A5088817211- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Wnt/β-catenin signaling in development and cancer
- Cellular transport and secretion
- Phagocytosis and Immune Regulation
- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Hippo pathway signaling and YAP/TAZ
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Plant Molecular Biology Research
- Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
- Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
- Axon Guidance and Neuronal Signaling
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Nerve injury and regeneration
- Ion Channels and Receptors
- Calcium signaling and nucleotide metabolism
- RNA Research and Splicing
- Organic Food and Agriculture
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Extracellular vesicles in disease
- RNA regulation and disease
Cornell University
2015-2025
China West Normal University
2025
Anhui Normal University
2025
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
2023-2024
Changzhi University
2023
Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Group (China)
2023
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2011-2015
University of California, San Francisco
2011-2015
Hebei Medical University
2014
Hanalei Watershed Hui
2009
Extrinsic factors and the interactions of neurons with surrounding tissues are essential for almost every aspect neuronal development. Here we describe a strategy gene expression an independent enhancer-driven cellular marker (GEEM) studying roles cell-cell extrinsic in development Drosophila nervous system. Key to this is robust transgenic markers specific neurons. To end, have created vectors achieve bright even labeling processes, easy cloning enhancer elements, efficient flexible...
The signalling molecule Hedgehog (Hh) functions as a morphogen to pattern field of cells in animal development. Previous studies Drosophila have demonstrated that Tout-velu (Ttv), heparan sulphate polymerase, is required for Hh movement across receiving cells. However, the molecular mechanism Ttv- mediated poorly defined. We show Dally and Dally-like (Dly), two glypican members proteoglycan (HSPG) family, are substrates Ttv essential movement. embryos lacking dly activity exhibit defects...
The major heat shock protein, Hsp70, can protect against cell death by directly interfering with mitochondrial apoptosis pathways. However, Hsp70 also sensitizes cells to certain apoptotic stimuli like TNF. Little is known about how enhances apoptosis. We demonstrate here that promotes TNF killing specifically binding the coiled-coil domain of IκB kinase γ (IKKγ) inhibit IKK activity and consequently NF-κB-dependent antiapoptotic gene induction. An IKKγ mutant, which interacts competitively...
Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) have been implicated in regulating the signalling activities of secreted morphogen molecules including Wingless (Wg), Hedgehog (Hh) and Decapentaplegic (Dpp). HSPG consists a protein core to which heparan (HS) glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains are attached. The formation HS GAG is catalyzed by glycosyltransferases encoded members EXT family putative tumor suppressors linked hereditary multiple exostoses. Previous studies Drosophila demonstrated that...
Drosophila Wingless (Wg) is the founding member of Wnt family secreted proteins. During wing development, Wg acts as a morphogen whose concentration gradient provides positional cues for patterning. The molecular mechanism(s) formation not fully understood. Here, we systematically analyzed roles glypicans Dally and Dally-like protein (Dlp), receptors Frizzled (Fz) Fz2, co-receptor Arrow (Arr) in disc. We demonstrate that both Dlp are essential have different formation. specificities at least...
Dendrites of the same neuron usually avoid each other. Some neurons also repel similar through dendrite-dendrite interaction to tile receptive field. Nonoverlapping coverage based on such contact-dependent repulsion requires dendrites compete for limited space. Here we show that Drosophila class IV dendritic arborization (da) neurons, which larval body wall, grow their mainly in a 2D space extracellular matrix (ECM) secreted by epidermis. Removing neuronal integrins or blocking epidermal...
Both cell-intrinsic and extrinsic pathways govern axon regeneration, but only a limited number of factors have been identified it is not clear to what extent regeneration evolutionarily conserved. Whether dendrites also regenerate unknown. Here we report that, like the axons mammalian sensory neurons, certain Drosophila dendritic arborization (da) neurons are capable substantial in periphery CNS, activating Akt pathway enhances CNS. Moreover, those da display dendrite which cell...
Phagocytic clearance of degenerating dendrites or axons is critical for maintaining tissue homeostasis and preventing neuroinflammation. Externalized phosphatidylserine (PS) has been postulated to be an "eat-me" signal allowing recognition neurites by phagocytes. Here we show that in Drosophila, PS dynamically exposed on during developmental pruning after physical injury, but exposure suppressed when dendrite degeneration genetically blocked. Ectopic via phospholipid flippase knockout...
The Wingless (Wg)/Wnt signal transduction pathway regulates many developmental processes through a complex of Armadillo(Arm)/β-catenin and the HMG-box transcription factors Tcf family. We report identification new component, Pygopus (Pygo), that plays an essential role in Wg/Wnt pathway. show Wg signaling is diminished during embryogenesis imaginal disc development absence pygo activity. Pygo acts downstream or parallel with Arm to regulate nuclear function protein. encodes novel...
How to build and maintain a reliable yet flexible circuit is fundamental question in neurobiology. The nervous system has the capacity for undergoing modifications adapt changing environment while maintaining its stability through compensatory mechanisms, such as synaptic homeostasis. Here, we describe our findings Drosophila larval visual system, where variation of sensory inputs induced substantial structural plasticity dendritic arbors postsynaptic neuron concomitant changes physiological...
Abstract The CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system continues to push the boundaries of genetic analysis. Here, papers from Farboud, Severson, and Meyer Poe et al. describe cutting-edge advances for CRISPR use. Meyer.... Tissue-specific loss-of-function (LOF) analysis is essential characterizing function. we present a simple, yet highly efficient, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-mediated tissue-restricted mutagenesis (CRISPR-TRiM) method ablating function in...
Phagocytic clearance of degenerating neurons is triggered by “eat-me” signals exposed on the neuronal surface. The conserved eat-me signal phosphatidylserine (PS) and engulfment receptor Draper (Drpr) mediate phagocytosis in Drosophila . However, how PS recognized Drpr-expressing phagocytes vivo remains poorly understood. Using multiple models dendrite degeneration, we show that chemokine–like protein Orion can bind to responsible for detecting exposure neurons; it supplied...
Abstract Lipid shuttling between neurons and glia contributes to the development, function, stress responses of nervous system. To understand how a neuron acquires its lipid supply from specific lipoproteins their receptors, we perform combined genetic, transcriptome, biochemical analyses in developing Drosophila larval brain. Here report, astrocyte-derived secreted lipocalin Glial Lazarillo (GLaz), homolog human Apolipoprotein D (APOD), neuronal receptor, brain-specific short isoforms...
Significance Neurons develop diverse dendrite morphologies to achieve specialized functions. Certain neurons completely fill their receptive fields with evenly spaced dendrites, while others only partially occupy available space sparse dendrites. How a similar extracellular environment regulates patterning of different has been elusive. Here we show that Drosophila space-filling require epidermis-derived heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) cover the body wall, other sensory sharing same...
Neurons develop highly stereotyped receptive fields by coordinated growth of their dendrites. Although cell surface cues play a major role in this process, few dendrite specific signals have been identified to date. We conducted an vivo RNAi screen Drosophila class IV dendritic arborization (C4da) neurons and the conserved Ret receptor, known axon guidance, as important regulator development. The loss results severe defects due extracellular matrix adhesion, thus impairing within 2D plane....
After injury, severed dendrites and axons expose the "eat-me" signal phosphatidylserine (PS) on their surface while they break down. The degeneration of injured is controlled by a conserved Wallerian (WD) pathway, which thought to activate neurite self-destruction through Sarm-mediated nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD
Abstract Drosophila has been a powerful model system for biological studies due to the wide range of genetic tools established it. Among these tools, Gal4 is most abundant, offering unparalleled tissue and developmental stage specificity gene manipulation. In comparison, other reagents are far fewer in choices. Here we present toolkit converting strains into LexA Flippase transgenes through simple crosses fluorescence screening. We demonstrate proof-of-principle by ten lines that exhibit...
Musashi1 (Msi1), a member of the RNA-binding protein (RBP) family, is highly expressed in neural progenitor or stem cells for maintenance stemness as well various cancers. Emerging studies have demonstrated that it regulates cell processes by translational activation suppresses specifically bound mRNA. In present study, we initially reported remarkably increased expression Msi1 colon cancer tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. Knockdown significantly suppressed proliferation,...