Gan Laboratory
Boyi Gan, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Areas of Research
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
- Epigenetics
- Kidney Cancer
- Molecular Biology
- ncRNAs
- Tumor Suppression
- Cancer Metabolism
Welcome to the Gan Laboratory at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Our lab has a long-standing interest in understanding nutrient signaling and metabolic stress response in both normal and cancer cells. Our current research focuses on two related research topics that have emerged from our more recent work: 1) the role and mechanisms of ferroptosis (a form of cell death induced by metabolic stress) in cellular metabolism, tumor suppression, and cancer therapy, and 2) cystine metabolism-induced nutrient dependency and its implication in cancer therapy. Our work aims to translate our understanding of ferroptosis and nutrient dependency into novel effective cancer therapeutics.
Research Focus
The Gan Laboratory is studying energy metabolism and nutrient sensing in cancer by answering the following questions:
- How do normal cells and cancer cells sense energy and nutrient availability?
- How do cancer cells adapt to survive and grow under metabolic stress?
- How can we translate our understanding of energy metabolism in cancer cells into novel cancer therapeutics?
Our research projects include:
- The role and mechanisms of ferroptosis (a form of cell death induced by metabolic stress) in cellular metabolism, tumor suppression, and cancer therapy.
- Cystine metabolism-induced nutrient dependency and its implication in cancer therapy.
Learn more about our research projects
Our research approach
The Gan Laboratory uses functional studies, such as mouse models, to enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern the cellular pathways of cancer metabolism. Our goal is to then translate our research discoveries into the clinic through novel therapeutics targeting critical steps in these cancer metabolism pathways.
Meet The Team
The Gan Laboratory is a research team comprised of research investigators, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.
Selected Publications
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Molecular Cell
Unraveling ETC complex I function in ferroptosis reveals a potential ferroptosis-inducing therapeutic strategy for LKB1-deficient cancers
Mao C, Lei G, Horbath A, Wang M, Lu Z, Yan Y, Liu X, Kondiparthi L, Chen X, Cheng J, Li Q, Xu Z, Zhuang L, Fang B, Marszalek J, Poyurovsky M, Olszewski K, Gan B.
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Cancer Cell
The roles of ferroptosis in cancer: Tumor suppression, tumor microenvironment, and therapeutic interventions
Lei G, Zhuang L, Gan B.
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Cancer Discovery
BRCA1-mediated dual regulation of ferroptosis exposes a vulnerability to GPX4 and PARP co-inhibition in BRCA1-deficient cancers
Lei G, Mao C, Horbath A, Yan Y, Cai S, Yao J, Jiang Y, Sun M, Liu X, Cheng J, Xu Z, Lee H, Li Q, Lu Z, Zhuang L, Chen MK, Alapati A, Yap T, Hung MC, You M, Piwnica-Worms H, Gan B.
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Nature Communications
Cell cycle arrest induces lipid droplet formation and confers ferroptosis resistance
Lee H, Horbath A, Kondiparthi L, Meena JK, Lei G, Dasgupta S, Liu X, Zhuang L, Koppula P, Li M, Mahmud I, Wei B, Lorenzi P, Keyomarsi K, Poyurovsky M, Olszewski K, Gan B.
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Nature Communications
SLC7A11 expression level dictates differential responses to oxidative stress in cancer cells
Yan Y, Teng H, Hang Q, Kondiparthi L, Lei G, Horbath A, Liu X, Mao C, Wu S, Zhuang L, James You M, Poyurovsky MV, Ma L, Olszewski K, Gan B.
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Nature Cell Biology
Actin cytoskeleton vulnerability to disulfide stress mediates disulfidptosis.
Liu X, Nie L, Zhang Y, Yan Y, Wang C, Colic M, Olszewski K, Horbath A, Chen X, Lei G, Mao C, Wu S, Zhuang L, Poyurovsky MV, James You M, Hart T, Billadeau DD, Chen J, Gan B.
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PNAS
A ferroptosis defense mechanism mediated by glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2 in mitochondria.
Wu S, Mao C, Kondiparthi L, Poyurovsky M, Olszewski K, Gan B.
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Nature Communications
A targetable CoQ-FSP1 axis drives ferroptosis- and radiation-resistance in KEAP1 inactive lung cancers
Koppula P, Lei G, Zhang Y, Yan Y, Mao C, Kondiparthi L, Shi J, Liu X, Horbath A, Das M, Li W, Poyurovsky M, Olszewski K, Gan B.
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Nature Reviews Cancer
Targeting ferroptosis as a vulnerability in cancer
Lei G, Zhuang L, Gan B.
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Journal of Cell Biology
Mitochondrial regulation of ferroptosis
Boyi Gan
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Nature
DHODH-mediated ferroptosis defence is a targetable vulnerability in cancer
Mao C, Liu X, Zhang Y, Lei G, Yan Y, Lee H, Koppula P, Wu S, Zhuang Li, Fang B, Poyurovsky M, Olszewski K, Gan B.
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Nature Communications
mTORC1 couples cyst(e)ine availability with GPX4 protein synthesis and ferroptosis regulation.
Zhang Y, Swanda R, Nie L, Liu X, Wang C, Lee H, Lei G, Mao C, Koppula P, Cheng W, Zhang J, Xiao Z, Zhuang L, Fang B, Chen J, Qian S, Gan B.
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Nature Cell Biology
Cystine transporter regulation of pentose phosphate pathway dependency and disulfide stress exposes a targetable metabolic vulnerability in cancer.
Liu X, Olszewski K, Zhang Y, Lim EW, Shi J, Zhang X, Zhang J, Lee H, Koppula P, Lei G, Zhuang L, You MJ, Fang B, Li W, Metallo CM, Poyurovsky MV, Gan B.
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Nature Cell Biology
Energy stress-mediated AMPK activation inhibits ferroptosis.
Lee H, Zandkarimi F, Zhang Y, Meena JK, Kim J, Zhuang L, Tyagi S, Ma L, Westbrook TF, Steinberg GR, Nakada D, Stockwell BR, Gan B.
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Cell Research
The Role of Ferroptosis in Ionizing Radiation–Induced Cell Death and Tumor Suppression.
Lei G, Zhang Y, Koppula P, Liu X, Zhang J, Lin SH, Ajani JA, Xiao Q, Liao Z, Wang H, Gan B.
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Nature Cell Biology
BAP1 links metabolic regulation of ferroptosis to tumor suppression.
Zhang Y, Shi J, Liu X, Feng L, Gong Z, Koppula P, Sirohi K, Li X, Wei Y, Lee H, Zhuang L, Chen G, Xiao Z, Jung M, Chen J, Huang P, Gan B.
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Nature Communications
Energy stress-induced lncRNA FILNC1 represses c-Myc-mediated energy metabolism and inhibits renal tumor development.
Xiao ZD, Han L, Lee H, Zhuang L, Zhang YL, Baddour J, Nagrath D, Wood CG, Gu J, Wu X, Liang H, Gan B.
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Journal of Biological Chemistry
The glutamate/cystine antiporter SLC7A11/xCT enhances cancer cell dependency on glucose by exporting glutamate.
Koppula P, Zhang Y, Shi J, Li W, Gan B.
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PNAS
BAP1 inhibits the ER stress gene regulatory network and modulates metabolic stress response.
Dai F, Lee H, Zhang Y, Zhuang L, Yao H, Xi Y, Xiao Z, You J, Li W, Su X, Gan B.
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Nature Cell Biology
LncRNA NBR2 engages a metabolic checkpoint by regulating AMPK under energy stress.
Liu X, Xiao ZX, Han L, Lee SW, Wang W, Lee H, Zhuang L, Chen J, Lin HK, Liang H, Gan B.
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Nature
Lkb1 regulates quiescence and metabolic homeostasis of haematopoietic stem cells.
Gan B, Hu J, Jiang S, Liu Y, Sahin E, Zhuang L, Fletcher-Sananikone E, Colla S, Wang YA, Chin L, Depinho RA.
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Cancer Cell
FoxOs enforce a progression checkpoint to constrain mTORC1-activated renal tumorigenesis.
Gan B, Lim C, Chu G, Hua S, Ding Z, Collins M, Hu J, Jiang S, Fletcher-Sananikone E, Zhuang L, Chang M, Zheng H, Wang YA, Kwiatkowski DJ, Kaelin WG Jr, Signoretti S, DePinho RA.