Yang, Rob - University of New South Wales - School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science

个人简介

Education Bachelor of Medicine (1993), Peking University, Beijing PhD (1998), Columbia University, New York, USA Professional Experience 2014-2018: NHMRC Senior Research Fellow B 2013-current: Professor, School of BABS 2010-2013: Inaugural ARC Future Fellow 2009-2012: Associate Professor, School of BABS 2007-2008: Senior Lecturer, School of BABS, UNSW 1999-2007: Lecturer/Assistant Professor/Associate Professor with tenure, Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore 1999 (April-July): Visiting Fellow, Harvard University

研究领域

My long-term research interests focus on two fundamental yet emerging areas in cell and medical biology: Intracellular cholesterol sorting and transport, and its role in heart and neurodegenerative diseases. The biogenesis and dynamics of lipid droplets, adipocyte development, obesity and diabetes. These two areas are closely linked because lipid droplets may play a crucial role in cellular sterol transport, and lipid droplets are a primary storage site for both free and esterified cholesterol. Cellular sterol trafficking is a difficult subject to study given the lack of effective approaches to label sterols in live cells. However, it is an important cell biological question because sterols are actively sorted and transported in all eukaryotic cells. In addition, human diseases such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Niemann Pick C diseases are linked to aberrant sterol transport. My early work led to the identification of two key enzymes that catalyse sterol esterification, an important homeostatic step for storing excess sterols (Yang et al., Science, 1996). Our laboratory subsequently identified novel molecules and schemes that govern cellular sterol transport (Zhang et al., Traffic, 2004; Wang et al., EMBO J, 2005; Yang H, Trends Cell Biol., 2006; Du et al, J Cell Biol., 2011). Currently we aim to identify and characterize a number of novel proteins that regulate the efflux of cholesterol from endosomes. Lipid droplets are key cellular organelles that regulate energy storage and metabolism. We have identified a number of factors that impact the size of lipid droplets (Fei et al, J Cell Biol., 2008; Low et al., J Cell Sci., 2008; Fei et al, PLoS Genetics, 2011). One such protein, seipin, also plays an important role in human adipocyte development (Fei et al, Trends in Endo and Metab., 2011; Cui et al., Human Mol Gen., 2011; Fei et al., JLR, 2011). Currently, we aim to understand the molecular function of these proteins.

近期论文

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Chu BB, Liao YC, Qi W, Xie C, Du X, Wang J, Yang H, Miao HH, Li BL & Song BL. (2015)Cholesterol transport through a lysosome-peroxisome membrane contactCell, 161: 291-306. Du X, Brown AJ & Yang H. (2015)Novel mechanisms of intracellular cholesterol transport: membrane contact sites and oxysterol binding proteinsCurrent Opinion in Cell Biology, in press. Liu L, Jiang QQ, Wang, X, Zhang Y, Lin RC, Lan S, Shui, G, Zhou L, Li P, Wang Y, Cui X, Gao MM, Zhang L, Lv Y, Xu G, Liu G, Zhao D and Yang H. (2014)Adipose-specific knockout of seipin/BSCL2 results in progressive lipodystrophyDiabetes. 63:1–12 doi 10.2337/db13-0729. Sun Z, Gong J, Wu H, Xu W, Wu L, Xu D, Gao J, Wu J, Yang H, Yang M and Li P (2013)Perilipin1 promotes unilocular lipid droplet formation through the activation of Fsp27 in adipocytesNature Communications. 4:1594. Du X, Kazim AS, Dawes IW, Brown AJ and Yang H. (2013)The AAA ATPase VPS4/SKD1 Regulates Endosomal Cholesterol Trafficking Independently of ESCRT-IIITraffic. 14: 107-19. Yang H, Galea A, Sytnyk V and Crossley M. (2012)Controlling the size of lipid droplets: protein and lipid factorsCurrent Opinion in Cell Biology. 24:509-16. (Yang as the corresponding author). Cui X, Wang Y, Meng L, Fei W, Deng J, Xu G, Peng X, Ju S, Liu G, Zhao L and Yang H. (2012)Overexpression of a short isoform of human seipin/BSCL2 in mouse adipose tissue results in mild lipodystrophyAm J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 302:E705-13. Du X, Kazim A, Brown AJ and Yang H. (2012)An essential role of Hrs/Vps27 in endosomal cholesterol traffickingCell Reports, 1: 29-35. (Inaugural Issue). Fei W, Shui G, Zhang Y, Krahmer N, Ferguson C, Kapterian TS, Lin RC, Dawes IW, Brown AJ, Li P, Huang X, Parton RG, Wenk MR, Walther TC and Yang H. (2011)A role for phosphatidic acid in the formation of “supersized” lipid dropletsPLoS Genetics, 7: e1002201. Cui X, Wang Y, Tang Y, Liu Y, Zhao L, Deng J, Xu G, Peng X, Ju S, Liu, G and Yang H. (2011)Seipin ablation in mice results in severe generalized lipodystrophyHuman Molecular Genetics, 20: 3022-30. Fei W., Du X. and Yang H. (2011)Seipin, adipogenesis and lipid dropletsTrends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, 22: 204-10. Du X, Kumar J, Ferguson C, Schulz TA, Ong YS, Hong W, Prinz WA, Parton RG, Brown AJ and Yang H. (2011)A role for oxysterol-binding protein-related protein 5 in endosomal cholesterol traffickingJournal of Cell Biology 192: 121-135. Fei W, Wang H, Fu X, Bielby C and Yang H. (2009)Conditions of endoplasmic reticulum stress stimulate lipid droplet formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeBiochem J. 424:61-7. Low CP, Shui GH, Liew LP, Buttner S, Madeo F, Dawes IW, Wenk MR & Yang H. (2008)Caspase-dependent and -independent lipotoxic cell-death pathways in fission yeast. J Cell Sci. 121: 2671-2684. (Selected as an editorial highlight by JCS). Fei W, Shui G, Gaeta B, Du X, Kuerschner L, Li P, Brown AJ, Wenk MR, Parton RG and Yang H. (2008)Fld1p, a functional homologue of human seipin, regulates the size of lipid droplets in yeastJ. Cell Biol. 180: 473-482. Yang H. (2006)Nonvesicular sterol transport: two protein families and a sterol sensor?Trends Cell Biol. 16: 427-32. Epub 2006 Jul 28. Wang P, Zhang Y, Li H, Chieu HK, Munn AL and Yang H. (2005)AAA ATPases regulate membrane association of yeast oxysterol binding proteins and cellular sterol metabolismEMBO Journal. 24: 2989-99. Zhang S, Ren J, Zhang Q, Armstrong JS, Munn AL and Yang H. (2004)Ncr1p, the yeast ortholog of mammalian Niemann Pick C1 protein, is dispensable for endocytic transportTraffic, 5(12): 1017-1030. Zhang Q, Chieu HK, Low CP, Zhang S, Heng CK and Yang H. (2003)Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells deficient in triacylglycerols synthesis undergo apoptosis upon entry into the stationary phaseJ Biol. Chem. 278: 47145-55. Yang H, Bard M, Bruner DA, Gleeson A, Deckelbaum RJ, Aljinovic G, Pohl T, Rothstein R and Sturley SL (1996)Sterol Esterification in Yeast: A two gene processScience. 272, 1353-1356.