Yi Li, Ph.D., M.S., B.S.

Professor

(713) 798-3963

Email

liyi@bcm.edu

Positions

Professor: Breast Center; Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology; Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX, US

Member: Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States

Faculty Senator: Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States

Member: Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Baylor College of Medicine

Addresses

BCM-Alkek Graduate School (Lab): Mail Stop: BCM600
Houston, TX, 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-3963
liyi@bcm.edu

BCM-Alkek Graduate School (Office): Mail Stop: BCM600
Houston, TX, 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-3963
liyi@bcm.edu

Education

BS from Jiangsu Agricultural College: 07/1984 - Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China, People's Rep

MS from Jiangsu Agricultural College: 07/1987 - Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China, People's Rep

PhD from Michigan State University: 01/1996 - East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Postdoctoral Training at National Cancer Institute: 01/2000 - Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Postdoctoral Training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: 10/2002 - New York, New York, United States

Professional Interests

Mouse and rat models of breast cancer
Immune cells and breast cancer metastasis and therapy
JAK-STAT and Bcl-xL signaling breast cancer

Professional Statement

The Li lab has developed multiple novel mouse and rat models that closely mimic human breast cancer initiation and progression. Using these models and cell biological, biochemical, genetic, and omic approaches, they have gained insights into Wnt-EGFR signaling in cancer progression, and discovered a JAK2-STAT5-regulated anti-apoptosis mechanism in promoting breast cancer development. Furthermore, their preclinical work on intermittent anti-JAK treatment for preventing breast cancer has resulted in a multi-center window-of-opportunity clinical trial (TBCRC042). Their recent success in introducing oncogenic drivers directly into mammary cells in rats has led to first models that can fully mimic human ER+ breast cancer. They are now utilizing these models to study how ER+ breast tumors metastasize and develop resistance to cancer therapies.

Websites

Yi Li Lab Webpage

Yi Li VIICTR Profile

Full List of Publications at NCBI

Selected Publications

Du Z, Podsypanina K, Huang S, McGrath A, Toneff MJ, Bogoslovskaia E, Zhang X, Moraes RC, Fluck M, Allred DC, Lewis MT, Varmus HE, Li Y.. " Introduction of oncogenes into mammary glands in vivo with an avian retroviral vector initiates and promotes carcinogenesis in mouse models " Proc Natl Acad Sci USA.. 2006 Nov ; 103 (46) : 17396-401.
Pubmed PMID: 17090666.
32) Reddy, J.P., Peddibhotla, S., Bu, W., Zhao, J., Haricharan, S., Du, Y.C., Podsypanina, K., Rosen, J.M., Donehower, L.A. and Li, Y. " Defining the ATM-mediated barrier to tumorigenesis in somatic mammary cells following ErbB2 activation " PNAS. 2010 ; 107 (8) : 3728-33.
Pubmed PMID: 20133707.
Jackson JG, Pant V, Li Q, Chang LL, Quintás-Cardama A, Garza D, Tavana O, Yang P, Manshouri T, Li Y, El-Naggar AK, Lozano G.. " p53-mediated senescence impairs the apoptotic response to chemotherapy and clinical outcome in breast cancer " Cancer Cell.. 2012 Jun ; 21 : 793-806.
Pubmed PMID: 22698404.
Haricharan S, Hein SM, Dong J, Toneff MJ, Aina OH, Rao PH, Cardiff RD, Li Y.. " Contribution of an alveolar cell of origin to the high-grade malignant phenotype of pregnancy-associated breast cancer. " Oncogene.. 2013 Dec 9;
Pubmed PMID: 24317513.
Haricharan S, Dong J, Hein S, Reddy JP, Du Z, Toneff M, Holloway K, Hilsenbeck SG, Huang S, Atkinson R, Woodward W, Jindal S, Borges VF, Gutierrez C, Zhang H, Schedin PJ, Osborne CK, Tweardy DJ, Li Y.. " Mechanism and preclinical prevention of increased breast cancer risk caused by pregnancy " eLIFE. 2013 Dec 31; 2 : e00996.
Hatcher RJ, Dong J, Liu S, Bian G, Contreras A, Wang T, Hilsenbeck SG, Li Y, Zhang P.. " Pttg1/securin is required for the branching morphogenesis of the mammary gland and suppresses mammary tumorigenesis. " Proc Natl Acad Sci USA.. 2014 Jan ; 111 : 1008-13.
Pubmed PMID: 24395789.
Sinha, V.C., Qin, L. & Li, Y.. " A p53/ARF-dependent Anticancer Barrier Activates Senescence and Blocks Tumorigenesis without Impacting Apoptosis " Molecular cancer research. 2014 ; 13 : 231-8.
Pubmed PMID: 25253740.
Zheng, Z.-Y., Tian, L., Bu, W., Fan, C., Gao, X., Wang, H., Liao, Y.-H., Li, Y., Lewis, M.T., Edwards, D., Zwaka, T.P., Hilsenbeck, S.G., Medina, D., Perou, C.M., Creighton, C.J., Zhang, X.H-F., & Chang, E.C. " Wild type N-Ras, overexpressed in basal-like breast cancer, drives tumor formation by inducing IL8 secretion via JAK2 activation " Cell Reports. 2015 ; 12 : 511.
Pubmed PMID: 26166574.
Choi, S., Chen, Z., Tang, L.H., Fang, Y., Shin, S.J., Panarelli, N.C., Chen, Y.T., Li, Y., Jiang, X. & Du, Y.C. " Bcl-xL promotes metastasis independent of its anti-apoptotic activity " Nat Commun. 2016 ; 7 : 10384.
Pubmed PMID: 26785948.
Hein, S.M., Haricharan, S., Johnston, A.N., Toneff, M.J., Reddy, J.P., Dong, J., Bu, W. & Li, Y. " Luminal epithelial cells within the mammary gland can produce basal cells upon oncogenic stress " Oncogene. 2016 ; 35 : 1461-7.
Pubmed PMID: 26096929.
Dong, J., Zhao, W., Shi, A., Toneff, M., Lydon, J., & Li, Y.. " The PR status of the originating cell of ER/PR-negative breast cancer " Oncogene. 2016 ; 000.
Pubmed PMID: 26640140.
Bu, W., Liu, Z., Jiang, W., Nagi, C., Huang, S., Edwards, D.P., Jo, E., Mo, Q., Creighton, C.J., Hilsenbeck, S.G., Leavitt, A.D., Lewis, M.T., Wong, S.T.C. & Li, Y. " Mammary precancerous stem and non-stem cells evolve into cancers of distinct subtypes " Cancer Res. 2018 Oct 31;
Pubmed PMID: 30401712.
Johnston, A.N., Bu, W., Hein, S., Garcia, S., Camacho, L., Xue, L., Qin, L., Nagi, C., Hilsenbeck, S.G., Kapali, J., Podsypanina, K., Nangia, J. and Li, Y.. " Hyperprolactinemia-inducing antipsychotics increase breast cancer risk by activating JAK-STAT5 in precancerous lesions " Breast Cancer Res. 2018 May 19; 20 : 42.
Pubmed PMID: 29778097.
Zhang, W., Bado, I.L., Hu, J., Wan, Y.W., Wu, L., Wang, H., Gao, Y., Jeong, H.H., Xu, Z., Hao, X., Lege, B.M., Al-Ouran, R., Li, L., Li, J., Yu, L., Singh, S., Lo, H.C., Niu, M., Liu, J., Jiang, W., Li, Y.. " The bone microenvironment invigorates metastatic seeds for further dissemination " Cell. 2021 ; 184 : 2471-2486.
Pubmed PMID: 33878291.
Yue F, Jiang W, Ku AT, Young AIJ, Zhang W, Souto EP, Gao Y, Yu Z, Wang Y, Creighton CJ, Nagi C, Wang T, Hilsenbeck SG, Feng XH, Huang S, Coarfa C, Zhang XH, Liu Q, Lin X, Li Y.. " A Wnt-Independent LGR4-EGFR Signaling Axis in Cancer Metastasis " Cancer Research. 2021 ; 81 : 4441-4454.
Young A, Bu W, Jiang W, Ku A, Kapali J, Dhamne S, Qin L, Hilsenbeck SG, Du YN, Li Y. " Targeting the Pro-survival Protein BCL-2 to Prevent Breast Cancer " Cancer Prevention Res. 2022 ; 15 (3-10)
Lin, M., Ku, A.T., Dong, J., Yue, F., Jiang, W., Ibrahim, A.A., Peng, F., Creighton, C.J., Nagi, C., Gutierrez, C., Rosen, J.M., Zhang, X.H., Hilsenbeck, S.G., Chen, X., Du, Y.N., Huang, S., Shi, A., Fan, Z. & Li, Y.. " STAT5 confers lactogenic properties in breast tumorigenesis and restricts metastatic potential " Oncogene. 2022 ; 41 : 5214-5222.
Pubmed PMID: 36261627.
Ku, A.T., Young, A.I.J., Ibrahim, A.A., Bu, W., Jiang, W., Lin, M., Williams, L.C., McCue, B.L., Miles, G., Nagi, C., Behbod, F. & Li, Y. " Short-term PI3K Inhibition Prevents Breast Cancer in Preclinical Models " Cancer Prevention Research. 2023 ; 16 : 65-73.
Pubmed PMID: 36343340.
Bu, W., Creighton, C.J., Heavener, K.S., Gutierrez, C., Dou, Y., Ku, A.T., Zhang, Y., Jiang, W., Urrutia, J., Jiang, W., Yue, F., Jia, L., Ibrahim, A., Zhang, B., Huang, S. & Li, Y. " Efficient cancer modeling through CRISPR/Cas9/HDR-based somatic precision gene editing in mice " Science Adv. 2023 ; 9 (19) : eade0059.
Pubmed PMID: 37172086.