Sili Fan

Dr. Sili Fan


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

8Years (2019-Present)

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

Representative Publications

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22 May 2019 in Metabolites
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
DBDinesh Barupal
Dinesh Barupal
Ying ZhangYing Zhang
Ying Zhang
TSTong Shen
Tong Shen
SFSili Fan
Sili Fan
BRBryan S. Roberts
Bryan S. Roberts
Oliver FiehnOliver Fiehn
Oliver Fiehn
Mouse knockouts facilitate the study ofgene functions. Often, multiple abnormal phenotypes are induced when a gene is inactivated. The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) has generated thousands of mouse knockouts and catalogued their phenotype data. We have acquired metabolomics data from 220 plasma samples from 30 unique mouse gene knockouts and corresponding wildtype mice from the IMPC. To acquire comprehensive metabolomics data, we have used liquid chromatography (LC) combined with mass spectrometry (MS) for detecting polar and lipophilic compounds in an untargeted approach. We have also used targeted methods to measure bile acids, steroids and oxylipins. In addition, we have used gas chromatography GC-TOFMS for measuring primary metabolites. The metabolomics dataset reports 832 unique structurally identified metabolites from 124 chemical classes as determined by ChemRICH software. The GCMS and LCMS raw data files, intermediate and finalized data matrices, R-Scripts, annotation databases, and extracted ion chromatograms are provided in this data descriptor. The dataset can be used for subsequent studies to link genetic variants with molecular mechanisms and phenotypes.

8 June 2023 in JCI Insight
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
AAArmin Ahmadi
Armin Ahmadi
GBGwenaelle Begue
Gwenaelle Begue
AVAna Patricia Valencia
Ana Patricia Valencia
JNJennifer Elise Norman
Jennifer Elise Norman
BLBenjamin Lidgard
Benjamin Lidgard
BRBaback Roshanravan
Baback Roshanravan
Background: Current studies suggest mitochondrial dysfunction is a major contributor to impaired physical performance and exercise intolerance in chronic kidney disease (CKD). We conducted a clinical trial of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and nicotinamide riboside (NR) to determine their impact on exercise tolerance and metabolic profile in patients with CKD. Methods: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial comparing CoQ10, NR, and placebo in 25 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of less than 60mL/min/1.73 m 2 . Participants received NR (1,000 mg/day), CoQ10 (1,200 mg/day), or placebo for 6 weeks each. The primary outcomes were aerobic capacity measured by peak rate of oxygen consumption (VO 2 peak) and work efficiency measured using graded cycle ergometry testing. We performed semitargeted plasma metabolomics and lipidomics. Results: Participant mean age was 61.0 ± 11.6 years and mean eGFR was 36.9 ± 9.2 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . Compared with placebo, we found no differences in VO 2 peak ( P = 0.30, 0.17), total work ( P = 0.47, 0.77), and total work efficiency ( P = 0.46, 0.55) after NR or CoQ10 supplementation. NR decreased submaximal VO 2 at 30 W ( P = 0.03) and VO 2 at 60 W ( P = 0.07) compared with placebo. No changes in eGFR were observed after NR or CoQ10 treatment ( P = 0.14, 0.88). CoQ10 increased free fatty acids and decreased complex medium- and long-chain triglycerides. NR supplementation significantly altered TCA cycle intermediates and glutamate that were involved in reactions that exclusively use NAD + and NADP + as cofactors. NR decreased a broad range of lipid groups including triglycerides and ceramides. Conclusions: Six weeks of treatment with NR or CoQ10 improved markers of systemic mitochondrial metabolism and lipid profiles but did not improve VO 2 peak or total work efficiency. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03579693. Funding: National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (grants R01 DK101509, R03 DK114502, R01 DK125794, and R01 DK101509).

4 January 2022 in Nutrients
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
LSLukasz Szczerbinski
Lukasz Szczerbinski
GWGladys Wojciechowska
Gladys Wojciechowska
AOAdam Jan Olichwier
Adam Jan Olichwier
MTMark Taylor
Mark Taylor
UPUrszula Puchta
Urszula Puchta
AKAdam Krętowski
Adam Krętowski
Obesity rates among children are growing rapidly worldwide, placing massive pressure on healthcare systems. Untargeted metabolomics can expand our understanding of the pathogenesis of obesity and elucidate mechanisms related to its symptoms. However, the metabolic signatures of obesity in children have not been thoroughly investigated. Herein, we explored metabolites associated with obesity development in childhood. Untargeted metabolomic profiling was performed on fasting serum samples from 27 obese Caucasian children and adolescents and 15 sex- and age-matched normal-weight children. Three metabolomic assays were combined and yielded 726 unique identified metabolites: gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HILIC LC–MS/MS), and lipidomics. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed clear discrimination between the untargeted metabolomes of obese and normal-weight children, with 162 significantly differentially expressed metabolites between groups. Children with obesity had higher concentrations of branch-chained amino acids and various lipid metabolites, including phosphatidylcholines, cholesteryl esters, triglycerides. Thus, an early manifestation of obesity pathogenesis and its metabolic consequences in the serum metabolome are correlated with altered lipid metabolism. Obesity metabolite patterns in the adult population were very similar to the metabolic signature of childhood obesity. Identified metabolites could be potential biomarkers and used to study obesity pathomechanisms.

24 April 2020 in Metabolites
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
SFSili Fan
Sili Fan
MSMuhammad Shahid
Muhammad Shahid
PJPeng Jin
Peng Jin
AAArash Asher
Arash Asher
JKJayoung Kim
Jayoung Kim
Breast cancer (BC) is a major global health issue and remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women, contributing to approximately 41,760 deaths annually. BC is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Although various molecular diagnostic tools have been developed to improve diagnosis of BC in the clinical setting, better detection tools for earlier diagnosis can improve survival rates. Given that altered metabolism is a characteristic feature of BC, we aimed to understand the comparative metabolic differences between BC and healthy controls. Metabolomics, the study of metabolism, can provide incredible insight and create useful tools for identifying potential BC biomarkers. In this study, we applied two analytical mass spectrometry (MS) platforms, including hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and gas chromatography (GC), to generate BC-associated metabolic profiles using breast tissue from BC patients. These metabolites were further analyzed to identify differentially expressed metabolites in BC and their associated metabolic networks. Additionally, Chemical Similarity Enrichment Analysis (ChemRICH), MetaMapp, and Metabolite Set Enrichment Analysis (MSEA) identified significantly enriched clusters and networks in BC tissues. Since metabolomic signatures hold significant promise in the clinical setting, more effort should be placed on validating potential BC biomarkers based on identifying altered metabolomes.

26 April 2019 in Metabolites
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Bei GaoBei Gao
Bei Gao
HLHui-Wen Lue
Hui-Wen Lue
JPJennifer Podolak
Jennifer Podolak
SFSili Fan
Sili Fan
Ying ZhangYing Zhang
Ying Zhang
GTGeorge V Thomas
George V Thomas
As the most common cancer in men, prostate cancer is molecularly heterogeneous. Contributing to this heterogeneity are the poorly understood metabolic adaptations of the two main types of prostate cancer, i.e., adenocarcinoma and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNC), the latter being more aggressive and lethal. Using transcriptomics, untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics profiling on LASCPC-01 (prostate SCNC) and LNCAP (prostate adenocarcinoma) cell lines, we found significant differences in the cellular phenotypes of the two cell lines. Gene set enrichment analysis on the transcriptomics data showed 62 gene sets were upregulated in LASCPC-01, while 112 gene sets were upregulated in LNCAP. ChemRICH analysis on metabolomics and lipidomics data revealed a total of 25 metabolite clusters were significantly different. LASCPC-01 exhibited a higher glycolytic activity and lower levels of triglycerides, while the LNCAP cell line showed increases in one-carbon metabolism as an exit route of glycolytic intermediates and a decrease in carnitine, a mitochondrial lipid transporter. Our findings pinpoint differences in prostate neuroendocrine carcinoma versus prostate adenocarcinoma that could lead to new therapeutic targets in each type.

13 August 2023 in Metabolites
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Ying ZhangYing Zhang
Ying Zhang
SFSili Fan
Sili Fan
GWGert Wohlgemuth
Gert Wohlgemuth
Oliver FiehnOliver Fiehn
Oliver Fiehn
Large-scale metabolomics assays are widely used in epidemiology for biomarker discovery and risk assessments. However, systematic errors introduced by instrumental signal drifting pose a big challenge in large-scale assays, especially for derivatization-based gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Here, we compare the results of different normalization methods for a study with more than 4000 human plasma samples involved in a type 2 diabetes cohort study, in addition to 413 pooled quality control (QC) samples, 413 commercial pooled plasma samples, and a set of 25 stable isotope-labeled internal standards used for every sample. Data acquisition was conducted across 1.2 years, including seven column changes. In total, 413 pooled QC (training) and 413 BioIVT samples (validation) were used for normalization comparisons. Surprisingly, neither internal standards nor sum-based normalizations yielded median precision of less than 30% across all 563 metabolite annotations. While the machine-learning-based SERRF algorithm gave 19% median precision based on the pooled quality control samples, external cross-validation with BioIVT plasma pools yielded a median 34% relative standard deviation (RSD). We developed a new method: systematic error reduction by denoising autoencoder (SERDA). SERDA lowered the median standard deviations of the training QC samples down to 16% RSD, yielding an overall error of 19% RSD when applied to the independent BioIVT validation QC samples. This is the largest study on GC–MS metabolomics ever reported, demonstrating that technical errors can be normalized and handled effectively for this assay. SERDA was further validated on two additional large-scale GC–MS-based human plasma metabolomics studies, confirming the superior performance of SERDA over SERRF or sum normalizations.