Dr Zeng Zhiqiang, researcher of University of Edinburgh, paid a visit to IHB on July 12.

 

On July 12th, Dr. Zeng Zhiqiang，researcher of University of Edinburgh in United Kingdom, paid a visit to the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IHB), and made an academic report entitled "A Temperature-Sensitive Zebrafish Melanoma Model".  

In the report, Dr. Zeng Zhiqiang introduced what melanoma is as well as its harmful effects to human health. Melanoma is caused by a variation of the melanocytes. Although melanoma is not the most common type of skin cancer, it is the main cause of the death of skin tumor. In addition, melanoma is very stable, conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, do not have an effect on it. Therefore, genesis, diagnosis, and treatment of melanoma has always been the hotspots for cancer research.  

Zebrafish melanoma and mammals melanoma have similar generating processes as well as biochemical and cytobiological characteristics. Therefore, zebrafish is an ideal model for melanoma research. MITF (master melanocyte transcription factor) is one of the most important genes regulating the development of melanocytes and the formation of melanoma. Although MITF mutation can lead to a similar phenotype in different species, the role of MITF in the formation of melanoma is still unclear. Dr. Zeng Zhiqiang et al. traversed the impact of the activity of MITF on the genesis of melanoma in vivo, using a temperature sensitive zebrafish mutant (mitfa^VC7).  

Dr. Zeng Zhiqiang used a specific promoter to regulate mitfa^vc7 only expressed in melanocytes, in order to control the activity of MITF in zebrafish skin melanocytes just by regulating the water temperature, avoiding the effect of changes of MITF activity in other organizations. They found that during regulation of melanoma genesis, different MITF activity has a markedly different effect. Low levels of MITF activity promote tumorgenesis, while high levels of MITF activity can promptly inhibit melanoma. This study provides a new way for melanoma treatment.  

Zeng Zhiqiang obtained his PhD in Institute of Hydrobiology in 2000, currently working at the research of DNA repair and melanoma genesis as a researcher of Institute of genetics and molecular medicine at the University of Edinburgh. This year, Medical Research Council of United Kingdom (MRC, UK) is at its centenary. Through this report, Dr. Zeng Zhiqiang hopes to encourage more graduates of Institute of Hydrobiology to laboratories owned by Medical Research Council of United Kingdom for communication studies.