Biography
Weidong obtained his PhD from the Australian National University (ANU), where he studied the regulatory mechanisms of phospholipid flippase activity during apoptosis and the role of membrane phospholipid asymmetry in host defence against malaria infection.
Weidong subsequently joined Professor Si Ming Man’s group at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU, as a Postdoctoral Fellow. His research focused on the roles of inflammasome and pyroptosis pathways in host defence against infectious diseases and cancer using genetically modified mouse models. There, he identified Clostridium septicum alpha-toxin as a key virulence factor that drives host immune responses via GPI-anchored proteins and the NLRP3 inflammasome.
Weidong is currently a Research Associate at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, working under the supervision of Professor Clare E. Bryant. His research continues to explore innate immunity, inflammasomes, and cell death in the context of infection and chronic inflammatory diseases.
Research
Dr Weidong Jing investigates the structure-function relationships of the NLRC4 inflammasome and its dysregulation in inflammatory bowel disease and autoinflammation, using CRISPR-based gene editing and advanced imaging approaches, including cryo-electron tomography and single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy. His research also examines how bacterial lipoproteins drive host inflammatory responses and cell death. He aims to identify mechanisms of inflammasome regulation with therapeutic potential.
Publications
Jing, W., Pilato, J. L., Kay, C., Feng, S., Tuipulotu, D. E., Mathur, A., Shen, C., Ngo, C., Zhao, A., Miosge, L. A., Ali, S. A., Gardiner, E. E., Awad, M. M., Lyras, D., Robertson, A. A. B., Kaakoush, N. O., & Man, S. M. (2022). Clostridium septicum a-toxin activates the NLRP3 inflammasome by engaging GPI-anchored proteins. Science Immunology, 7(71), eabm1803.
Jing, W., Yabas, M., Broer, A., Coupland, L., Gardiner, E. E., Enders, A., & Broer, S. (2019). Calpain cleaves phospholipid flippase ATP8A1 during apoptosis in platelets. Blood Advances, 3(3), 219-229.
Jing, W., † Lo Pilato, J., † Kay, C., & Man, S. M. (2021). Activation mechanisms of inflammasomes by bacterial toxins. Cellular Microbiology, 23(4), e13309. † co-first author.
Fraser, M., Jing, W., Broer, S., Kurth, F., Sander, L. E., Matuschewski, K., & Maier, A. G. (2021). Breakdown in membrane asymmetry regulation leads to monocyte recognition of P. falciparum-infected red blood cells. PLoS Pathogens, 17(2), e1009259.
Yabas, M., Jing, W., Shafik, S., Broer, S., & Enders, A. (2016). ATP11C facilitates phospholipid translocation across the plasma membrane of all leukocytes. PLoS One, 11(1), e0146774.
Feng, S. †, Enosi Tuipulotu, D. †, Pandey, A., Jing, W., Shen, C., Ngo, C., Tessema, M. B., Li, F. J., Fox, D., Mathur, A., Zhao, A., Wang, R., Pfeffer, K., Degrandi, D., Yamamoto, M., Reading, P. C., Burgio, G., & Man, S. M. (2022). Pathogen-selective killing by guanylate-binding proteins as a molecular mechanism leading to inflammasome signaling. Nature Communications, 13(1), 4395. † co-first author.
Mathur, A., †, Kay, C., †, Xue Y., Pandey A., Lee L., Jing, W., Tuipulotu, D. E., Lo Pilato, J., Feng, S., Ngo, C., Zhao, A., Shen, C., Rug M., Miosge, L. A., Atmosukarto I. I., Price J. D., Ali, S. A., Gardiner, E. E., Robertson, A. A. B., Awad, M. M., Lyras, D., Kaakoush, N. O., & Man, S. M. (2023). Clostridium perfringens virulence factors are non-redundant activators of the NLRP3 inflammasome. EMBO Reports, e54600. † co-first author.
Shen, C., Pandey, A., Enosi Tuipulotu, D., Mathur, A., Liu L., Yang H., Adikari, N. K., Ngo, C., Jing, W., Feng, S., Hao Y, Zhao, A., Kirkby, M., Kurera, M., Zhang, J., Venkataraman, S., Liu, C., Song, R., Wong, J. J., Schumann, U., Natoli, R., Wen, J., Zhang, L., Kaakoush, N. O., & Man, S. M. (2024). Inflammasome protein scaffolds the DNA damage complex during tumour development. Nature Immunology, 25(11), 2085-2096.
