Research Interests：
Dr. Jing Yang's group has long been committed to the interdisciplinary frontier of biomedical sciences by integrating advanced imaging technologies, multi-omic analyses, animal disease models, and human clinical resources. Dr. Yang's interests focus on the complex crosstalk between the body's nervous system, immune system, and metabolic system in the hope of elucidating innovative concepts of cancer neuroscience, cancer immunology, immunometabolism, and neuroimmunology at the different levels ranging from molecules to an organism. Such research efforts promise novel therapeutic strategies and drug targets for eventually conquering cancer, neurodegeneration, and other dreadful human diseases.

Selected Publications:

1. Publications since the current position:

- Representative papers (# corresponding author):

(1) Liu T, Liu J, Chen H, Zhou X, Fu W, Cao Y, Yang J#. Cannabinoid receptor 2 signal promotes type 2 immunity in the lung. Cell Insight. 2023 Oct 6;2(5):100124.

(2) Cao Y, Chen H, Yang J#. Neuroanatomy of lymphoid organs: Lessons learned from whole-tissue imaging studies. European Journal of Immunology. 2023 Jun 28;e2250136.

(3) Cao Y, Liu T, Zhou X, Fu W, Li J, Yang J#. 3D anatomy of autonomic innervations in immune organs of a non-human primate and the human. Fundamental Research. 2023 Mar;3(2):249-256.

(4) Yang J#, Yaron A, Liu K. Editorial: Neuroimmune interactions in peripheral neuropathy. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. 2022 May;15: 929081. (Editorial)

(5) Liu C, Yang J#. Enteric glial cells in immunological disorders of the gut. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 2022 April;16: 895871. 

(6) Cao Y, Wang Y, Yang J#. NAD+-dependent mechanism of pathological axon degeneration. Cell Insight. 2022 April;1(2): 100019.

(7) Sun Y, Wang Q, Wang Y, Ren W, Cao Y, Li J, Zhou X, Fu W, Yang J#. Sarm1-mediated neurodegeneration within the enteric nervous system protects against local inflammation of the colon. Protein Cell. 2021 Aug;12(8):621-638.

(8) Liu K, Yang L, Wang G, Liu J, Zhao X, Wang Y, Li J, Yang J#. Metabolic stress drives sympathetic neuropathy within the liver. Cell Metabolism. 2021 Mar 2;33(3):666-675.

(9) Jiang Y, Liu T, Lee CH, Chang Q, Yang J#, Zhang Z#. The NAD(+)-mediated self-inhibition mechanism of pro-neurodegenerative SARM1. Nature. 2020 Dec;588(7839):658-663.

(10) Liu T, Yang L, Han X, Ding X, Li J, Yang J#. Local sympathetic innervations modulate the lung innate immune responses. Science Advances. 2020 May 13;6(20):eaay1497.

(11) Wang Q, Liu K, Yang L, Wang H, Yang J#. BoneClear: whole-tissue immunolabeling of the intact mouse bones for 3D imaging of neural anatomy and pathology. Cell Research. 2019 Oct;29(10):870-872.

(12) Ding X, Wang H, Qian X, Han X, Yang L, Cao Y, Wang Q, Yang J#. Panicle-Shaped Sympathetic Architecture in the Spleen Parenchyma Modulates Antibacterial Innate Immunity. Cell Reports. 2019 Jun 25;27(13):3799-3807.

(13) Zhou N, Liu K, Sun Y, Cao Y, Yang J#. Transcriptional mechanism of IRF8 and PU.1 governs microglial activation in neurodegenerative condition. Protein Cell. 2019 Feb;10(2):87-103.

(14) Zhou N, Yang J#. Molecular Mechanism of Wallerian Degeneration. Chinese Bulletin of Life Sciences. 2017 Mar; 29(3): 245-250.

- Additional papers:

(1) Yang L, Wang X, Yu XX, Yang L, Zhou BC, Yang J, Xu CR. The default and directed pathways of hepatoblast differentiation involve distinct epigenomic mechanisms. Developmental Cell. 2023 Sep 25;58(18):1688-1700.e6.

(2) Dang Y, Zhou D, Du X, Zhao H, Lee CH, Yang J, Wang Y, Qin C, Guo Z, Zhang Z. Molecular mechanism of substrate recognition by folate transporter SLC19A1. Cell Discovery. 2022 Dec 28;8(1):141.

(3) Duan Z, Lin X, Wang L, Zhen Q, Jiang Y, Chen C, Yang J, Lee CH, Qin Y, Li Y, Zhao B, Wang J, Zhang Z. Specificity of TGF-β1 signal designated by LRRC33 and integrin αVβ8. Nature Communications. 2022 Aug 25;13(1):4988.

(4) Hu H, Cui YW, Yang J, Cao Y. Loss of the sympathetic signal produces sterile inflammation of the prostate. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. 2022 May;15: 855376.

(5) Li X, Qi L, Yang D, Hao S, Zhang F, Zhu X, Sun Y, Chen C, Ye J, Yang J, Zhao L, Altmann DM, Cao S, Wang H, Wei B. Meningeal lymphatic vessels mediate neurotropic viral drainage from the central nervous system. Nature Neuroscience. 2022 May;25(5):577-587.

(6) Qian K, Liu J, Cao Y, Yang J, Qiu S. Intraperitoneal injection of lithium chloride induces lateralized activation of the insular cortex in adult mice. Molecular Brain. 2021 Apr 19;14(1):71.

(7) Wie J, Liu Z, Song H, Tropea TF, Yang L, Wang H, Liang Y, Cang C, Aranda K, Lohmann J, Yang J, Lu B, Chen-Plotkin AS, Luk KC, Ren D. A growth-factor-activated lysosomal K(+) channel regulates Parkinson`s pathology. Nature. 2021 Mar;591(7850):431-437.

(8) Li J, Liu Y, Li Q, Huang X, Zhou D, Xu H, Zhao F, Mi X, Wang R, Jia F, Xu F, Yang J, Liu D, Deng X, Zhang Y. Mutation in ε-Sarcoglycan Induces a Myoclonus-Dystonia Syndrome-Like Movement Disorder in Mice. Neuroscience Bulletin. 2021 Mar;37(3):311-322.

(9) Simon DJ, Pitts J, Hertz NT, Yang J, Yamagishi Y, Olsen O, Tešić Mark M, Molina H, Tessier-Lavigne M. Axon Degeneration Gated by Retrograde Activation of Somatic Pro-apoptotic Signaling. Cell. 2016 Feb 25;164(5):1031-45.

- Book chapters:

(1) Cao Y, Yang J. Whole-Tissue Immunolabeling and 3D Fluorescence Imaging to Visualize Axon Degeneration in the Intact, Unsectioned Mouse Tissues. In: Babetto E.(eds) Methods in Molecular Biology, 2020 Jun 11;2143: 223-232. Humana, New York, NY.

(2) Wang F, Yang J, He Z. Axon maintenance and degeneration. In: Rubenstein J., Rakic P., Chen B., Kwan K.Y., Kolodkin A., and Anton E.(eds) Comprehensive Developmental Neuroscience (Second Edition), 2020 Jun 5;217-230. Academic Press, Cambridge, MA.

2. Publications before the current position:

(1) Yang J, Wu Z, Renier N, Simon DJ, Uryu K, Park DS, Greer PA, Tournier C, Davis RJ, Tessier-Lavigne M. Pathological axonal death through a MAPK cascade that triggers a local energy deficit. Cell. 2015 Jan 15;160(1-2):161-76.

(2) Renier N, Wu Z, Simon DJ, Yang J, Ariel P, Tessier-Lavigne M. iDISCO: a simple, rapid method to immunolabel large tissue samples for volume imaging. Cell. 2014 Nov 6;159(4):896-910.

(3) Yang J*, Weimer RM*, Kallop D, Olsen O, Wu Z, Renier N, Uryu K, Tessier-Lavigne M. Regulation of axon degeneration after injury and in development by the endogenous calpain inhibitor calpastatin. Neuron. 2013 Dec 4;80(5):1175-89. 

(* authors contributed equally)

(4) Watkins TA, Wang B, Huntwork-Rodriguez S, Yang J, Jiang Z, Eastham-Anderson J, Modrusan Z, Kaminker JS, Tessier-Lavigne M, Lewcock JW. DLK initiates a transcriptional program that couples apoptotic and regenerative responses to axonal injury. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2013 Mar 5;110(10):4039-44.

(5) Simon DJ, Weimer RM, McLaughlin T, Kallop D, Stanger K, Yang J, O`Leary DD, Hannoush RN, Tessier-Lavigne M. A caspase cascade regulating developmental axon degeneration. Journal of Neuroscience. 2012 Dec 5;32(49):17540-53. 

(6) Osterloh JM, Yang J, Rooney TM, Fox AN, Adalbert R, Powell EH, Sheehan AE, Avery MA, Hackett R, Logan MA, MacDonald JM, Ziegenfuss JS, Milde S, Hou YJ, Nathan C, Ding A, Brown RH Jr, Conforti L, Coleman M, Tessier-Lavigne M, Züchner S, Freeman MR. dSarm/Sarm1 is required for activation of an injury-induced axon death pathway. Science. 2012 Jul 27;337(6093):481-4.

(7) Sakata I*, Yang J*, Lee CE, Osborne-Lawrence S, Rovinsky SA, Elmquist JK, Zigman JM. Colocalization of ghrelin O-acyltransferase and ghrelin in gastric mucosal cells. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2009 Jul;297(1):E134-41. (* authors contributed equally)

(8) Yang J*, Zhao TJ*, Goldstein JL, Brown MS. Inhibition of ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) by octanoylated pentapeptides. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2008 Aug 5;105(31):10750-5. (* authors contributed equally)

(9) Yang J, Brown MS, Liang G, Grishin NV, Goldstein JL. Identification of the acyltransferase that octanoylates ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating peptide hormone. Cell. 2008 Feb 8;132(3):387-96.

(10) Yang J, Dong C, Huang X, Zhao J. Sulfonation of polyvinylidene difluoride resin and its application in extraction of restriction enzymes from DNA digestion solutions. Analytical Biochemistry. 2003 Nov 1;322(1):99-103.