Wang, Yihua - University of Southampton - Discipline of Biological Sciences

个人简介

Career History 2009-2015: Postdoctoral Molecular Biologist. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford, UK. 2006-2009: Research Fellow. Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute, London, UK. Academic Qualifications 2006: PhD Cell Biology. Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. 2001: MBBS. Tongji Medical University, Wuhan, China.

研究领域

My research focuses on systematically investigating novel regulators of oncogenic RAS-induced invasive behaviour in human cancer cells. Mutations in RAS oncogene occur in about 20% of human tumours. They are linked to aggressive disease characterised by highly invasive tumours that metastasise readily, which are the major cause of cancer deaths. Despite this, how RAS mutations drive metastasis is not clear exactly. I aim to identify new genes and proteins involved in this process that will not only illuminate how it works but also will provide molecular markers – so called biomarkers – that could be used in the oncology clinic to help identify which cancer patients should be treated more aggressively and which less so. Also, an understanding of how specific genes and proteins cause the changes, opens the exciting possibility of being able to alter their function with drugs thereby offering some protection against cancers that are prone to aggressive growth. Through to the combination of expertise I have acquired during my postdoctoral posts in two high profile laboratories, I will combine the techniques of RNAi screens and in the analysis of cell plasticity, cell migration and cell invasion, and will apply this accrued expertise to a comprehensive study of the pro-invasive property of oncogenic RAS. I will deploy molecular and cell biology approaches, along with advanced imaging techniques in combination with siRNA screens. I will validate ‘hits’ in vitro before progressing to in vivo studies using animal models to correlate mechanistic defects observed in vitro with defects in cellular function in vivo.

近期论文

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Wang Y, Lu X. (2015) Chapter 7 – Cell polarity: a key defence mechanism against infection and cancer cell invasion? In, Cell Polarity 2. Springer, 167-186. Wang Y, Bu F, Royer C, Serres S, Larkin JR, Sarmiento Soto M, Sibson NR, Salter V, Fritzsche F, Turnquist C, Koch S, Zak J, Wu G, Liang A, Olofsen PA, Moch H, Hancock DC, Downward J, Goldin RD, Zhao J, Tong X, Guo Y, Lu X. (2014). ASPP2 controls epithelial plasticity and inhibits metastasis via β-catenin-dependent regulation of ZEB1. Nat Cell Biol 16, 1092–1104. Turnquista C, Wang Y, Severson DT, Zhong S, Sun B, Ma J, Constaninescu SN, Ansorge O, Stolp HB, Molnár Z, Szele FG, Lu X. (2014). STAT1-induced ASPP2 transcription identifies a novel link between neuroinflammation, cell polarity and tumor suppression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111, 9834-9839. Wang Y, Godin-Heymann N, Wang XD, Bergamaschi D, Llanos S, Lu X. (2013). ASPP1 and ASPP2 bind active RAS, potentiate RAS signalling and enhance p53 activity in cancer cells. Cell Death Differ 20, 525–534. Wang Y, Wang XD, Lapi E, Sullivan A, Jia W, He YW, Ratnayaka I, Zhong S, Goldin RD, Goemans CG, Tolkovsky AM, Lu X. (2012). Autophagic activity dictates the cellular response to oncogenic RAS. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109, 13325-13330. Wang Y, Ngo VN, Marani M, Yang Y, Wright G, Staudt LM, Downward J. (2010). Critical role for transcriptional repressor Snail2 in transformation by oncogenic RAS in colorectal carcinoma cells. Oncogene 29, 4658-4670