Biography

EDUCATION

2003-2008: Ph.D. Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. (Mentor: Dr. Tao Xu)

1999-2003: B.S (Biophysics), College of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin China.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:

2015.3-Present: Principal Investigator, Professor, College of Life Science,   Taikang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, China.  

2008.8-2015.2: Postdoctoral fellow. Howard Hughes Medical Institute &  UTsouthwestern medical center (Supervisor: Dr. Helen Hobbs and Dr. Jonathan Cohen).  

Research

Dyslipidemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Genetic evidence suggests that the heritability for dyslipidemia is high, with about 50% of dyslipidemia is caused by genetics. We are interested in identifying those genetic risk factors and uncovering their pathological and physiological functions together with the underline molecular mechanisms, aiming to pave the road for translational research. Our previous studies reviewed the pathological functions of non-synonymous variants in PCSK9, ANGPTL3, ANGPTL8 in dyslipidemia, which have become new generation of therapeutic targets for dyslipidemia. Recently we identified a non-coding variants that upregulates the expression level of an orphan receptor GPR146, who plays critical role in regulating cholesterol hemostasis. GPR146 is the first reported GPCR that directly regulates blood cholesterol levels and holds great promise for treating hypercholesterolemia.

Representative  Publications

1. Han FF^#, Liu X^#, Chen CF#, Liu YN^#, Du MK, Zhou Y, Liu Y, Song BL, He HH, Wang Y^*. Hypercholesterolemia risk-associated GPR146 is an orphan G-protein coupled receptor that regulates blood cholesterol levels

2. He BS, Kang SJ, Chen Z, Liu X, Wang JK, Li XD, Liu XM, Zheng L, Luo MC, Wang Y. Hypercholesterolemia risk associated Abca6 does not regulate lipoprotein metabolism in mice or hamster. BBA - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids. 2021 Jul 15; 159006. doi: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2021.159006

3. Zhang YY, Fu ZY, Wei J, Qi W, Baituola G, Luo J, Meng YJ, Guo SY, Yin H, Jiang SY, Li YF, Miao HH, Liu Y, Wang Y, Li BL, Ma YT^*, Song BL^*. A LIMA1 variant promotes low plasma LDL cholesterol and decreases intestinal cholesterol absorption. Science. 2018 Jun 8;360(6393):1087-1092

4. Fu T, Guan YY, Xu JJ, Wang Y^*. APP, APLP2 and LRP1 interact with PCSK9 but are not required for PCSK9-mediated degradation of the LDLR in vivo. BBA - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids. 2017 Sep;1862(9):883-889

5. Wang Y, McNutt M, Banfi S, Levin M, Holland W, Gusarova V, Gromada J, Cohen JC^*, Hobbs HH^*. Hepatic ANGPTL3 Regulates Adipose Tissue Energy Homeostasis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Sep 15;112(37):11630-5.  

6. Wang Y^#, Quagliarini F^#, Gusarova V, Gromada J, Valenzuela D, Cohen JC^*, Hobbs HH^*. Mice Lacking ANGPTL8 (Betatrophin) Manifest Disrupted Triglyceride Metabolism Without Impaired Glucose Homeostasis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Oct 1. 110(40):16109-14  

7. Quagliarini  F^#, Wang Y^#, Kozlitina J, Grishin N, Hyde R, Boerwinkle E, Cohen JC^*, Hobbs HH^*. Atypical angiopoietin-like protein that regulates ANGPTL3. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Nov 27. 109(48):19751-6  

8. Bai L^#, Wang Y^#, Fan J^#, Chen Y, Ji W, Qu A, Xu P^*, James DE^* & Xu T^*  Dissecting multiple steps of GLUT4 trafficking and identifying the sites of insulin action.  Cell Metab. 2007 Jan;5(1):47-57

9. Chen Y#, Wang Y^#, Zhang J^#, Deng Y, Jiang L, Song E, Wu XS, Hammer JA, Xu T^*, Lippincott-Schwartz J^*. Rab10 and myosin-Va mediate insulin-stimulated GLUT4 storage vesicle translocation in adipocytes. J Cell Biol. 2012 Aug 20;198(4):545-60