Superfund Research Program

Kun Lu

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
135 Dauer Drive
0031 Michael Hooker Research Center
CB# 7431
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
Phone: 919-966-7337
Email: kunlu@unc.edu

Projects

• University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill: Chemistry and Analytical Core (CAC) (2020-2025)
• University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill: Gut Microbiome-Arsenic-Diabetes Interactions (2020-2025)

Research Briefs

• 334 - Disentangling Relationships Between Arsenic and the Gut Microbiome

Publications

2024

• Wang J, Takyi N, Hsiao Y, Tang Q, Chen Y, Liu C, Ma JF, Qi R, Bian K, Peng Z, Essigmann JM, Lu K, Wetmore S, Li D. 2024. Stable interstrand cross-links generated from the repair of 1,N(6)-ethenoadenine in DNA by α-ketoglutarate/Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenase ALKBH2. J Am Chem Soc 146(15):10381-10392. doi:10.1021/jacs.3c12890 PMID:38573229

2023

• Hsiao Y, Johnson G, Yang Y, Liu C, Feng J, Zhao H, Moy SS, Harper KM, Lu K. 2023. Evaluation of neurological behavior alterations and metabolic changes in mice under chronic glyphosate exposure. Arch Toxicol doi:10.1007/s00204-023-03622-0 PMID:37922104
• Hsiao Y, Liu C, Yang Y, Feng J, Zhao H, Lu K. 2023. DNA damage and the gut microbiome: From mechanisms to disease outcomes. DNA 3(1):13-32. doi:10.3390/dna3010002
• Hsiao Y, Matulewicz RS, Sherman SE, Jaspers I, Weitzman ML, Gordon T, Liu C, Yang Y, Lu K, Bjurlin MA. 2023. Untargeted metabolomics to characterize the urinary chemical landscape of e-cigarette users. Chem Res Toxicol 36(4):630-642. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrestox.2c00346 PMID:36912507 PMCID:PMC10371198
• Ji M, Xu X, Xu Q, Hsiao Y, Martin C, Ukraintseva S, Popov V, Arbeev KG, Randall TA, Wu X, Garcia-Peterson LM, Liu J, Xu X, Azcarte-Peril MA, Wan Y, Yashin AI, Anantharaman K, Lu K, Li J, Shats I, Li X. 2023. Methionine restriction-induced sulfur deficiency impairs antitumour immunity partially through gut microbiota. Nat Metab doi:10.1038/s42255-023-00854-3 PMID:37537369
• Yang Y, Chi L, Liu C, Hsiao Y, Lu K. 2023. Chronic arsenic exposure perturbs gut microbiota and bile acid homeostasis in mice. Chem Res Toxicol 36(7):1037-1043. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrestox.2c00410 PMID:37295807
• Yang Y, Hsiao Y, Liu C, Lu K. 2023. The role of nuclear receptor FXR in arsenic-induced glucose intolerance in mice. Toxics 11(10):833. doi:10.3390/toxics11100833 PMID:37888683 PMCID:PMC10611046

2022

• Avery CL, Howard AG, Ballou AF, Buchanan VL, Collins JM, Downie CG, Engel SM, Graff M, Highland HM, Lee MP, Lilly AG, Lu K, Rager JE, Staley BS, North KE, Gordon-Larsen P. 2022. Strengthening Causal Inference in Exposomics Research: Application of Genetic Data and Methods. Environ Health Perspect 130(5):55001. doi:10.1289/EHP9098 PMID:35533073 PMCID:PMC9084332
• Chao A, Grossman J, Carberry C, Lai Y, Williams AJ, Minucci JM, Purucker ST, Szilagyi JT, Lu K, Boggess K, Fry RC, Sobus JR, Rager JE. 2022. Integrative exposomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic analyses of human placental samples links understudied chemicals to preeclampsia. Environ Int 167:107385. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2022.107385 PMID:35952468 PMCID:PMC9552572
• Griggs JL, Chi L, Hanley NM, Kohan M, Herbin-Davis K, Thomas DJ, Lu K, Fry RC, Bradham KD. 2022. Bioaccessibility of arsenic from contaminated soils and alteration of the gut microbiome in an in vitro gastrointestinal model. Environ Pollut 309:doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119753 PMID:35835276
• Hsiao Y, Liu C, Robinette C, Knight N, Lu K, Rebuli ME. 2022. Development of LC-HRMS untargeted analysis methods for nasal epithelial lining fluid exposomics. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol doi:10.1038/s41370-022-00448-3
• Lai Y, Dhingra R, Zhang Z, Ball LM, Zylka MJ, Lu K. 2022. Toward elucidating the human gut microbiota-brain axis: molecules, biochemistry, and implications for health and diseases. Biochemistry 61(24):2806-2821. doi:10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00656 PMID:34910469
• Pollard JA, Furutani E, Liu S, Esrick E, Cohen LE, Bledsoe J, Liu C, Lu K, Ramirez de Haro MJ, Surralles J, Malsch M, Kuniholm A, Galvin A, Armant M, Kim AS, Ballotti K, Moreau L, Zhou Y, Babushok D, Boulad F, Carroll C, Hartung H, Hont A, Nakano T, Olson T, Sze S, Thompson AA, Wlodarski MW, Gu X, Libermann TA, D'Andrea A, Grompe M, Weller E, Shimamura A. 2022. Metformin for treatment of cytopenias in children and young adults with Fanconi anemia. Blood Adv 6(12):3803-3811. doi:10.1182/bloodadvances.2021006490 PMID:35500223
• Tu P, Chi L, Bian X, Gao B, Ru H, Lu K. 2022. A black raspberry-rich diet protects from dextran sulfate sodium-induced intestinal inflammation and host metabolic perturbation in association with increased aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands in the gut microbiota of mice. Front Nutr 9:doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.842298 PMID:35734371 PMCID:PMC9208328

2021

• Beaudry MS, Wang J, Kieran T, Thomas J, Bayona-Vasquez NJ, Gao B, Devault A, Brunelle B, Lu K, Wang J, Rhodes O, Glenn TC. 2021. Improved microbial community characterization of 16S rRNA via metagenome hybridization capture enrichment. Front Microbiol doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.644662 PMID:33986735 PMCID:PMC8110821
• Chi L, Tu P, Ru H, Lu K. 2021. Studies of xenobiotic-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis: From correlation to mechanisms. Gut Microbes 13:19. doi:10.1080/19490976.2021.1921912 PMID:34313531 PMCID:PMC8346244
• Douillet C, Ji J, Meenakshi IL, Lu K, Pardo-Manuel de Villena F, Fry RC, Styblo M. 2021. Diverse genetic backgrounds play a prominent role in the metabolic phenotype of CC021/Unc and CC027/GeniUNC mice exposed to inorganic arsenic. Toxicology 452:152696. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2021.152696 PMID:33524430 PMCID:PMC7914223
• Lai Y, Liu C, Chi L, Ru H, Lu K. 2021. High-resolution metabolomics of 50 neurotransmitters and tryptophan metabolites in feces, serum, and brain tissues using UHPLC-ESI-Q exactive mass spectrometry. ACS Omega doi:10.1021/acsomega.0c05789 PMID:33817468 PMCID:PMC8014936
• Lai Y, Liu C, Yang Y, Hsiao Y, Ru H, Lu K. 2021. High-coverage metabolomics uncovers microbiota-driven biochemical landscape of interorgan transport and gut-brain communication in mice. Nat Commun 12(1):6000. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26209-8 PMID:34667167 PMCID:PMC8526691
• Manuck TA, Lai Y, Ru H, Glover AV, Rager JE, Fry RC, Lu K. 2021. Metabolites from mid-trimester plasma of pregnant patients at high-risk for preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol 3(4):doi:10.1016/j.ajogmf.2021.100393 PMID:33991707 (ahead of print)
• van der Lelie D, Oka A, Taghavi S, Umeno J, Fan T, Merrell KE, Watson SD, Ouellette L, Liu B, Awoniyi M, Lai Y, Chi L, Lu K, Henry CS, Sartor RB. 2021. Rationally designed bacterial consortia to treat chronic immune-mediated colitis and restore intestinal homeostasis. Nat Commun 12:3105. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-23460-x PMID:34050144
• Xue J, Chi L, Tu P, Lai Y, Liu C, Ru H, Lu K. 2021. Detection of gut microbiota and pathogen produced N-acyl homoserine in host circulation and tissues. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 7(1):53. doi:10.1038/s41522-021-00224-5 PMID:34183673 PMCID:PMC8239043
• Yang Y, Chi L, Lai Y, Hsiao Y, Ru H, Lu K. 2021. The gut microbiome and arsenic-induced disease-iAs metabolism in mice. Curr Environ Health Rep 8(2):doi:10.1007/s40572-021-00305-9 PMID:33852125 (ahead of print)

2020

• Hsiao Y, Liu C, Chi L, Yang Y, Lu K. 2020. Effects of gut microbiome on carcinogenic DNA damage. Chem Res Toxicol 33:2130-2138. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00142 PMID:32677427
• Rager JE, Bangma J, Carberry C, Chao A, Grossman J, Lu K, Manuck TA, Sobus JR, Szilagyi JT, Fry RC. 2020. Review of the environmental prenatal exposome and its relationship to maternal and fetal health. Reprod Toxicol 98:1-12. doi:10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.02.004 PMID:32061676 PMCID:PMC7442624

2019

• Haschek-Hock WM, Berenbaum M, Hinton DE, Cora MC, Chernoff N, Travios G, Liu C, Lu K, Law M. 2019. Pathology in ecological research with implications for one health: session summary. Toxicol Pathol 47:1072-1075. doi:10.1177/0192623319880530 PMID:31645202 PMCID:PMC6910945

2018

• Wu F, Chi L, Ru H, Parvez F, Slavkovich VN, Eunus M, Ahmed A, Islam T, Rakibuz-Zaman M, Hasan R, Sarwar G, Graziano JH, Ahsan H, Lu K, Chen Y. 2018. Arsenic exposure from drinking water and urinary metabolomics: Associations and long-term reproducibility in Bangladesh adults. Environ Health Perspect 126(1):017005. doi:10.1289/ehp1992 PMID:29329102 PMCID:PMC6014710

2014

• Nakamura J, Mutlu E, Sharma V, Collins LB, Bodnar WM, Yu R, Lai Y, Moeller BC, Lu K, Swenberg JA. 2014. The endogenous exposome. DNA Repair (Amst) 19:3-13. doi:10.1016/j.dnarep.2014.03.031 PMID:24767943 PMCID:PMC4097170

2013

• Swenberg JA, Moeller BC, Lu K, Rager JE, Fry RC, Starr TB. 2013. Formaldehyde carcinogenicity research: 30 years and counting for mode of action, epidemiology, and cancer risk assessment. Toxicol Pathol 41(2):181-189. doi:10.1177/0192623312466459 PMID:23160431 PMCID:PMC3893912

2012

• Lu K, Craft S, Nakamura J, Moeller BC, Swenberg JA. 2012. Use of LC-MS/MS and stable isotopes to differentiate hydroxymethyl and methyl DNA adducts from formaldehyde and nitrosodimethylamine. Chem Res Toxicol 25(3):664-675. doi:10.1021/tx200426b PMID:22148432 PMCID:PMC3307879
• Lu K, Gul H, Upton PB, Moeller BC, Swenberg JA. 2012. Formation of hydroxymethyl DNA adducts in rats orally exposed to stable isotope labeled methanol. Toxicol Sci 126(1):28-38. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfr328 PMID:22157354 PMCID:PMC3289495

2011

• Lu K, Moeller BC, Doyle-Eisele M, McDonald JD, Swenberg JA. 2011. Molecular dosimetry of N2-hydroxymethyl-dG DNA adducts in rats exposed to formaldehyde. Chem Res Toxicol 24(2):159-161. doi:10.1021/tx1003886 PMID:21155545 PMCID:PMC3128468
• Moeller BC, Lu K, Doyle-Eisele M, McDonald JD, Gigliotti A, Swenberg JA. 2011. Determination of N2-hydroxymethyl-dG adducts in the nasal epithelium and bone marrow of nonhuman primates following 13CD2-formaldehyde inhalation exposure. Chem Res Toxicol 24(2):162-164. doi:10.1021/tx1004166 PMID:21222454 PMCID:PMC3273041
• Swenberg JA, Lu K, Moeller BC, Gao L, Upton PB, Nakamura J, Starr TB. 2011. Endogenous versus exogenous DNA adducts: their role in carcinogenesis, epidemiology, and risk assessment. Toxicol Sci 120(suppl1):S130-S145. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfq371 PMID:21163908 PMCID:PMC3043087

2010

• Lu K, Collins LB, Ru H, Bermudez E, Swenberg JA. 2010. Distribution of DNA adducts caused by inhaled formaldehyde is consistent with induction of nasal carcinoma but not Leukemia. Toxicol Sci 116(2):441-451. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfq061 PMID:20176625 PMCID:PMC2905397
• Lu K, Ye W, Zhou L, Collins LB, Chen X, Gold A, Ball LM, Swenberg JA. 2010. Structural characterization of formaldehyde-induced cross-links between amino acids and deoxynucleosides and their oligomers. J Am Chem Soc 132(10):3388-3399. doi:10.1021/ja908282f PMID:20178313 PMCID:PMC2866014

2009

• Ye W, Gold A, Ball LM, Swenberg JA, Lu K. 2009. Formation of S-[1-(N2-deoxyguanosinyl)methyl]glutathione between glutathione and DNA induced by formaldehyde. J Am Chem Soc 131(10):3414-3415. doi:10.1021/ja808048c PMID:19239220 PMCID:PMC3277947

2008

• Lu K, Boysen G, Swenberg JA, Gao L, Collins LB. 2008. Formaldehyde-induced histone modifications in vitro. Chem Res Toxicol 21(8):1586-1593. doi:10.1021/tx8000576 PMID:18656964