1990 - 1994, B.Sc. in Microbiology, Department of Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
1994 - 1999, Ph.D. in Pharmacology, Shanghai Research Center of Biotechnology & Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.

1999 –2002: Research Associate in Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA. USA

2002- 2004: Postdoctoral fellow, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

2004 –2006: Instructor, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

2006 –2009: Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), the Center for Cell Biology and Cancer Research, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA

2009 –2011: Associate Professor (Tenure Track), the Center for Cell Biology and Cancer Research, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA

2011 – present: Professor, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Breast, prostate, and lung cancers are most common lethal diseases. To develop more effective strategies for cancer prevention and control, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment, we must obtain a more complete understanding of the causes of cancer and of the biological mechanisms of cancer initiation and progression. Many genetic, molecular, and cellular events influence the cancer process. Protein ubiquitination and transcription factors regulate an enormous range of biological processes; including transcription, cell cycle, apoptosis, and signaling. Consistently, defects in these systems have already been directly implicated with human cancer. Our current projects are to study (1) E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases in cancer development, (2) the KLF5 transcription factor in breast cancer development, (3) the treeshrew model for human cancers. In summary, our research interests are the cancer genetics and biology of human cancers. In long term, we hope to identify more potential diagnostic biomarkers and drug targets for cancer targeted therapy.

1.Ceshi Chen*, Yi Li, Zhongmei Zhou, Arun K. Seth, The WW domain containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 upregulates ErbB2 and EGFR through RING finger protein 11, Oncogene, 2008, 27: 6845-55
2.Yi Li, Zhongmei Zhou, Ceshi Chen*, WW domain containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 targets p63 transcription factor for ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation and regulates apoptosis, Cell death and differentiation, 2008, 15: 1941-51
3.Yi Li, Zhongmei Zhou, Maurizio Alimandi, Ceshi Chen* WW domain containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 targets the full length ErbB4 for ubiquitin-mediated degradation in breast cancer, Oncogene, 2009 Aug 20;28(33):2948-58
4.Hanqiu Zheng, Zhongmei Zhou, Leena Chaudhury Jin-Tang Dong, Ceshi Chen*, Krüpple-like factor 5 (KLF5) promotes breast cell proliferation partially through upregulating the transcription of fibroblast growth factor-binding protein 1 (FGF-BP) in breast cancer, Oncogene, 2009; 28: 3702-13
5.Rong Liu, Hanqiu Zheng, Zhongmei Zhou, Jin-Tang Dong, Ceshi Chen*, KLF5 promotes breast cell survival partially through FGF-BP-pERK-mediated MKP-1 protein phosphorylation and stabilization, J Biol. Chem., 2009 19;284(25):16791-8
6.Dong Zhao, Hanqiu Zheng, Zhongmei Zhou, Ceshi Chen*, The Fbw7 tumor suppressor targets KLF5 for ubiquitin-mediated degradation and suppresses breast cell proliferation, Cancer Research, 2010, 70(11):4728-38
7.Rong Liu, Zhongmei Zhou, Jian Huang, Ceshi Chen*, PEMPA1 promotes androgen receptor negative prostate cell proliferation through suppressing the Smad3/4-c-Myc-p21Cip1 signaling pathway, J. Pathology, 2011, 223：683-94
8.Rong Liu, Zhongmei Zhou, Dong Zhao，Ceshi Chen*, The induction of KLF5 transcription factor by progesterone contributes to progesterone-induced breast cancer cell proliferation and de-differentiation，Mol. Endocrinology, 2011, 25(7):1137-1144 (Cover)
9.Dong Zhao, Xu Zhi, Zhongmei Zhou, Ceshi Chen*, TAZ antagonizes the WWP1-mediated KLF5 degradation and promotes breast cell proliferation and tumorigenesis, Carcinogenesis, 2011, in press.