Basic Information
Teacher Name : Qinwei Sun
Job Title: Associate Professor
Phone： +8625-84396413
Email：sqw@njau.edu.cn
Address：No.1 Weigang, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, P. R. China
Research Areas and Descriptors：
Growth and behavior, Neurobiology, Animal welfare in farm animals
Profile
Research experience
Current research
1) Illumination and animal welfare.
The fear-related behavior pattern of domestic fowl under artificial lighting schedule was observed in present study which also included the study of expression of circadian and corticoid-related genes (qPCR) and the methylation ratio of CpGs at corresponding gene promotors (bisulfite sequencing PCR). Moreover, the hippocampal cell model (HT-22) was employed to explore the mechanism of artificial light involved in the circadian gene expression profiles.
2) Transcriptional regulation effect driven by methyl donor.
The expression variance in the hippocampal GR and its exon 1 mRNA variants between porcine breeds (Large White and Erhualian pigs) was investigated; The methylation ratios on each CpG site within the GR proximal promoter region using Sequenom’s MassARRAY system were also precisely measured. Furthermore, maternal betaine administration on methylation status of offspring piglets at hippocampal GR gene promotor was analyzed using MeDIP assay.
With folate deficiency (FD) hippocampal cell model, the activation of autophagy- and circadian-related genes was investigated. ChIP assay showed that FD promoted glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding to the promoter sequence of ATG3 and Per2. MeDIP analysis demonstrated hypomethylation in the promoter sequence of ATG12, ATG13 and Per2 genes.
Publications
1. Idriss AA, Hu Y, Hou Z, Hu Y, Sun Q*, Omer NA, Abobaker H, Ni Y, Zhao R*. Dietary betaine supplementation in hens modulates hypothalamic expression of cholesterol metabolic genes in F1 cockerels through modification of DNA methylation. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part B. 2018 Mar;217:14-20 PMID: 29247843
2. Hu Y, Sun Q, Hu Y, Hou Z, Zong Y, Omer NA, Abobaker H, Zhao R*.Corticosterone-Induced Lipogenesis Activation and Lipophagy Inhibition in Chicken Liver Are Alleviated by Maternal Betaine Supplementation. Journal of Nutrition. 2018 Mar 1;148(3):316-325 PMID: 29546310
3. Hu Y, Sun Q, Liu J, Jia Y, Cai D, Idriss AA, Omer NA, Zhao R*. In ovo injection of betaine alleviates corticosterone-induced fatty liver in chickens through epigenetic modifications. Scientific Report. 2017 Jan 6;7:40251 PMID: 28059170
4. Hu Y, Sun Q, Zong Y, Liu J, Idriss AA, Omer NA, Zhao R*. Prenatal betaine exposure alleviates corticosterone-induced inhibition of CYP27A1 expression in the liver of juvenile chickens associated with its promoter DNA methylation. General and Comparative Endocrinology. 2016 Dec 27 PMID: 28039067
5. Sun Q, Yang Y, Li X, He B, Jia Y, Zhang N, Zhao R*. Folate deprivation modulates the expression of autophagy- and circadian-related genes in HT-22 hippocampal neuron cells through GR-mediated pathway. Steroids. 2016. 112:12-9 PMID: 27133904
6. Sun Q, Li X, Jia Y, Pan S, Li R, Yang X, Zhao R*. Maternal betaine supplementation during gestation modifies hippocampal expression of GR and its regulatory miRNAs in neonatal piglets. Journal of Veterinary Medical Science. 2016. 78(6): 921-8 PMID: 26875838
7. Hu Y, Sun Q*, Li X, Wang M, Cai D, Li X, Zhao R*. In ovo injection of betaine affects hepatic cholesterol metabolism through epigenetic gene regulation in newly hatched chicks. PLoS ONE. 2015. 10(4):e0122643 PMID: 25860502
8. Li X1, Sun Q1, Li X, Cai D, Sui S, Jia Y, Song H, Zhao R*. Dietary betaine supplementation to gestational sows enhances hippocampal IGF2 expression in newborn piglets with modified DNA methylation of the differentially methylated regions. European Journal of Nutrition. 2015 Oct;54(7):1201-10 PMID: 25410747
9. Q. Sun, Y. Jia, R. Li, X. Li, X. Yang, R. Zhao*. Breed-specific expression of GR exon 1 mRNA variants and profile of GR promoter CpG methylation in the hippocampus of newborn piglets. Animal. 2014 Nov; 8(11):1851-6 PMID: 25322790
