Publications by authors named "Fangqi Zhao"

Elucidating the regulatory mechanisms underlying the development of different brain regions in humans is essential for understanding advanced cognition and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the spatiotemporal organization of three-dimensional (3D) chromatin structure and its regulatory functions across different brain regions remain poorly understood. Here, we generated an atlas of high-resolution 3D chromatin structure across six developing human brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC), primary visual cortex (V1), cerebellum (CB), subcortical corpus striatum (CS), thalamus (TL), and hippocampus (HP), spanning gestational weeks 11-26.

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Adverse intrauterine conditions may cause fetal growth restriction (FGR), a pregnancy complication frequently linked to perinatal morbidity and mortality. Although many studies have focused on FGR, the pathophysiological processes underlying this disorder are complex and incompletely understood. We have recently determined that galectin-3 (gal-3), a β-galactoside-binding protein, regulates pregnancy-associated processes, including uterine receptibility, maternal vascular adaptation and placentation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Abnormal placental blood vessel development caused by high levels of anti-angiogenic factors like sFLT1 is associated with preeclampsia, a serious condition that affects pregnant women and their babies after 20 weeks.
  • Previous studies on mice showed that increased hsFLT1 leads to reduced placental function and symptoms similar to preeclampsia.
  • This research found elevated levels of the protein galectin-1 in specific areas of the placenta in hsFLT1 mice, suggesting that the galectin-glycan network may help counteract the harmful effects of anti-angiogenic factors during pregnancy.
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Article Synopsis
  • Placental abnormalities can lead to issues like preeclampsia (PE), impacting both the mother's health and fetal growth.
  • Galectin-1 (gal-1) is a crucial protein at the maternal-fetal interface that helps regulate pregnancy adaptations and placental development.
  • A deficiency of gal-1, especially from the mother, increases the risk of PE and disrupts normal placental function, suggesting that problems with gal-1 signaling might contribute to pregnancy complications and maternal cardiovascular issues.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic posed significant risks to pregnant women and newborns, highlighting the importance of the maternal immune system in managing infections while supporting fetal growth.
  • - Galectins, proteins that play a role in immune regulation, are essential for successful pregnancies, with recent studies indicating their involvement in the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • - In the study, maternal levels of galectin-1 increased with SARS-CoV-2 infection, while pregnancy-specific glycoprotein 1 levels rose only during infection; the research reveals a complex relationship between these proteins and pregnancy health during the pandemic.
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The hypothalamus comprises various nuclei and neuronal subpopulations that control fundamental homeostasis and behaviors. However, spatiotemporal molecular characterization of hypothalamus development in humans is largely unexplored. Here, we revealed spatiotemporal transcriptome profiles and cell-type characteristics of human hypothalamus development and illustrated the molecular diversity of neural progenitors and the cell-fate decision, which is programmed by a combination of transcription factors.

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Background: The aberrant expression of microRNA-454 (miR-454) has been confirmed to be involved in the development of cancers. However, the functional role of miR-454 in the progression of ovarian cancer remains unclear.

Methods: The expression of miR-454 in ovarian cancer cells and serum of ovarian cancer patients was detected by RT-PCR.

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The development of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has allowed high-resolution analysis of cell-type diversity and transcriptional networks controlling cell-fate specification. To identify the transcriptional networks governing human retinal development, we performed scRNA-seq analysis on 16 time points from developing retina as well as four early stages of retinal organoid differentiation. We identified evolutionarily conserved patterns of gene expression during retinal progenitor maturation and specification of all seven major retinal cell types.

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