Yan Zhou, MD/PhD
Professor & Executive Director
Medical Research Institute/Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism
Wuhan University
Tel: 86-27-68756689
E-mail: yan.zhou@whu.edu.cn
AREA OF INETEREST
Brain development and related diseases
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION
The six-layer structure of the cerebral cortex (neocortex) of the brain is amazingly complex. We explore the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing the precise generation of cellular components of the neocortex by neural progenitor cells, with emphasis on roles of histone modifications, long non-coding RNAs and cis-regulatory elements in transcriptional regulation. Our findings have implications in understanding pathogenesis of neurological disorders including autism, intellectual disability, neural degeneration and glioma.
EDUCATION AND APPOINTMENTS
2017-present Professor, Executive Director (2019.11 -), Medical Research Institute/ Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University
2011-2017 Professor, Chair of Department of Cell Biology (2015-2017), College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University
2007-2010 Associate Research Scientist, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University
2002-2007 Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University
2000-2002 M.D. Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
1997-2000 Ph.D. Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
1991-1997 B.S. Tongji Medical College, Wuhan, China
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Wang J#, Wang A#, Tian K, Hua X, Zhang B, Zheng Y, Kong X, Li W, Xu L, Wang J, Li Z, Liu Y*, Zhou Y* (2022) A Ctnnb1 enhancer regulates neocortical neurogenesis by controlling the abundance of intermediate progenitors. Cell Discovery 8:74, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41421-022-00421-2
2. Wang F#, Liu X#, Li S, Zhao C, Sun Y, Tian K, Wang J, Li W, Xu L, Jing J, Wang J, Evans SM, Li Z*, Liu Y*, Zhou Y* (2022). Resolving the lineage relationship between malignant cells and vascular cells in glioblastomas. Protein & Cell, pwac006, https://doi.org/10.1093/procel/pwac006
3. Wang A#, Wang J#, Tian K, Huo D, Ye H, Zhao C, Zhang B, Zheng Y, Xu L, Hua X, Wang K, Wu QF, Wu X, Zeng T*, Liu Y*, Zhou Y* (2021) An epigenetic circuit controls neurogenic programs during neocortex development, Development, 148 (22): dev199772
4. Xu L, Zheng Y, Li X, Wang A, Huo D, Li Q, Wang S, Luo Z, Liu Y, Xu F, Wu X, Wu M*, Zhou Y* (2021) Abnormal neocortex arealization and Sotos-like syndrome–associated behavior in Setd2 mutant mice, Science Advances, 7(1): eaba1180
5. Tian K#, Wang A#, Wang J, Li W, Shen W, Li Y, Luo Z, Liu Y*, Zhou Y* (2020) Transcriptome Analysis Identifies SenZfp536, a Sense LncRNA That Suppresses Self-Renewal of Cortical Neural Progenitors, Neuroscience Bulletin, 37(2):183-200
6. Sun X, Peng X, Cao Y, Zhou Y, Sun Y* (2020) ADNP promotes neural differentiation by modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling, Nature Communications, doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16799-0
7. Li W#, Shen W#, Zhang B, Tian K, Li Y, Mu L, Luo Z, Zhong X, Wu X, Liu Y*, Zhou Y* (2020) Long non-coding RNA LncKdm2b regulates cortical neuronal differentiation by cis-activating Kdm2b, Protein & Cell, 11(3):161-186 (cover story)
8. Luo, Z#, Mu L#, Zheng Y, Shen W, Li J, Xu L, Zhong B, Liu Y*, Zhou Y* (2019) NUMB enhances Notch signaling by repressing ubiquitination of NOTCH intracellular domain, Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, 12(5):345-358
9. Liu Y, Zhou Q, Zhong L, Lin H, Hu MM, Zhou Y*, Shu HB*, Li S* (2018) ZDHHC11 modulates innate immune response to DNA virus by mediating MITA-IRF3 association, Cellular and Molecular Immunology, 5(10):907-916
10. Dong F, Li Q, Yang C, Huo D, Wang X, Ai C, Kong Y, Sun X, Wang W, Zhou Y, Liu X, Li W, Gao W, Liu W, Kang C, Wu X* (2018) PRMT2 links histone H3R8 asymmetric dimethylation to oncogenic activation and tumorigenesis of glioblastoma. Nature Communications, 9(1):4552
11. Wang A#, Wang J#, Liu Y*, Zhou Y* (2017) Mechanisms of long non-coding RNAs in the assembly and plasticity of neural circuitry, Frontiers in Neural Circuits, 11:76
12. Li Y#, Wang W#, Wang F, Wu Q, Li W, Zhong X, Tian K, Zeng T, Gao L, Liu Y, Li S, Jiang X, Du G, Zhou Y* (2017) Paired related homeobox 1 transactivates dopamine D2 receptor to maintain propagation and tumorigenicity of glioma-initiating cells, Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, 9(4):302-314
13. Zhong X, Liu X, Li Y, Cheng M, Wang W, Tian K, Mu L, Zeng T, Liu Y, Jiang X, Gao L, Zhou Y* (2016) HMGA2 promotes self-renewal and invasiveness of glioma-initiating cells, Oncotarget, 7(28): 44365-44380.
14. Cheng M#, Jin X#, Mu L, Wang F, Li W, Zhong X, Liu X, Shen W, Liu Y*, Zhou Y* (2016) Combination of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated 9 technique with the piggybac transposon system for mouse in utero electroporation to study cortical development. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 94(9): 814-824. (cover story)
15. Zhou Y* (2012). Cortical development and asymmetric cell division. Frontiers in Biology, 7(4): 297-306.
16. Zhou Y, Atkins J, Rompani S, Bancescu D, Tang H, Petersen P, Zou K, Stewart S, Zhong W* (2007). The mammalian Golgi regulates Numb signaling in asymmetric cell division by releasing ACBD3 during mitosis. Cell, 129 (1): 163-78 (highlighted in F1000)
17. Zhou Y#, Du G#, Hu X, Yu S, Liu Y, Xu Y, Huang X, Liu J, Yin B, Fan M, Peng X, Qiang B, Yuan J* (2005). Nectin-like molecule 1 is a protein 4.1 N associated protein and recruits protein 4.1N from cytoplasm to the plasma membrane. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta-Biomembranes, 1669(2): 142-54.
18. Tang H, Rompani S B, Atkins J B, Zhou Y, Osterwalder T, and Zhong W* (2005). Numb Proteins Specify Asymmetric Cell Fates via an Endocytosis- and Proteasome-Independent Pathway. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 25: 2899-2909.
19. Zhou Y, Hu S, Huang X, Zhou H, Tan X, Peng X, Qiang B, Yuan J* (2002). Construction of human and mouse brain cDNA libraries and isolation of full-length cDNAs. Progress in Natural Science, 12(6): 477-480.
20. Wang J, Zhou Y, Yin B, Du G, Huang X, Li G, Shen Y, Yuan J, and Qiang B* (2001). ASH2L: alternative splicing and downregulation during induced megakaryocytic differentiation of multipotential leukemia cell lines. Journal of Molecular Medicine, 79, 399-405.
21. Zhou Y, Du G, Wang J, Chen J, Yuan J, Qiang B* (1999). Isolation and cloning of a novel cDNA LDB1 encoding human LIM domain binding protein. Chinese Science Bulletin, 44(12): 1114-1119.
