Julia Qu

The research in the Qu lab focuses on lung immunity, inflammation, and diseases, including lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. and worldwide. Using mouse and human co-clinical models and state-of-the-art technologies, the Qu group is trying to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying lung diseases development, progression, and therapy resistance, for prognostic, preventive, and therapeutic purposes, and is developing innovative therapies for lung cancer, the most devastating cancer type.As a primary organ for gas exchange, the lung constantly encounters challenges from the external environment. The lung immune system, particularly the innate immunity, plays a crucial role in guarding the lung against the constant challenges and maintaining lung homeostasis. The Qu research team is investigating the mechanisms underlying pulmonary immune regulation and its deregulation, particularly the innate immune components, in promoting lung inflammation and disease development and progression. At the cellular level, they mainly focus on lung epithelial cells and macrophages, the key sentinels in the lung and the main culprits of lung diseases. At the molecular level, they mainly focus on NF-κB and STAT signaling pathways, master regulators of cell survival, proliferation, and immunity.

• PDLIM2 in Lung Adenocarcinoma Metastasis. bioRxiv. 2025 Dec 07.. View in PubMed
• PDLIM2 Repression: A Common Mechanism in Viral Lung Infection. bioRxiv. 2025 Sep 17.. View in PubMed
• NanoPDLIM2-Based Combination Therapy for Lung Cancer Treatment in Mouse Preclinical Studies. Bio Protoc. 2025 Sep 05; 15(17):e5437.. View in PubMed
• Specific inhibitor to KRASG12C induces tumor-specific immunity and synergizes with oncolytic virus for enhanced cancer immunotherapy. J Immunother Cancer. 2025 Jul 23; 13(7).. View in PubMed
• Improving PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy for complete remission of lung cancer by nanoPDLIM2. Elife. 2024 Dec 24; 12.. View in PubMed
• PDLIM2 is a novel E5 ubiquitin ligase enhancer that stabilizes ROC1 and recruits the ROC1-SCF ubiquitin ligase to ubiquitinate and degrade NF-κB RelA. Cell Biosci. 2024 Jul 30; 14(1):99.. View in PubMed
• Critical and distinct roles of cell type-specific NF-κB2 in lung cancer. JCI Insight. 2024 02 22; 9(4).. View in PubMed
• NF-κB RelA is a cell-intrinsic metabolic checkpoint restricting glycolysis. Cell Biosci. 2024 Jan 20; 14(1):11.. View in PubMed
• Improving PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy for complete remission of lung cancer by nanoPDLIM2. bioRxiv. 2024 Jan 09.. View in PubMed
• NF-κB1 deficiency promotes macrophage-derived adrenal tumors but decreases neurofibromas in HTLV-I LTR-Tax transgenic mice. PLoS One. 2024; 19(5):e0303138.. View in PubMed
• Epigenetic modulation of antitumor immunity for improved cancer immunotherapy. Mol Cancer. 2021 12 20; 20(1):171.. View in PubMed
• PDLIM2: Signaling pathways and functions in cancer suppression and host immunity. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer. 2021 12; 1876(2):188630.. View in PubMed
• Alveolar Macrophages Inherently Express Programmed Death-1 Ligand 1 for Optimal Protective Immunity and Tolerance. J Immunol. 2021 07 01; 207(1):110-114.. View in PubMed
• PDLIM2 repression by ROS in alveolar macrophages promotes lung tumorigenesis. JCI Insight. 2021 03 08; 6(5).. View in PubMed
• Methods to Detect NF-κB Activity in Tumor-Associated Macrophage (TAM) Populations. Methods Mol Biol. 2021; 2366:213-241.. View in PubMed
• Dual but not single PD-1 or TIM-3 blockade enhances oncolytic virotherapy in refractory lung cancer. J Immunother Cancer. 2020 05; 8(1).. View in PubMed
• Causative role of PDLIM2 epigenetic repression in lung cancer and therapeutic resistance. Nat Commun. 2019 11 22; 10(1):5324.. View in PubMed
• NF-κB RelA renders tumor-associated macrophages resistant to and capable of directly suppressing CD8+ T cells for tumor promotion. Oncoimmunology. 2018; 7(6):e1435250.. View in PubMed
• Murine Bronchoalveolar Lavage. Bio Protoc. 2017 May 20; 7(10).. View in PubMed
• Isolation of Murine Alveolar Type II Epithelial Cells. Bio Protoc. 2017 May 20; 7(10).. View in PubMed
• Myeloid STAT3 Promotes Lung Tumorigenesis by Transforming Tumor Immunosurveillance into Tumor-Promoting Inflammation. Cancer Immunol Res. 2017 03; 5(3):257-268.. View in PubMed
• Kaposi’s sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) microRNA K12-1 functions as an oncogene by activating NF-κB/IL-6/STAT3 signaling. Oncotarget. 2016 May 31; 7(22):33363-73.. View in PubMed
• Interleukin-6 Prevents the Initiation but Enhances the Progression of Lung Cancer. Cancer Res. 2015 Aug 15; 75(16):3209-15.. View in PubMed
• Differential roles of STAT3 in the initiation and growth of lung cancer. Oncogene. 2015 Jul; 34(29):3804-3814.. View in PubMed
• Oncovirus Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) represses tumor suppressor PDLIM2 to persistently activate nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and STAT3 transcription factors for tumorigenesis and tumor maintenance. J Biol Chem. 2015 Mar 20; 290(12):7362-8.. View in PubMed
• Systematic detection of noncanonical NF-κB activation. Methods Mol Biol. 2015; 1280:121-54.. View in PubMed
• PDLIM2 restricts Th1 and Th17 differentiation and prevents autoimmune disease. Cell Biosci. 2012 Jun 25; 2(1):23.. View in PubMed
• Human T-cell lymphotropic virus: a model of NF-κB-associated tumorigenesis. Viruses. 2011 Jun; 3(6):714-49.. View in PubMed
• Lithium promotes neural precursor cell proliferation: evidence for the involvement of the non-canonical GSK-3β-NF-AT signaling. Cell Biosci. 2011 May 03; 1(1):18.. View in PubMed
• The tumor suppressor gene WWOX links the canonical and noncanonical NF-κB pathways in HTLV-I Tax-mediated tumorigenesis. Blood. 2011 Feb 03; 117(5):1652-61.. View in PubMed
• Epigenetic repression of PDZ-LIM domain-containing protein 2: implications for the biology and treatment of breast cancer. J Biol Chem. 2010 Apr 16; 285(16):11786-92.. View in PubMed
• DNA methylation-dependent repression of PDZ-LIM domain-containing protein 2 in colon cancer and its role as a potential therapeutic target. Cancer Res. 2010 Mar 01; 70(5):1766-72.. View in PubMed
• Human T-cell leukemia virus type I-mediated repression of PDZ-LIM domain-containing protein 2 involves DNA methylation but independent of the viral oncoprotein tax. Neoplasia. 2009 Oct; 11(10):1036-41.. View in PubMed
• PDLIM2 suppresses human T-cell leukemia virus type I Tax-mediated tumorigenesis by targeting Tax into the nuclear matrix for proteasomal degradation. Blood. 2009 Apr 30; 113(18):4370-80.. View in PubMed
• Targeting autophagic regulation of NFkappaB in HTLV-I transformed cells by geldanamycin: implications for therapeutic interventions. Autophagy. 2007 Nov-Dec; 3(6):600-3.. View in PubMed
• Hsp90 regulates processing of NF-kappa B2 p100 involving protection of NF-kappa B-inducing kinase (NIK) from autophagy-mediated degradation. Cell Res. 2007 Jun; 17(6):520-30.. View in PubMed
• Endoproteolytic processing of C-terminally truncated NF-kappaB2 precursors at kappaB-containing promoters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Mar 27; 104(13):5324-9.. View in PubMed
• Alternative pathways of NF-kappaB activation: a double-edged sword in health and disease. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 2006 Aug; 17(4):281-93.. View in PubMed
• Stabilization of basally translated NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK) protein functions as a molecular switch of processing of NF-kappaB2 p100. J Biol Chem. 2005 Dec 09; 280(49):40578-82.. View in PubMed
• Regulation of NF-kappa B2 p100 processing by its cis-acting domain. J Biol Chem. 2005 Jan 07; 280(1):18-27.. View in PubMed
• Tax deregulation of NF-kappaB2 p100 processing involves both beta-TrCP-dependent and -independent mechanisms. J Biol Chem. 2004 Oct 22; 279(43):44563-72.. View in PubMed

• Xiao, Gutian
• Lenz, Heinz-Josef
• Wang, Rongfu
• Gonzalez, Frank