Congqing Wu, PhD
Connect
cwu3@uky.eduPositions
- Assistant Professor
College Unit(s)
Other Affiliation(s)
- CVRC - Core Faculty
- Surgery/Research
Biography and Education
Biography
My research interests are inflammatory mechanisms in both acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, with a focus on inflammasome/pyroptosis pathways in cardiovascular diseases. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1zev9c7zoadkx/bibliography/public/
Education
May 2014: PhD in Nutritional Sciences; University of Kentucky
Research
My research interests are inflammatory mechanisms in both acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, with a focus on inflammasome/pyroptosis pathways in cardiovascular diseases. Inflammasomes are intracellular multi-protein sensors to invasive pathogens and endogenous danger and stress signals. Inflammasome activation leads to caspase-dependent pyroptosis, a lytic form of cell death, and maturation/release of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β/IL-18. My recent work on bacterial infection/sepsis has shown that bacterial protein products as well as LPS activate inflammasome and induce pyroptosis, which triggers systemic coagulation through the release of tissue factor-positive microvesicles. My current projects include: 1. mechanisms of microvesicle release from macrophages undergoing pyroptosis; 2. Blood microvesicle signatures predicting coagulation and thrombosis; 3. identification of inflammasome stimuli in aortic dissection and aneurysms; 4. inhibition of pyroptosis preventing aortic rupture from aortic dissection and aneurysms.
Selected Publications
Mechanosensitive PPAP2B Regulates Endothelial Responses to Atherorelevant Hemodynamic Forces. Wu C, Huang RT, Kuo CH, Kumar S, Kim CW, Lin YC, Chen YJ, Birukova A, Birukov KG, Dulin NO, Civelek M, Lusis AJ, Loyer X, Tedgui A, Dai G, Jo H, Fang Y. Circ Res. 2015 Jul 31;117(4):e41-e53. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.117.306457. Epub 2015 Jun 1. Angiotensinogen Exerts Effects Independent of Angiotensin II. Lu H, Wu C, Howatt DA, Balakrishnan A, Moorleghen JJ, Chen X, Zhao M, Graham MJ, Mullick AE, Crooke RM, Feldman DL, Cassis LA, Vander Kooi CW, Daugherty A. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2016 Feb;36(2):256-65. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.115.306740. Epub 2015 Dec 17. Updates on Approaches for Studying Atherosclerosis. Wu C, Daugherty A, Lu HS. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2019 Apr;39(4):e108-e117. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.119.312001. Inflammasome Activation Triggers Blood Clotting and Host Death through Pyroptosis. Wu C, Lu W, Zhang Y, Zhang G, Shi X, Hisada Y, Grover SP, Zhang X, Li L, Xiang B, Shi J, Li XA, Daugherty A, Smyth SS, Kirchhofer D, Shiroishi T, Shao F, Mackman N, Wei Y, Li Z. Immunity. 2019 Jun 18;50(6):1401-1411.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2019.04.003. Epub 2019 May 7. Two Amino Acids Proximate to the Renin Cleavage Site of Human Angiotensinogen Do Not Affect Blood Pressure and Atherosclerosis in Mice-Brief Report. Wu CH, Wu C, Howatt DA, Moorleghen JJ, Cassis LA, Daugherty A, Lu HS. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2020 Sep;40(9):2108-2113. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.120.314048. Epub 2020 Jul 9. Effects of Renin-Angiotensin Inhibition on ACE2 (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2) and TMPRSS2 (Transmembrane Protease Serine 2) Expression: Insights Into COVID-19. Wu C, Ye D, Mullick AE, Li Z, Danser AHJ, Daugherty A, Lu HS. Hypertension. 2020 Oct;76(4):e29-e30. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.120.15782. Epub 2020 Jul 14. Predicting Gene Expression From Computed Tomography Angiography. Wu C, Ley K. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2021 May 5;41(5):1751-1752. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.121.316195. Epub 2021 Apr 8.