Rebecca Chung-Hui Yang | Scholars@Duke

Rebecca Chung-Hui Yang
Associate Professor of Neurobiology

Our lab is interested in understanding the neural basis of simple decision-making processes. We use Drosophila egg-laying site selection as our model system. To understand how the Drosophila brain assesses and ranks the values of egg-laying options, we use a combined approach that includes high-throughput optogenetics-based behavioral screen, automated (machine vision) behavioral tracking of single animals, molecular genetic tools to identify critical circuit components, and calcium imaging and anatomical tracing techniques to determine the physical and functional connectivity of identified circuit components.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 2016

Contact Information

Box 3209, Durham, NC 27710
Bryan Research Building, 311 Research Drive Room 427E, Durham, NC 27710
rebecca.yang@gmail.com (919) 684-1494
Yang Lab

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., Stanford University 2002
- B.S., National Taiwan University (Taiwan) 1990
Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Assistant Professor of Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 2009 - 2016
Research
Selected Grants
- Neurobiology Training Program awarded by National Institutes of Health 2019 - 2024
- Basic predoctoral training in neuroscience awarded by National Institutes of Health 1992 - 2018
- Genetic Dissection of an Avoidance Circuit in Drosophila awarded by National Institutes of Health 2012 - 2018
- Training in Fundamental &Translational Neuroscience awarded by National Institutes of Health 2005 - 2016
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Academic Articles
  - Chen, Hsueh-Ling, Dorsa Motevalli, Ulrich Stern, and Chung-Hui Yang. “A functional division of Drosophila sweet taste neurons that is value-based and task-specific.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 119, no. 3 (January 18, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2110158119.
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  - Imambocus, Bibi Nusreen, Fangmin Zhou, Andrey Formozov, Annika Wittich, Federico M. Tenedini, Chun Hu, Kathrin Sauter, et al. “A neuropeptidergic circuit gates selective escape behavior of Drosophila larvae.” Curr Biol 32, no. 1 (January 10, 2022): 149-163.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.069.
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  - Chen, Hsueh-Ling, Ulrich Stern, and Chung-Hui Yang. “Molecular control limiting sensitivity of sweet taste neurons in Drosophila.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 116, no. 40 (October 1, 2019): 20158–68. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1911583116.
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  - Stern, Ulrich, Hemant Srivastava, Hsueh-Ling Chen, Farhan Mohammad, Adam Claridge-Chang, and Chung-Hui Yang. “Learning a Spatial Task by Trial and Error in Drosophila.” Curr Biol 29, no. 15 (August 5, 2019): 2517-2525.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.06.045.
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  - Wu, Shun-Fan, Ya-Long Ja, Yi-Jie Zhang, and Chung-Hui Yang. “Sweet neurons inhibit texture discrimination by signaling TMC-expressing mechanosensitive neurons in Drosophila.” Elife 8 (June 11, 2019). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.46165.
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  - Kaneko, Takuya, Ann Marie Macara, Ruonan Li, Yujia Hu, Kenichi Iwasaki, Zane Dunnings, Ethan Firestone, et al. “Serotonergic Modulation Enables Pathway-Specific Plasticity in a Developing Sensory Circuit in Drosophila.” Neuron 95, no. 3 (August 2, 2017): 722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2017.07.023.
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  - Kaneko, Takuya, Ann Marie Macara, Ruonan Li, Yujia Hu, Kenichi Iwasaki, Zane Dunnings, Ethan Firestone, et al. “Serotonergic Modulation Enables Pathway-Specific Plasticity in a Developing Sensory Circuit in Drosophila.” Neuron 95, no. 3 (August 2, 2017): 623-638.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2017.06.034.
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  - Hu, Chun, Meike Petersen, Nina Hoyer, Bettina Spitzweck, Federico Tenedini, Denan Wang, Alisa Gruschka, et al. “Sensory integration and neuromodulatory feedback facilitate Drosophila mechanonociceptive behavior.” Nat Neurosci 20, no. 8 (August 2017): 1085–95. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.4580.
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  - Guntur, Ananya R., Bin Gou, Pengyu Gu, Ruo He, Ulrich Stern, Yang Xiang, and Chung-Hui Yang. “H2O2-Sensitive Isoforms of Drosophila melanogaster TRPA1 Act in Bitter-Sensing Gustatory Neurons to Promote Avoidance of UV During Egg-Laying.” Genetics 205, no. 2 (February 2017): 749–59. https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.116.195172.
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  - Gou, Bin, Edward Zhu, Ruo He, Ulrich Stern, and Chung-Hui Yang. “High Throughput Assay to Examine Egg-Laying Preferences of Individual Drosophila melanogaster.” J Vis Exp, no. 109 (March 24, 2016): e53716. https://doi.org/10.3791/53716.
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  - Guntur, Ananya R., Pengyu Gu, Kendra Takle, Jingyi Chen, Yang Xiang, and Chung-Hui Yang. “Drosophila TRPA1 isoforms detect UV light via photochemical production of H2O2.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112, no. 42 (October 20, 2015): E5753–61. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1514862112.
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  - Stern, Ulrich, Ruo He, and Chung-Hui Yang. “Analyzing animal behavior via classifying each video frame using convolutional neural networks.” Sci Rep 5 (September 23, 2015): 14351. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep14351.
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  - Stern, Ulrich, Edward Y. Zhu, Ruo He, and Chung-Hui Yang. “Long-duration animal tracking in difficult lighting conditions.” Sci Rep 5 (July 1, 2015): 10432. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep10432.
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  - Yang, Chung-Hui, Ruo He, and Ulrich Stern. “Behavioral and circuit basis of sucrose rejection by Drosophila females in a simple decision-making task.” J Neurosci 35, no. 4 (January 28, 2015): 1396–1410. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0992-14.2015.
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  - Zhu, Edward Y., Ananya R. Guntur, Ruo He, Ulrich Stern, and Chung-Hui Yang. “Egg-laying demand induces aversion of UV light in Drosophila females.” Curr Biol 24, no. 23 (December 1, 2014): 2797–2804. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.09.076.
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  - Gou, Bin, Ying Liu, Ananya R. Guntur, Ulrich Stern, and Chung-Hui Yang. “Mechanosensitive neurons on the internal reproductive tract contribute to egg-laying-induced acetic acid attraction in Drosophila.” Cell Rep 9, no. 2 (October 23, 2014): 522–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2014.09.033.
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  - Liu, Ying, and Chung-hui Yang. “Unveiling the secrets to her heart.” Neuron 83, no. 1 (July 2, 2014): 3–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2014.06.019.
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  - Yuan, Q., Y. Song, C. H. Yang, L. Y. Jan, and Y. N. Jan. “Female contact modulates male aggression via a sexually dimorphic GABAergic circuit in Drosophila.” Nature Neuroscience 17, no. 1 (January 1, 2014): 81–88. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3581.
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  - Zhao, Xuesong, Chung-Hui Yang, and Michael A. Simon. “The Drosophila Cadherin Fat regulates tissue size and planar cell polarity through different domains.” Plos One 8, no. 5 (2013): e62998. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062998.
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  - Yang, Chung-Hui, Sebastian Rumpf, Yang Xiang, Michael D. Gordon, Wei Song, Lily Y. Jan, and Yuh-Nung Jan. “Control of the postmating behavioral switch in Drosophila females by internal sensory neurons.” Neuron 61, no. 4 (February 26, 2009): 519–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2008.12.021.
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  - Yang, Chung-Hui, Priyanka Belawat, Ernst Hafen, Lily Y. Jan, and Yuh-Nung Jan. “Drosophila egg-laying site selection as a system to study simple decision-making processes.” Science 319, no. 5870 (March 21, 2008): 1679–83. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1151842.
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  - Grueber, Wesley B., Bing Ye, Chung-Hui Yang, Susan Younger, Kelly Borden, Lily Y. Jan, and Yuh-Nung Jan. “Projections of Drosophila multidendritic neurons in the central nervous system: links with peripheral dendrite morphology.” Development 134, no. 1 (January 2007): 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.02666.
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  - Grueber, Wesley B., Chung-Hui Yang, Bing Ye, and Yuh-Nung Jan. “The development of neuronal morphology in insects.” Curr Biol 15, no. 17 (September 6, 2005): R730–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2005.08.023.
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  - Ma, Dali, Chung-hui Yang, Helen McNeill, Michael A. Simon, and Jeffrey D. Axelrod. “Fidelity in planar cell polarity signalling.” Nature 421, no. 6922 (January 30, 2003): 543–47. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01366.
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  - Yang, Chung-hui, Jeffrey D. Axelrod, and Michael A. Simon. “Regulation of Frizzled by fat-like cadherins during planar polarity signaling in the Drosophila compound eye.” Cell 108, no. 5 (March 8, 2002): 675–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0092-8674(02)00658-x.
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  - Yang, C. H., M. A. Simon, and H. McNeill. “mirror controls planar polarity and equator formation through repression of fringe expression and through control of cell affinities.” Development 126, no. 24 (December 1999): 5857–66. https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.126.24.5857.
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  - Wang, H., C. H. Yang, G. Lee, F. Chang, H. Wilson, A. del Campillo-Campbell, and A. Campbell. “Integration specificities of two lambdoid phages (21 and e14) that insert at the same attB site.” J Bacteriol 179, no. 18 (September 1997): 5705–11. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.179.18.5705-5711.1997.
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  - McNeill, H., C. H. Yang, M. Brodsky, J. Ungos, and M. A. Simon. “mirror encodes a novel PBX-class homeoprotein that functions in the definition of the dorsal-ventral border in the Drosophila eye.” Genes Dev 11, no. 8 (April 15, 1997): 1073–82. https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.11.8.1073.
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Teaching & Mentoring
Recent Courses

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Education, Training, & Certifications

Previous Appointments & Affiliations

Selected Grants

Selected Publications

Academic Articles

Recent Courses