Dong Yan

Journal Article Sci Adv · December 21, 2022 Aging causes functional decline and degeneration of neurons and is a major risk factor of neurodegenerative diseases. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal aging, we developed a new pipeline for neuronal proteomic profiling in young a ... Full text Link to item Cite

The molecular basis of spinocerebellar ataxia type 48 caused by a de novo mutation in the ubiquitin ligase CHIP.

Journal Article The Journal of biological chemistry · May 2022 The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a class of incurable diseases characterized by degeneration of the cerebellum that results in movement disorder. Recently, a new heritable form of SCA, spinocerebellar ataxia type 48 (SCA48), was attributed to dominan ... Full text Cite

C. elegans as a model to study glial development.

Journal Article FEBS J · March 2022 Glia make up roughly half of all cells in the mammalian nervous system and play a major part in nervous system development, function, and disease. Although research in the past few decades has shed light on their morphological and functional diversity, the ... Full text Link to item Cite

NLR-1/CASPR Anchors F-Actin to Promote Gap Junction Formation.

Journal Article Dev Cell · December 7, 2020 Gap junctions are present in most tissues and play essential roles in various biological processes. However, we know surprisingly little about the molecular mechanisms underlying gap junction formation. Here, we uncover the essential role of a conserved EG ... Full text Link to item Cite

Regulation of glial size by eicosapentaenoic acid through a novel Golgi apparatus mechanism.

Journal Article PLoS Biol · December 2020 Coordination of cell growth is essential for the development of the brain, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of glial and neuronal size are poorly understood. To investigate the mechanisms involved in glial size regulation, we used Cae ... Full text Link to item Cite

Robo functions as an attractive cue for glial migration through SYG-1/Neph.

Journal Article eLife · November 2020 As one of the most-studied receptors, Robo plays functions in many biological processes, and its functions highly depend on Slit, the ligand of Robo. Here we uncover a Slit-independent role of Robo in glial migration and show that neurons can release an ex ... Full text Open Access Cite

Regulation of Gliogenesis by lin-32/Atoh1 in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Journal Article G3 (Bethesda) · September 2, 2020 The regulation of gliogenesis is a fundamental process for nervous system development, as the appropriate glial number and identity is required for a functional nervous system. To investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in gliogenesis, we used C. ele ... Full text Link to item Cite

Vitamin B12 Regulates Glial Migration and Synapse Formation through Isoform-Specific Control of PTP-3/LAR PRTP Expression.

Journal Article Cell Rep · March 24, 2020 Vitamin B12 is known to play critical roles during the development and aging of the brain, and vitamin B12 deficiency has been linked to neurodevelopmental and degenerative disorders. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of how vitamin B12 affects ... Full text Link to item Cite

An Antimicrobial Peptide and Its Neuronal Receptor Regulate Dendrite Degeneration in Aging and Infection.

Journal Article Neuron · January 2018 Featured Publication Infections have been identified as possible risk factors for aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, but it remains unclear whether infection-related immune molecules have a causative role in neurodegeneration during aging. Here, we reveal an unexpected ... Full text Open Access Cite

Differential regulation of polarized synaptic vesicle trafficking and synapse stability in neural circuit rewiring in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Journal Article PLoS Genet · June 2017 Featured Publication Neural circuits are dynamic, with activity-dependent changes in synapse density and connectivity peaking during different phases of animal development. In C. elegans, young larvae form mature motor circuits through a dramatic switch in GABAergic neuron con ... Full text Link to item Cite

Regulation of neuronal axon specification by glia-neuron gap junctions in C. elegans.

Journal Article Elife · October 21, 2016 Featured Publication Axon specification is a critical step in neuronal development, and the function of glial cells in this process is not fully understood. Here, we show that C. elegans GLR glial cells regulate axon specification of their nearby GABAergic RME neurons through ... Full text Link to item Cite

Regulation of Gap Junction Dynamics by UNC-44/ankyrin and UNC-33/CRMP through VAB-8 in C. elegans Neurons.

Journal Article PLoS Genet · March 2016 Featured Publication Gap junctions are present in both vertebrates and invertebrates from nematodes to mammals. Although the importance of gap junctions has been documented in many biological processes, the molecular mechanisms underlying gap junction dynamics remain unclear. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Regulation of Gap Junction Dynamics by UNC-44/ankyrin and UNC-33/CRMP through VAB-8 in C. elegans Neurons

Journal Article PLOS GENETICS · 2016 Full text Cite

Genetic Screen Reveals Link between the Maternal Effect Sterile Gene mes-1 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced Neurodegeneration in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Journal Article J Biol Chem · December 4, 2015 Increasing evidence indicates that immune responses to microbial infections may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we show that Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection of Caenorhabditis elegans causes a number of neural changes that are hallmarks of ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Cell Death Pathway Regulates Synapse Elimination through Cleavage of Gelsolin in Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons.

Journal Article Cell Rep · June 23, 2015 Featured Publication Synapse elimination occurs in development, plasticity, and disease. Although the importance of synapse elimination has been documented in many studies, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are unclear. Here, using the development of C. elegans ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Dynamic microtubules drive circuit rewiring in the absence of neurite remodeling.

Journal Article Curr Biol · June 15, 2015 A striking neuronal connectivity change in C. elegans involves the coordinated elimination of existing synapses and formation of synapses at new locations, without altering neuronal morphology. Here, we investigate the tripartite interaction between dynami ... Full text Link to item Cite

Regulation of DLK-1 kinase activity by calcium-mediated dissociation from an inhibitory isoform.

Journal Article Neuron · November 8, 2012 Featured Publication MAPKKK dual leucine zipper-bearing kinases (DLKs) are regulators of synaptic development and axon regeneration. The mechanisms underlying their activation are not fully understood. Here, we show that C. elegans DLK-1 is activated by a Ca(2+)-dependent swit ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Expanding views of presynaptic terminals: new findings from Caenorhabditis elegans.

Journal Article Curr Opin Neurobiol · June 2012 The unique ability of chemical synapses to transmit information relies on the structural organization of presynaptic terminals. Empowered by forward genetics, research using Caenorhabditis elegans has continued to make pivotal contributions to discover con ... Full text Link to item Cite

Axon regeneration pathways identified by systematic genetic screening in C. elegans.

Journal Article Neuron · September 22, 2011 The mechanisms underlying the ability of axons to regrow after injury remain poorly explored at the molecular genetic level. We used a laser injury model in Caenorhabditis elegans mechanosensory neurons to screen 654 conserved genes for regulators of axona ... Full text Link to item Cite

Molecular and genetic approaches for the analysis of C. elegans neuronal development.

Journal Article Methods Cell Biol · 2011 The complete known anatomical connections of C. elegans nervous system have provided researchers ample opportunities to discover fundamental principles underlying neuronal development. Transgenic labeling with fluorescent proteins in neuronal cells has had ... Full text Link to item Cite

A ubiquitin E2 variant protein acts in axon termination and synaptogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Journal Article Genetics · September 2010 In the developing nervous system, cohorts of events regulate the precise patterning of axons and formation of synapses between presynaptic neurons and their targets. The conserved PHR proteins play important roles in many aspects of axon and synapse develo ... Full text Link to item Cite

The DLK-1 kinase promotes mRNA stability and local translation in C. elegans synapses and axon regeneration.

Journal Article Cell · September 4, 2009 Growth cone guidance and synaptic plasticity involve dynamic local changes in proteins at axons and dendrites. The Dual-Leucine zipper Kinase MAPKKK (DLK) has been previously implicated in synaptogenesis and axon outgrowth in C. elegans and other animals. ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The Kv2.1 channels mediate neuronal apoptosis induced by excitotoxicity.

Journal Article J Neurochem · February 2009 Chronic loss of intracellular K(+) can induce neuronal apoptosis in pathological conditions. However, the mechanism by which the K(+) channels are regulated in this process remains largely unknown. Here, we report that the increased membrane expression of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Requirement of dendritic Akt degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system for neuronal polarity.

Journal Article J Cell Biol · July 31, 2006 Asymmetric distributions of activities of the protein kinases Akt and glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3beta) are critical for the formation of neuronal polarity. However, the mechanisms underlying polarized regulation of this pathway remain unclear. In ... Full text Link to item Cite

K+ regulates DNA binding of transcription factors to control gene expression related to neuronal apoptosis.

Journal Article Neuroreport · July 31, 2006 The loss of intracellular K+ promotes neuronal apoptosis. The mechanism by which K+ acts on apoptosis, however, remains largely unknown. Here we showed that K+ selectively affects DNA binding activity of transcriptional factors in vitro. Low K+ concentrati ... Full text Link to item Cite

Low K+ promotes NF-kappaB/DNA binding in neuronal apoptosis induced by K+ loss.

Journal Article Mol Cell Biol · February 2006 Low intracellular K+ concentration ([K+]i) promotes apoptosis and blocking K+ loss prevents apoptosis, but the mechanism of action of low [K+]i remains unclear. Here, we show that low [K+]i increases NF-kappaB transcriptional activity by enhancing its bind ... Full text Link to item Cite