Dr. Wei Cao

Department of Immunology

Univ. of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, USA

Email: wcao@mdanderson.org   

Qualifications
1999   Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular Virology & Immunology, Scripps Research Institute, USA

1995   Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

1991   Bachelor of Science, Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Publications(Selected)

1. Di Domizio J, Zhang R, Stagg LJ, Gagea M, Zhuo M, Ladbury JE, and Cao W., “Binding with Nucleic Acids or Glycosaminoglycans Converts Soluble Protein Oligomers to Amyloid”, J Biol Chem, Vol. 287, pp. 736-747, January 2012.
2. Esashi E, Bao M, Y-H, Cao, W., Liu, Y-J, “PACSIN1 Regulates the TLR7/9-mediated Type I Interferon Response in Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells”,  Eur J Immunol  DOI: 10.1002/eji.201142045, ePub December 2011. 
3. Hanabuchi S, Ito T, Park WR, Watanabe N, Shaw JL, Roman E, Arima K, Wang YH, Voo KS, Cao W, Liu YJ, “Thymic stromal lymphopoietin-activated plasmacytoid dendritic cells induce the generation of FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in human thymus”, J Immunol., Vol. 184, pp. 2999-3007, March 2010. 
4. Cao W, Bover L., “Signaling and ligand interaction of ILT7: receptor-mediated regulatory mechanisms for plasmacytoid dendritic cells”, Immunol Rev., Vol. 234, pp. 163-76, March 2010. 
5. Cao W, Bover L, Cho M, Wen X, Hanabuchi S, Bao M, Rosen DB, Wang Y-H, Shaw JL, Du Q, Li C, Arai N, Yao Z, Lanier LL & Liu Y-J, “Regulation of TLR7/9 Responses in Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells by BST2 and ILT7 Receptor Interaction”, J. Exp. Med, Vol. 206, pp. 1603-14, July 2009.
6. Cao W., “Molecular Characterization of Human Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells”, J Clin Immunol. Vol. 29, pp. 257-64, May 2009. 
7. Gilliet M*, Cao W*, and Liu Y-J, “Plasmacytoid dendritic cells: sensing nucleic acids in viral infection and autoimmune diseases”, Nat Rev Imm, Vol. 8, pp. 594-606, August 2008. (* equal contribution) 
8. Cao W., “Innate Immune Activation and Regulation of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells” in New Research on Innate Immunity (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.), July 2008.
9. Rosen DB, Cao W, Avery DT, Tangye SG, Liu Y-J, Houchins JP, Lanier LL  Functional consequences of interactions between human NKR-P1A and its ligand LLT1 expressed on activated dendritic cells and B cells. J. Immnol. 180: 6508 – 6517, March 2008. 
10. Lande R, Gregorio J, Facchinetti V, Chatterjee B, Wang Y-H, Homey B, Cao W, Wang Y-H, Su B, Nestle FO, Zal T, Mellman I, Schroder J-M, Liu Y-J, Gilliet M, “Plasmacytoid dendritic cells sense self-DNA coupled with an antimicrobial peptide”, Nature, Vol. 449, pp. 564-9, October 2007. 
11. Cao W, Zhang L, Rosen DB, Bover L, RIα Complex Signals throughgWatanabe G, Bao M, Lanier LL, Liu Y-J, “BDCA2 and Fc a Novel BCR-like Pathway in Human Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells”, PLoS Biology, Vol. 5, e248, pp. 2190-2200, September 2007. 
12. Cao W, Liu YJ., “Innate immune functions of plasmacytoid dendritic cells”, Curr Opin Immunol. Vol. 18, pp. 1-7, February 2007. 
13. Cao W, Rosen DB, Ito T, Bover L, Bao M, Watanabe G, Zhang L, Lanier LL, Liu Y-J, “Plasmacytoid Dendritic RIα Inhibits Toll-Like Receptor-InducedgCell-Specific Receptor ILT7/Fc Interferon Production”, J. Exp. Med., Vol. 203, pp. 1399-1405, June 2006. 
14. Cao W, Liu Y-J, “Osteopontin: a new player in regulating IFN-response of pDC”, Nat Immunol. Vol. 7, pp. 441-443, May 2006. 
15. Hanabuchi S, Watanabe N, Ito T, Wang YH, Wang YH, Cao W, Qin FX-F, Liu Y-J, “Plasmacytoid pre-dendritic cells activate NK cells through GITR-ligand”, Blood, Vol. 107, pp. 3617-23, May 2006. 
16. Ito T, Kanzler H, Duramad O, Cao W, Liu Y-J, “Specialization, kinetics, and repertoire of type 1 interferon responses by human plasmacytoid predendritic cells”, Blood, Vol. 107, pp. 2423-31, March 2006. 
17. Ito T, Wang Y-H, Duramad O, Toshiyuki H, Delespesse GJ, Qin FX-F, Yao Z, Cao W, Liu Y-J, “TSLP-activated dendritic cells induce an inflammatory T helper type 2 cell response through OX40 ligand”, J. Exp. Med., Vol. 202, pp. 1213-1223, November 2005. 
18. Watanabe N, Wang Y-H, Lee HK, Ito T, Wang Y-H, Cao W, Liu Y-J, “Hassall's corpuscles instruct dendritic cells to induce CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in human thymus”, Nature, Vol. 436, pp. 1181-5, August 2005. 
19. Smelt SC, Borrow P, Kunz S, Cao W, Tishon A, Henry MD, Campbell K, Oldstone MBA, “Differences in affinity of binding of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus isolates to the cellular receptor α-dystroglycan correlate with viral tropism and disease kinetics”, J Virol., Vol. 75, pp. 448-57, January 2001. 
20. Cao W, Henry MD, Borrow P, Yamada H, Elder YJ, Campbell KP, Oldstone MBA,   “Isolation of a cellular receptor for Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus and Lassa Fever Virus, Emergence and control of rodent-borne viral diseases” in Emergence and Control of Rodent-Borne Viral Diseases (Elsevier), pp. 225-231, December 1999.
21. Cao W, Henry MD, Borrow P, Yamada H, Elder JH, Ravkov EV, Nichol ST, Compans RW, Campbell KP, Oldstone MBA, “Identification of α-dystroglycan as a receptor for Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus and Lassa Fever Virus”, Science, Vol. 282: pp. 2079-208, December 1998.