Yuqing Huo, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor and Danny B. Jones Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology

Email

yuqing.huo@bcm.edu

Positions

Professor and Danny B. Jones Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology: Department of Ophthalmology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

Professor: Department of Medicine
Section of Cardiovascular Research
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States

Professor: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States

Member: Cardiovascular Research Institute
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States

Faculty member: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Graduate Program in Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics (DDMT)
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States

Addresses

Neurosensory Center (Office): 6565 Fannin St
NC305
Houston, TX, 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-1912

Education

PhD from Beijing Medical University (Peking University): 07/1998 - Beijing, P.R., China

Postdoctoral Training at University of Virginia: 07/2001 - Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

Professional Interests

Metabolic and inflammatory pathways, including genetic and epigenetic regulation.
Murine and human endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, leukocytes, microglia, and bone marrow cells.
Translational studies using animal models for microvascular diseases, such as retinopathy, and aortic diseases, including atherosclerosis, aneurysm, calcification, etc.

Professional Statement

Research interests of Dr. Huo's group focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying the interaction between vascular cells and leukocytes/immune cells that contribute to the development of cardiovascular and obesity/metabolic diseases. Specifically, Dr. Huo's group investigates the metabolic pathways that control leukocyte recruitment and activation, endothelial inflammation, the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts, as well as the mesenchymal transition of these cells in disease progression.

Microvascular diseases, such as retinopathies (retinopathy of prematurity [ROP]; proliferative diabetic retinopathy [PDR]; age-related macular degeneration [AMD]), stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, diabetes/obesity, and pulmonary hypertension, as well as macrovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysm, and vascular calcification, are a central focus of their research endeavors. By studying the metabolic and inflammatory processes underlying these vascular diseases, Dr. Huo's group aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of these conditions and pave the way for developing novel therapeutic interventions for vascular-related diseases.

Dr. Huo's group applies in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo animal models of these diseases to various engineered mice, utilizing a variety of cellular, molecular, and genetic assays, as well as omics analyses, to determine the phenotypes of disease models and characterize the underlying genetic, molecular, and metabolic mechanisms involved in the development and progression of these diseases.

Websites

Yuqing Huo Google Scholar

Yuqing Huo Laboratory

Yuqing Huo Bibliography

Pubmed Publications List

Selected Publications

Qian Ma, Yongfeng Cai, Zhidan Zhang, Dingwei Zhao, Yuan Zhao, Peishan Xu, Tammy Lu, Wendy Zhang, Qiuhua Yang, Yaqi Zhou, Varadarajan Sudhahar, Tohru Fukai, Hanjoong Jo, Yiming Xu, Yuqing Huo. " Purine metabolic adaptation protects the endothelium from disturbed flow–induced DNA damage and atherosclerosis " Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026 May 5; 123 (18) : e2526299123.
Pubmed PMID: 42060719.
Yaqi Zhou, Dingwei Zhao, Qian Ma, Jiean Xu, Yongfeng Cai, Qiuhua Yang, Qingen Da, Kian Sheridan, Chunxiang Zhang, Clint L Miller, Rajeev Malhotra, Suowen Xu, Mei Hong, Yuqing Huo. " Endothelial adenosine receptor 2A loss alleviates diabetic vascular calcification by blocking CREB1-SNAI1-driven EndMT " Pharmacol Res. 2025 Nov 1; 221 (107981)
Pubmed PMID: 41067595.
Qingen Da, Yongfeng Cai, Qian Ma, Qiuhua Yang, Yapeng Cao, Yaqi Zhou, Dingwei Zhao, Zhiping Liu, Jiean Xu, Junming Quan, Liang Zhang, Rui Wang, Kunfu Ouyang, Chunxiang Zhang, Neal L Weintraub, David J R Fulton, Jun Zhao, Mei Hong, Zigang Li, Yuqing Huo. " PFKFB3 activates CAD to enhance de novo pyrimidine synthesis for cell growth " Cell Rep. 2025 Aug 26; 44 (8) : 116071.
Pubmed PMID: 40742808.
Yang Q, Cai Y, Ma Q, Xiong A, Xu P, Zhang Z, Xu J, Zhou Y, Liu Z, Zhao D, Asara J, Li W, Shi H, Caldwell RB, Sodhi A, Huo Y. " Inactivation of adenosine receptor 2A suppresses endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition and inhibits subretinal fibrosis in mice " Sci Transl Med. 2024 Mar 6; 16 (737) : eadk3868.
Pubmed PMID: 38446902.
Yaqi Zhou, Dingwei Zhao, Qian Ma, Sujin Lee, Kangsan Roh, Yongfeng Cai, Jiean Xu, Qiuhua Yang, Qingen Da, Zhiping Liu, Kunfu Ouyang, Eric J Belin de Chantemele, Mei Hong, Clint L Miller, Rajeev Malhotra, Chunxiang Zhang, Suowen Xu, Yuqing Huo. " Targeting adenosine 2A receptor signaling suppresses vascular calcification by restraining smooth muscle osteogenic differentiation " Pharmacol Res. 2025 Nov 1; 221 (108012) : eadk3868.
Pubmed PMID: 41201506.
Xu J, Liu Z, Yang Q, Ma Q, Zhou Y, Cai Y, Zhao D, Zhao G, Lu T, Ouyang K, Hong M, Kim HW, Shi H, Zhang J, Fulton D, Miller C, Malhotra R, Weintraub NL, Huo Y. " Adenosine kinase inhibition protects mice from abdominal aortic aneurysm via epigenetic modulation of VSMC inflammation " Cardiovasc Res. 2024 Sep 2; 120 (10) : 1202-1217.
Pubmed PMID: 38722818.
Ma Q, Yang Q, Xu J, Sellers HG, Brown ZL, Liu Z, Bordan Z, Shi X, Zhao D, Cai Y, Pareek V, Zhang C, Wu G, Dong Z, Verin AD, Gan L, Du Q, Benkovic SJ, Xu S, Asara JM, Ben-Sahra I, Barman S, Su Y, Fulton DJR, Huo Y. " Purine synthesis suppression reduces the development and progression of pulmonary hypertension in rodent models " Eur Heart J. 2023 Apr 7; 44 (14) : 1265-1279.
Pubmed PMID: 36721994.
Liu Z, Shi H, Xu J, Yang Q, Ma Q, Mao X, Xu Z, Zhou Y, Da Q, Cai Y, Fulton DJ, Dong Z, Sodhi A, Caldwell RB, Huo Y. " Single-cell transcriptome analyses reveal microglia types associated with proliferative retinopathy " JCI Insight. 2022 Dec 8; 7 (23) : e160940.
Pubmed PMID: 36264636.
Ma Q, Yang Q, Xu J, Zhang X, Kim D, Liu Z, Da Q, Mao X, Zhou Y, Cai Y, Pareek V, Kim HW, Wu G, Dong Z, Song WL, Gan L, Zhang C, Hong M, Benkovic SJ, Weintraub NL, Fulton D Jr, Asara JM, Ben-Sahra I, Huo Y. " ATIC-Associated De Novo Purine Synthesis Is Critically Involved in Proliferative Arterial Disease " Circulation. 2022 Nov 8; 146 (19) : 1444-1460.
Pubmed PMID: 36073366.
Liu Z, Xu J, Ma Q, Zhang X, Yang Q, Wang L, Cao Y, Xu Z, Tawfik A, Sun Y, Weintraub NL, Fulton DJ, Hong M, Dong Z, Smith LEH, Caldwell RB, Sodhi A, Huo Y. " Glycolysis links reciprocal activation of myeloid cells and endothelial cells in the retinal angiogenic niche " Sci Transl Med. 2020 Aug 5; 12 (555) : eaay1371.
Pubmed PMID: 32759274.

Funding

Adenosine receptor 2A in subretinal fibrosis #R01 EY033737: (04/27/2022 - 04/30/2027); Grant funding from NIH; This project will test the hypothesis that adenosine receptor 2A (Adora2a) mediated hypoxia inducible factor (Hif) signaling in choroidal endothelial cells (CECs) and infiltrated macrophages enhance fibrotic effects leading to increased formation of fibrotic lesions in choroidal neovascularization (CNV).

Myeloid PFKFB3 in Subretinal Fibrosis #R01 EY033369(NCE): (04/01/2022 - 04/30/2027); Grant funding from NIH; This project will test the hypothesis that Pfkfb3-mediated glycolysis in macrophages induces their transition to mesenchymal cells and/or myofibroblasts and their production of profibrotic and proinflammatory factors by activating HIFs pathways, eventually leading to subretinal fibrosis formation.

PFKFB3 in calcification of atherosclerotic lesions #26BTPA1622801: (04/01/2026 - 03/31/2027); Grant funding from American Heart Association (AHA); This project is to study whether PFKFB3 deficiency in VSMCs inhibits osteogenesis of VSMCs, ultimately reducing the calcification of atherosclerotic lesions in mice.