Publications

2024

Pan, X., Zhao, Y., Li, Y., Chen, J., Zhang, W., Yang, L., Xiong, Y. Z., Ying, Y., Xu, H., Zhang, Y., Gao, C., Sun, Y., Li, N., Chen, L., Chen, Z., & Lei, K. (2024). Mitochondrial dynamics govern whole-body regeneration through stem cell pluripotency and mitonuclear balance. Nature communications, 15(1), 10681.

Chen, J., Li, Y., Wang, Y., Wang, H., Yang, J., Pan, X., Zhao, Y., Xu, H., Jiang, P., Qian, P., Wang, H., Xie, Z., & Lei, K. (2024). Fibrillarin homologs regulate translation in divergent cell lineages during planarian homeostasis and regeneration. The EMBO Journal, 10.1038/s44318-024-00315-x. Epub. 

Jing Lu, Hao Xu, Dongyue Wang, Yanlu Chen, Takeshi Inuoe, Liang Gao^# & Kai Lei^#. (2024). 3D Reconstruction of Neuronal Allometry and Neuromuscular Projections in Asexual Planarians Using Expansion Tiling Light Sheet Microscopy. eLife, 13:RP101103. 

Gao C., Shi Q., Pan X., Chen J., Zhang Y., Lang J., Wen S., Liu X., Cheng TL., Lei K. (2024). Neuromuscular organoids model spinal neuromuscular pathologies in C9orf72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Cell Reports, 43(3):113892.

Zhang W., Li X., Zhao Y., & Lei K. (2024). Protocol for culturing and functionally manipulating planarian neoblasts using SiR-DNA-based flow cytometry. STAR Protocols, 5(1), 102877. 

2023

Chen J. J., Lei K. (2023). The known, unknown, and unknown unknowns of cell-cell communication in planarian regeneration.  Zoological Research, 2023, 44(5): 981-992.

Zhao Y.^*, Gao C.^*, Pan X., Lei K. (2023). Emerging roles of mitochondria in animal regeneration. Cell Regeneration, 12(1):14.

Lei K.^*#, Zhang W.^*, Chen J., McKinney S. A., Ross E. J., Lee H. C., & Sánchez Alvarado A.^# (2023). Pluripotency retention and exogenous mRNA introduction in planarian stem cells in culture. iScience, 26(2), 106001. Cover Story 

2022

Zhang, W., Lei K. (2022). The initiation mechanism of regeneration in planarian. Chinese Journal of Cell Biology , 44(08):1447-1456.

Li, J.^*, Wang, J.^*#, Zhang, P.^*, Wang, R.^*, Mei, Y., Sun, Z., Fei, L., Jiang, M., Ma, L., E, W., Lei K., Chen J., Han X.^#, & Guo G.^# (2022). Deep learning of cross-species single-cell landscapes identifies conserved regulatory programs underlying cell types. Nature Genetics, 54(11), 1711–1720.  

2021

Zhou, D.^*, Yan, H.^*, Yang, S.^*, Zhang, Y.^*, Xu, X., Cen, X., Lei, K.^#, & Xia, H.^# (2021). SC75741, A Novel c-Abl Inhibitor, Promotes the Clearance of TDP25 Aggregates via ATG5-Dependent Autophagy Pathway. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12, 741219.  

Niu K., Xu,H., Xiong Y. Z., Zhao Y., Gao C., Seidel C. W., Pan X., Ying Y., & Lei K. (2021). Canonical and early lineage-specific stem cell types identified in planarian SirNeoblasts. Cell Regeneration, 10(1), 15.

Mohamed Haroon M., Lakshmanan,V., Sarkar S. R., Lei K., Vemula P. K.^#, & Palakodeti, D.^# (2021). Mitochondrial state determines functionally divergent stem cell population in planaria. Stem Cell Reports, 16(5), 1302–1316.  

2020

Chen Y., Li X., Zhang D., Wang,C., Feng R., Li X., Wen Y., Xu H., Zhang X. S., Yang X., Chen Y., Feng Y., Zhou B., Chen B. C., Lei K., Cai S.^#, Jia J. M.^#, & Gao L.^# (2020). A Versatile Tiling Light Sheet Microscope for Imaging of Cleared Tissues. Cell Reports, 33(5), 108349.

Yang Z.^*, Li L.^*, Ling J., Li T., Huang X., Ying Y., Zhao Y., Zhao Y., Lei K.^#,Chen L.^#, & Chen Z.^# (2020). Cyclooctatetraene-conjugated cyanine mitochondrial probes minimize phototoxicity in fluorescence and nanoscopic imaging. Chemical Science, 11(32), 8506–8516.

Before @ Westlake University

Zeng A., Li H., Guo L., Gao,X., McKinney S., Wang Y., Yu Z., Park J., Semerad C., Ross,E., Cheng L. C., Davies E., Lei K.,Wang W., Perera A., Hall K., Peak,A., Box A., & Sánchez Alvarado A. (2018). Prospectively Isolated Tetraspanin⁺ Neoblasts Are Adult Pluripotent Stem Cells Underlying Planaria Regeneration. Cell, 173(7), 1593–1608.e20.

Davies E. L., Lei K., Seidel C. W., Kroesen A. E., McKinney S. A., Guo L., Robb S. M., Ross E. J., Gotting K., & Alvarado A. S. (2017). Embryonic origin of adult stem cells required for tissue homeostasis and regeneration. eLife, 6, e21052.

Lei K.^#,Thi-Kim Vu H., Mohan R. D., McKinney S. A., Seidel C. W., Alexander R., Gotting K., Workman J. L., & Sánchez Alvarado A.^# (2016). Egf Signaling Directs Neoblast Repopulation by Regulating Asymmetric Cell Division in Planarians. Developmental Cell, 38(4), 413–429.

Lei, K., Zhu, X., Xu, R., Shao, C., Xu, T., Zhuang, Y., & Han, M. (2012). Inner nuclear envelope proteins SUN1 and SUN2 play a prominent role in the DNA damage response. Current Biology, 22(17), 1609–1615.

Yu, J.^*, Lei, K.^*, Zhou, M., Craft, C. M., Xu, G., Xu, T., Zhuang, Y., Xu, R., & Han, M. (2011). KASH protein Syne-2/Nesprin-2 and SUN proteins SUN1/2 mediate nuclear migration during mammalian retinal development. Human Molecular Genetics, 20(6), 1061–1073.

Zhang, X., Lei, K., Yuan, X., Wu, X., Zhuang, Y., Xu, T., Xu, R.^#, & Han, M.^# (2009). SUN1/2 and Syne/Nesprin-1/2 complexes connect centrosome to the nucleus during neurogenesis and neuronal migration in mice. Neuron, 64(2), 173–187.

Lei K.^*, Zhang X.^*, Ding X., Guo X., Chen M., Zhu B., Xu T., Zhuang Y., Xu R.^#, & Han M.^# (2009). SUN1 and SUN2 play critical but partially redundant roles in anchoring nuclei in skeletal muscle cells in mice. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.，106(25), 10207–10212.