Zijun WU

Prof. Dr. Zijun WU

School of Pharmacy, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

13Years (2014-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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3 August 2022 in Nature
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Journal Article
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Eikan MishimaEikan Mishima
Eikan Mishima
JIJunya Ito
Junya Ito
Zijun WUZijun WU
Zijun WU
TNToshitaka Nakamura
Toshitaka Nakamura
AWAdam Wahida
Adam Wahida
MCMarcus Conrad
Marcus Conrad
Ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of cell death marked by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation1, has a key role in organ injury, degenerative disease and vulnerability of therapy-resistant cancers2. Although substantial progress has been made in understanding the molecular processes relevant to ferroptosis, additional cell-extrinsic and cell-intrinsic processes that determine cell sensitivity toward ferroptosis remain unknown. Here we show that the fully reduced forms of vitamin K—a group of naphthoquinones that includes menaquinone and phylloquinone3—confer a strong anti-ferroptotic function, in addition to the conventional function linked to blood clotting by acting as a cofactor for γ-glutamyl carboxylase. Ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1), a NAD(P)H-ubiquinone reductase and the second mainstay of ferroptosis control after glutathione peroxidase-44,5, was found to efficiently reduce vitamin K to its hydroquinone, a potent radical-trapping antioxidant and inhibitor of (phospho)lipid peroxidation. The FSP1-mediated reduction of vitamin K was also responsible for the antidotal effect of vitamin K against warfarin poisoning. It follows that FSP1 is the enzyme mediating warfarin-resistant vitamin K reduction in the canonical vitamin K cycle6. The FSP1-dependent non-canonical vitamin K cycle can act to protect cells against detrimental lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis.

17 August 2022 in Journal of the American Chemical Society
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Journal Article
Closed access
Zijun WUZijun WU
Zijun WU
Vinayak KhodadeVinayak Khodade
Vinayak Khodade
JCJean-Philippe R. Chauvin
Jean-Philippe R. Chauvin
DRDeborah Rodriguez
Deborah Rodriguez
John P. ToscanoJohn P. Toscano
John P. Toscano
DPDerek A. Pratt
Derek A. Pratt

19 May 2020 in Journal of the American Chemical Society
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Journal Article
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Zijun WUZijun WU
Zijun WU
DPDerek A. Pratt
Derek A. Pratt

21 June 2023 in Nature Reviews Chemistry
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Journal Article
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Zijun WUZijun WU
Zijun WU
DPDerek A. Pratt
Derek A. Pratt

28 November 2014 in Angewandte Chemie International Edition
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Journal Article
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Zijun WUZijun WU
Zijun WU
FLFangyi Li
Fangyi Li
JWJian Wang
Jian Wang

27 October 2014 in Angewandte Chemie International Edition
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Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
FLFangyi Li
Fangyi Li
Zijun WUZijun WU
Zijun WU
JWJian Wang
Jian Wang