. Hee Ho Park, Robinson Triboulet, Martin Bentler, Swaroopa Guda, Peng Du, Haiming Xu, Richard I Gregory, Christian Brendel, David A Williams (2018). Drosha knockout leads to enhancement of viral titers for vectors encoding miRNA-adapted shRNAs. Molecular Therapy.12:591-599.
17. Peng Du, Mehdi Pirouz, Jiho Choi, Aaron J Huebner, Kendell Clement, Alexander Meissner, Konrad Hochedlinger, Richard I Gregory (2018). An intermediate pluripotent state controlled by microRNAs is required for the naive-to-primed stem cell transition. Cell Stem Cell.22:851-864.
18. Mehdi Pirouz, Peng Du, Marzia Munafò, Richard I Gregory (2016). Dis3l2-mediated decay is a quality control pathway for noncoding RNAs. Cell Reports. 16:1861-73.
19. Shuibin Lin, Junho Choe, Peng Du, Robinson Triboulet, Richard I Gregory (2016). METTL3 promotes translation in human cancer cells. Molecular Cell. 62:335-45.
20. Peng Du, Longfei Wang, Piotr Sliz, Richard I Gregory (2015). A biogenesis step upstream of microprocessor controls miR-17∼92 expression. Cell. 162:885-99.
21. Swaroopa Guda, Christian Brendel, Raffaele Renella, Peng Du, Daniel E Bauer, Matthew C Canver, Jennifer K Grenier, Andrew W Grimson, Sophia C Kamran, James Thornton, Helen de Boer, David E Root, Michael D Milsom, Stuart H Orkin, Richard I Gregory, David A Williams (2015). miRNA-embedded shRNAs for lineage-specific BCL11A knockdown and hemoglobin F induction. Molecular Therapy. 10.1038.
22. James E Thornton, Peng Du, Lili Jing, Ljiljana Sjekloca, Shuibin Lin, Elena Grossi, Piotr Sliz, Leonard I Zon, Richard I Gregory (2014). Selective microRNA uridylation by Zcchc6 (TUT7) and Zcchc11 (TUT4). Nucleic Acids Res. 42:11777-91.
23. Mengji Cao#, Peng Du#, Xianbing Wang, Yun-Qi Yu, Yan-Hong Qiu, Wanxiang Li, Amit Gal-On, Changyong Zhou, Yi Li, Shou-Wei Ding (2014). Virus infection triggers widespread silencing of host genes by a distinct class of endogenous siRNAs in Arabidopsis. PNAS.111:14613-8.
24. Peng Du#, Jianguo Wu#, Jiayao Zhang, Shuqi Zhao, Hong Zheng, Ge Gao, Liping Wei, Yi Li (2011). Viral infection induces expression of novel phased microRNAs from conserved cellular microRNA precursors. PLoS Pathogens. 7:e1002176.
Our research focuses on RNA biology in stem cells and translational medicine.
In one of our recent studies, for the first time, we realized capture and maintenance of totipotent stem cells, which are comparable to 2- and 4-cell blastomeres with highest developmental potential, by using a splicing repression strategy (Cell, 2021; Cell, 2024). Based on this, we plan to optimize our culture medium to enable capturing totipotent stem cells from different species. Furthermore, based on these totipotent stem cell, we would like to develop various differentiation system to obtain different functional somatic cells or organoid for the future regeneration medicine. As well, we will try to de novo synthesis of the whole animals by using TBLCs.
Recently, using biochemical and molecular biology approaches, we identify a novel micoRNA dosage control mechanism governed by a promoter switch event, which controls germ layer specification during early development (Nature, 2021) .
As well, we are interested in cross-spaces bio-engineering, and have successed to build a broad anti-tumor response in mammals using a plant immune protein RDR1. RDR1 was able to repair the defective miRNAs isoforms particularly accumulated in cancer cells to restore the global miRNA expression and the antitumor functions of miRNAs (Cell, 2022) .
Finally, we have applied scRNA-seq and spatial transcriptomic technology to decode the microeviroments for embryo development and childhood tumors, to eventually reveal the key enviromental factors governing the early embryonic development or pathogenesis (Cell Stem Cell, 2022; Cell, 2023a; Cell, 2023b)
