Faculty Profile

Fields of Study

Molecular and Developmental Endocrinology

Areas of Focus

Cell Biology
Development
Neurobiology & Animal Physiology

Research Interest

Research is aimed at understanding how peptide growth factors act to control cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis in early development.

About Cunming Duan

Research in the Duan lab is directed towards understanding how peptide growth factors act to control vertebrate growth and development. Our current research focuses on the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling system, including the IGF ligands, IGF binding proteins, IGF receptors, and the downstream signal transduction mechanisms. The Duan lab uses both mammals and zebrafish as experimental models. A combination of molecular, cell biological, biochemical, genetic, and genomic approaches are used to address physiological and developmental questions. Specific areas of current research activity include: (1) roles of growth factors in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis during early development; (2) signal transduction mechanisms of growth factor actions; (3) transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression; and (4) roles of growth factors and hormones in modulating growth and development in response to hypoxia and nutrient restriction.

Dr. Duan received his B.S. degree from the Ocean University of China and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Tokyo. He was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Washington and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Publications

Ren, H. *, Yin, P. *, and Duan, C.. (2008). "IGFBP-5 regulates muscle cell differentiation by binding to and switching on the IGF-II auto-regulatory loop." J. Cell Biol 182: 979-991 (*Co-first authors).

Kamei, H., Lu, L., Jiao, S., Li, Y., Laursen, L.S., Oxvig, C., Zhou, J., and Duan, C.. (2008). "Duplication and diversification of the hypoxia-inducible IGFBP-1 gene in zebrafish." PLoS One 3: e3091.

Zhou, J., Li, W., Kamei, H., and Duan, C. (2008). "Duplication of the IGFBP-2 gene in teleost fish: Protein structure and functionality conservation and gene expression divergence." PLoS One 3: e3926.

Schlueter, P., Peng, G., Westerfield, M., and Duan, C. (2007). "Insulin-like growth factor signaling regulates zebrafish embryo growth and development by promoting cell survival and cell cycle progression." Cell Death Differ. 14: 1095-1105 .

Schlueter, P., Sang, X., Duan, C.., and Wood, A. W (2007). "Insulin-like growth factor receptor 1b is required for zebrafish primordial germ cell migration and survival." Dev. Biol. 305: 377-387.

Zhao, Y., Yin, P., Bach, L., and Duan, C. (2006). "Several acidic amino acids in the N-domain of human insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-5 are important for its transactivation activity." J. Biol. Chem. 281: 14184-14191.

Schlueter, P., Royer, T., Farah, M., Laser, B., Chan, S.-J., Steiner, D., and Duan, C. (2006). "Gene duplication and functional divergence of the zebrafish insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors." FASEB J. 20: 1230-1232.

Kajimura, S., Aida, K., and Duan, C. (2006). "Understanding hypoxia-induced gene expression in early development: In vitro and in vivo analysis of HIF-1-regulated zebrafish IGFBP-1 gene expression." Mol. Cell. Biol. 26: 1142-1155.

Li, Y., Xiang, J.H., and Duan, C. (2005). "Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) plays an important role in regulating pharyngeal skeleton and inner ear formation and differentiation." J. Biol. Chem. 280: 3613-3620.

Wood, A.W., Schlueter, P.J., and Duan, C. (2005). "Targeted knockdown of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) disrupts cardiovascular development in zebrafish embryos." Mol. Endocrinol. 19: 1024-1034.

Kajimura, S., Aida, K., and Duan, C. (2005). "Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) mediates hypoxia-induced embryonic growth and developmental retardation." Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 102: 1240-1245. (Track II and From the Cover)