I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow under the supervision of Dr Suzanne King at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Psychosocial Research Division / Mcgill University, Department of Psychiatry.
Having graduated from Shandong University of Technology in China, I served as a Biology Teacher in middle school for years. Afterwards, I completed my Master study in University of Henri Poincaré in France where I studied the Biotechnologies, Agro-resources, Food and Nutrition as well as Bio-processing, Agro-food, Nutrition and Toxicology, most researches concerned the food quality and security of humankind. For my PhD study, I completely entered into another new domain---Molecular Biology research. As a jointly trained PhD student by Institute of Immunology, National Health Laboratory, Public Research Centre in Luxembourg and Faculty of Immunology, Psychobiology, University of Trier in Germany, my PhD research direction was the transcriptional control of the human glucocorticoid receptor (GR): identification and analysis of alternative promoter regions, majoring in the gene variation and epigenetic effects on the human GR expression.
At present in Douglas Mental Health University Institute, I am performing a series of researches concerning the effect of prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) derived from natural disasters such as ice storm and flood. I am focusing on the genetic and epigenetic factors, particularly on the interaction between prenatal maternal stress and its influence on the development from infancy to adolescent.
Contact Information:
Schizophrenia and Neurodevelopment Disorders Research,
Douglas Mental Health University Institute
McGill University, Dept. of Psychiatry
Perry Pavilion, 3rd. Floor
6875 LaSalle Blvd.
Verdun (Montréal), QC
H4H 1R3 CANADA
Telephone: (514) 761-6131 ext. 3443
E-mail: lei.cao [at] mail.mcgill.ca or lei.cao [at] douglas.mcgill.ca
Publications
Cao-Lei, L., Dancause, K.N., Elgbeili, G., Laplante, D.P., Szyf, M., & King, S. (2016) Pregnant women’s cognitive appraisal of a natural disaster affects their children’s BMI and central adiposity via DNA methylation: Project Ice Storm. Early Human Development, 103, 189-192.
Cao-Lei, L., Laplante, D.P., King, S. (2016). Prenatal Maternal Stress and Epigenetic: Review of the Human Research. Current Molecular Biology Reports, 2(1), 16-25.
Cao-Lei, L., Veru, F., Elgbeili, G., Szyf, M., Laplante, D.P., King, S. (2016). DNA methylation mediates the effect of exposure to prenatal maternal stress on cytokine production in children at age 13½ years: Project Ice Storm. Clinical Epigenetics, 54(8).
Cao-Lei L, Dancause KN, Elgbeili G, Massart R, Szyf M, Liu A, Laplante DP, King S (2015) DNA methylation mediates the impact of exposure to prenatal maternal stress on BMI and central adiposity in children at age 13½ years: Project Ice Storm. Epigenetics. 2015 Aug 3;10(8):749-61.
Cao-Lei L, Elgbeili G, Massart R, Laplante DP, Szyf M, King S (2015) Pregnant women’s cognitive appraisal of a natural disaster affects DNA methylation in their children 13 years later: Project Ice Storm. Translational Psychiatry. 5:e515..
Cao-Lei L, Massart R, Suderman MJ, Machnes Z, Elgbeili G, Laplante DP, Szyf M, King S (2014) DNA methylation signatures triggered by prenatal maternal stress exposure to a natural disaster: Project Ice Storm. PLoS One. 19;9(9):e107653.
Cao-Lei L, Suwansirikul S, Jutavijittum P, Mériaux SB, Turner JD, Muller CP (2013) Glucocorticoid receptor gene expression and promoter CpG modifications throughout the human brain. J Psychiatr Res. 47(11):1597-607.
Cao-Lei L, Leija SC, Kumsta R, Wust S, Meyer J, Turner JD, Muller CP (2011) Transcriptional control of the human glucocorticoid receptor: identification and analysis of alternative promoter regions. Hum Genet 129: 533-43
Turner JD, Alt SR, Cao L, Vernocchi S, Trifonova S, Battello N, Muller CP (2010) Transcriptional control of the glucocorticoid receptor: CpG islands, epigenetics and more. Biochem Pharmacol 80: 1860-1868.
Conference Abstracts & Poster Presentations
Laplante DP, Mouallem M, Elgbeili G, Cao-Lei L, Cobham V, Brunet A, Kildea S, King S. The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene moderates the relationship between prenatal maternal stress and autism spectrum disorder symptoms: the Queensland Flood Study. Poster presentation at 2015 Canada National Perinatal Research Meeting. February 24-27, 2015, Montreal, Canada.
Cao-Lei L, Elgbeili G, Massart R, Laplante DP, Szyf M, King S. Pregnant women’s cognitive appraisal of a natural disaster affects DNA methylation in their children 13 years later: Project Ice Storm. Poster presentation at 2015 Canada National Perinatal Research Meeting. February 24-27, 2015, Montreal, Canada.
Cao-Lei L, Dancause KN, Elgbeili G, Massart R, Szyf M, Liu A, Laplante DP, King S. DNA methylation mediates the impact of exposure to prenatal maternal stress from the Quebec Ice Storm disaster on BMI and central adiposity in children at age 13½ years. Poster presentation at 2015 Canada National Perinatal Research Meeting. February 24-27, 2015, Montreal, Canada.
Cao-Lei L, Massart R, Suderman M, Machnes Z, Elgbeili G, Laplante PL, Szyf M, King S. DNA methylation signatures triggered by prenatal maternal stress exposure to a natural disaster: Project Ice Storm. Poster presentation at 1st Annual Montreal Postdoctoral Research Day. April 15, 2014, Montreal, Canada.
Cao-Lei L, Massart R, Suderman M, Machnes Z, Elgbeili G, Laplante PL, Szyf M, King S. Prenatal maternal stress from a natural disaster predicts DNA methylation signatures at age 13: Project Ice Storm. Oral presentation at the Canadian National Perinatal Research Meeting. February 13, 2014, Banff, Canada.
Cao-Lei L, Massart R, Suderman M, Machnes Z, Elgbeili G, Laplante PL, Szyf M, King S. DNA Methylation Signatures triggered by prenatal maternal exposure to a Natural Disaster: Project Ice Storm. Oral presentation at the Centre for Research in Human Development (CRDH) Conference 2014. February 7, 2014, Montreal, Canada.
Cao-Lei L, Massart R, Suderman M, Machnes Z, Elgbeili G, Laplante PL, Szyf M, King S. DNA methylation signatures of prenatal maternal exposure to a natural disaster: Project Ice Storm. Oral presentation at the 2013 Student Research Day at Douglas hospital research centre. June 3, 2013, Montreal, Canada.
Cao-Lei L, Alt SR, Leija SC, Mériaux SB, Meijer OC, Turner JD, Muller CP. Transcriptional control of the hGR: promoter 1F investigation. Poster presentation at the 10th Symposium on Catecholamines and Other Neurotransmitters in Stress. June 25-30, 2011, Smolenice, Slovakia.
Cao-Lei L, Leija SC, Kumsta R, Wust S, Meyer J, Turner JD, Muller CP. Transcriptional control of the hGR: Identification and analysis of alternative promoter regions. Oral presentation at the 7th World Congress on stress. August 25-27, 2010, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Cao-Lei L, Leija SC, Turner JD, Muller CP. Transcriptional control of the human glucocorticoid receptor. Oral presentation at the IRTG (International Research Training Group; Trier-Leiden) Autumn School “Stress to Pathology, Mechanisms to Action”. December 08-11, 2009, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
Cao-Lei L, Leija SC, Turner JD, Muller CP. Transcriptional control of the human glucocorticoid receptor. Poster presentation at the 39th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology (ISPNE). July 17-20, 2008, Dresden, Germany.