Jia Nie
Graduate Certificates Student
My long-term goal is to identify a novel therapeutic approach for diabetes by combining computational methods and molecular biology knowledge. My passion for scientific research originated from my graduate training, during which I discovered a novel signaling pathway that regulates incretin effects in islet β-cells. Later, I extend my research field to identify mechanisms by which pancreatic islet dysfunction contributes to the progression of metabolic diseases in older populations. By applying the novel single-cell transcriptomic method, my project discovered an age-associated resilience of mouse pancreatic islets to diet-induced obesity. My work has produced fifteen publications, one book chapter, six of which as the first author and two as the corresponding author.
During my postdoctoral training, I was awarded T32 Fellowship for Biology of Aging. My work on the single-cell transcriptomic atlas of healthy mouse islets sampled across different age groups has uncovered a remarkable effect of aging on islet cell composition, diversity, and number. As a testimony of my exciting research work, I received the San Antonio Claude D. Pepper San Antonio (RL5) Scholar Award and American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) Postdoctoral Transitional Award, which provided funding to extend my exciting research work to non-human primate models. By applying single-cell transcriptomics on marmoset islets, my work demonstrates that long-term treatment of marmoset monkeys with orally administered encapsulated rapamycin significantly decreased the ratio of beta cells to alfa cells of all detected islet cells. My unique research experience in aging research combined with single-cell analysis will provide me with great potential to collaborate with our faculties at the department and build a robust research program for translational geroscience research. 
Education
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INSTITUTION AND LOCATION |
DEGREE |
Start Date |
Completion Date |
FIELD OF STUDY
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Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China |
B.S. |
09/2001 |
06/2005 |
Biotechnology |
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Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China |
M.S. |
09/2005 |
06/2008 |
Biochemistry |
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Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China* |
Ph.D. |
09/2008 |
12/2012 |
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA |
Postdoctoral Fellow |
06/2013 |
03/2015 |
Islet Dysfunction in Diabetes |
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Barshop Aging Institute, ºÚÁÏÍø, San Antonio, TX, USA |
Postdoctoral Fellow |
03/2016 |
Present |
Regulation of Pancreatic Islet Homeostasis |
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*Degree was awarded in China, but the thesis research work was completed at Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA. |
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Awards
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2010 |
Best Poster Award in the 7th Diabetes and Obesity Research Symposium, Pennsylvania State University Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA |
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2011 |
Career Award in the 4th Scientific Symposium of the Chinese American Diabetes Association (CADA), San Diego, CA, USA |
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2012 |
First Place for Best Oral Presentation and Travel Award in the 5th Annual Conference of Midwest Islet Cell Club, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA |
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2014 |
Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Medical University, China |
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2015 |
Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award of Jiangsu Province, Education Department of Jiangsu Province, China |
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2016 |
Postdoctoral Fellowships, T32 Biology of Aging Training Grant, ºÚÁÏÍø, San Antonio, TX, USA |
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2017 |
2016 Annual Outstanding Achievement Award for Scientific Research in Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, China |
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2017 |
The 2nd Prize for Science and Innovation Award of Jiangsu Province in China |
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2018 |
Keystone Symposia Scholarship for Frontiers in Islet Biology and Diabetes, Feb 4 - Feb 8, 2018, in Keystone Resort in Keystone, Colorado, USA |
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2018 |
Selected Oral Presentation at the American Diabetes Association’s 78th Scientific Sessions, June 22-26, 2018 in Orlando, Florida, USA |
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2019 |
Mentored Research Career Development RL5 Scholar Program, San Antonio Claude D.Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA |
Publications
Jia D, Zhang J, Nie J, Andersen JP, Rendon S, Zheng Y, Liu X, Tian Z, Shi Y. Cardiolipin Remodeling by ALCAT1 Links Hypoxia to Coronary Artery Disease by Promoting Mitochondrial Dysfunction. Mol Ther. 2021 Jun 7. PMID: 34111561.
Andersen JP, Zhang J, Sun H, Liu X, Liu J, Nie J, Shi Y. Aster-B coordinates with Arf1 to regulate mitochondrial cholesterol transport. (2020). Mol Metab. Dec;42:101055. PubMed PMID: 32738348.
Zhang J, Andersen JP, Sun H, Liu X, Sonenberg N, Nie J, Shi Y. Aster-C coordinates with COP I vesicles to regulate lysosomal trafficking and activation of mTORC1. (2020). EMBO Rep. Sep 3;21(9): e49898. PubMed PMID: 32648345.
Dodds SG, Parihar M, Javors M, Nie J, Musi N, Dave Sharp Z, Hasty P. Acarbose improved survival for Apc+/Min mice. (2020). Aging Cell. Feb;19(2): e13088. PubMed PMID: 31903726.
Song C, Zhang J, Qi S, Liu Z, Zhang X, Zheng Y, Andersen JP, Zhang W, Strong R, Martinez PA, Musi N, Nie J, Shi Y. Cardiolipin remodeling by ALCAT1 links mitochondrial dysfunction to Parkinson's diseases. (2019). Aging Cell. Jun;18(3): e12941. PubMed PMID: 30838774.
Zhang X, Zhang J, Sun H, Liu X, Zheng Y, Xu D, Wang J, Jia D, Han X, Liu F, Nie J, Shi Y. Defective Phosphatidylglycerol Remodeling Causes Hepatopathy, Linking Mitochondrial Dysfunction to Hepatosteatosis. (2019). Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 7(4):763-781. PubMed PMID: 30831319.
Liang H, Nie J, Van Skike CE, Valentine JM, Orr ME. Mammalian Target of Rapamycin at the Crossroad Between Alzheimer's Disease and Diabetes. (2019). Adv Exp Med Biol.1128:185-225. Review. PubMed PMID: 31062331.
Nie J*, Sun C, Chang Z, Musi N, Shi Y. SAD-A Promotes Glucose-stimulated Insulin Secretion through Phosphorylation and Inhibition of GDIα in Male Islet β-cells. (2018). Endocrinology. Aug 1; 159(8):3036-3047. PMID: 29873699.
Zhang J, Xu D, Nie J, Han R, Zhai Y, Shi Y. Comparative Gene Identification-58 (CGI-58) Promotes Autophagy as a Putative Lysophosphatidylglycerol Acyltransferase. (2014). Journal of Biological Chemistry.289(47):33044-53. PMID: 25315780.
Wang L, Liu X, Nie J, Zhang J, Kimball SR, Zhang H, Zhang W, Jefferson LS, Cheng Z, Ji Q, Shi Y. ALCAT1 Controls Mitochondrial Etiology of Fatty Liver Diseases Through Oxidative Stress and Defective Mitophagy. (2014). Hepatology. doi: 10.1002/ hep.27420. PMID: 25203315.
Zhang J, Xu D, Nie J, Cao J, Zhai Y, Tong D, Shi Y. Monoacylglycerol acyltransferase-2 is a tetrameric enzyme that selectively heterodimerizes with diacylglycerol acyltransferase-1. (2014). Journal of Biological Chemistry.289(15):10909-18. PMID: 24573674.
Nie J, Han X, Shi Y. SAD-A and AMPK kinases: The "yin and yang" regulators of mTORC1 signaling in pancreatic β-cells. (2013). Cell Cycle. 12(21):3366-9. PMID: 24047693.
Nie J, Liu X, Lilley BN, Zhang H, Pan YA, Kimball SR, Zhang J, Zhang W, Wang L, Jefferson LS, Sanes JR, Han X, Shi Y. SAD-A Kinase Controls Islet β-cell Size and Function as a Mediator of mTORC1 Signaling. (2013). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 110(34):13857-62. PMID: 23922392.
Nie J, , , , , , , , . SAD-A Potentiates Glucose-stimulated Insulin Secretion as a Mediator of GLP-1 Response in Pancreatic β-cells. (2012). Molecular and Cellular Biology. 33(13):2527-34. PMID: 23629625.
Sun C, Tian L, Nie J, Zhang H, Han X, Shi Y. Inactivation of MARK4, an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-related kinase, leads to insulin hypersensitivity and resistance to diet-induced obesity. (2012). The Journal of biological chemistry. 287(45):38305-15. PMID: 22992738.
Liu X, Ye B, Miller S, Yuan H, Zhang H, Tian L, Nie J, Imae R, Arai H, Li Y, Cheng Z, Shi Y. Ablation of ALCAT1 Mitigates Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy through Effects on Oxidative Stress and Mitophagy. (2012). Molecular and Cellular Biology. 32(21):4493-504. PMID: 22949503.
Nie J, Sun C, Faruque O, Ye G, Li J, Liang Q, Chang Z, Yang W, Han X, Shi Y. Synapses of Amphids Defective (SAD-A) Kinase Promotes Glucose-stimulated Insulin Secretion through Activation of p21-activated Kinase (PAK1) in Pancreatic β-Cells. (2012). Journal of Biological Chemistry. 287(31):26435-44. PMID: 22669945.
Nie J, Hao X, Chen D, Han X, Chang Z, Shi Y. A Novel Function of the Human CLS1 in Phosphatidylglycerol Synthesis and Remodeling. (2010). - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids.1801(4):438-45. PMID: 20025994.
Meng Z, Lv J, Luo Y, Lin Y, Zhu Y, Nie J, Yang T, Sun Y, Han X. Forkhead Box O1/Pancreatic and Duodenal Homeobox 1 Intracellular Translocation Is Regulated by c-Jun N-terminal Kinase and Involved in Prostaglandin E2-induced Pancreatic b-cell Dysfunction. (2009). Endocrinology. 150(12):5284-93. PMID: 19837872.
Meng ZX, Nie J, Ling JJ, Sun JX, Zhu YX, Gao L, Lv JH, Zhu DY, Sun YJ, Han X. Activation of Liver X Receptors Inhibits Pancreatic Islet b-cell Proliferation through Cell Cycle Arrest. (2009). Diabetologia. 52(1):125-35. PMID: 18949453.