Name: Ying Cao
Department: Molecular and Cell Biology
Title: Professor
E-mail: yingcao@tongji.edu.cn
Telephone: (086)-21-65986033
Address:Room 1315, Medical building , Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 20092, P.R. China

Research Interests(less than 350 words)：

1. Our long term goal is to understand the molecular mechanism of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) by using zebrafish. PKD is characterized by cyst formation in the kidney, which eventually leads to renal failure. Autosomal dominant form of PKD (ADPKD) is one of the most common monogenetic human disease, with prevalence 1:800 in live birth.
2. Current model indicates that cilium, a cell surface organelle, plays an important role in pathogenesis of PKD. Thus, PKD belongs to a more wide spectrum of diseases, ciliopathies, which refer to diseases caused by defective cilia and include cystic kidney, liver and pancreatic disease, Situs inversus / left-right defect, Neural tube closure and patterning defect, polydactyly, deafness, blindness, obesity, et al. Understanding the pahogenesis of PKD will also help us to understand these diseases.
3. Although PKD is linked to cilium, the involved signaling pathway remains elusive. Furthermore, there is no effective therapy except kidney transplantation. Therefore, we try to understand the molecular mechanism and find new therapy by focusing on the following aims: 1) systematic dissection of the relationship among cell polarity, cilia and PKD; 2) Determination of epigenetic alterations in PKD; 3) Herbal screen in zebrafish PKD model.

Key Word: PKD, cilia, cell polarity, epigenetics, herbal screen, zebrafish

Representative Publication (less than 20 papers)

1. Cao, Y., Park, A. and Sun, Z. (2010). Intraflagellar Transport Proteins Are Essential for Cilia Formation and for Planar Cell Polarity. J Am Soc Nephrol. 21(8):1326-33. (cover story)
2. Cao, Y., Semanchik N., Lee SH., Somlo S., Barbano PE., Coifman R., Sun Z. (2009). Chemical modifier screen identifies HDAC inhibitors as suppressors of PKD models. PNAS, 106(51):21819-21824
3. Kishimoto, N., Cao, Y., Park, A., and Sun, Z. (2008). Cystic Kidney Gene seahorse Regulates Cilia-Mediated Processes and Wnt Pathways. Dev Cell, 14:954-961.
4.  Rui, Y.*, Xu, Z.*, Xiong, B.*, Cao, Y.*, Lin, S., Zhang, M., Chan, SC., Luo, W., Han, Y., Lu, Z., Ye, Z., Zhou, HM., Han, J., Meng, A., and Lin, SC. (2007). A beta-catenin-independent dorsalization pathway activated by Axin/JNK signaling and antagonized by aida. Dev Cell, 13(2):268-82. (*authors contribute equally)
5. Huang, H., Lu, F., Jia, S., Meng, S., Cao, Y., Wang, Y., Ma, W., Yin, K., Wen, Z., Peng, J., Thisse, C., Thisse, B., and Meng, A. (2007). Amotl2 is essential for cell movements in zebrafish embryo and regulates c-Src translocation. Development, 134:979-988.
6. Cao, Y., Zhao, J., Sun, Z., Zhao, Z., Postlethwait, J., and Meng, A. (2004). fgf17b, a novel member of Fgf family, helps patterning zebrafish embryos. Dev Biol, 271:130-143.
7. Zhao, J., Cao, Y., Zhao, C., Postlethwait, J., and Meng, A. (2003). An SP1-like transcription factor Spr2 acts downstream of Fgf signaling to mediate mesoderm induction. Embo J, 22:6078-6088.
8. Cao, Y., Zhao, J., Wang, Y., and Meng, A. (2003). Expression of zebrafish Lc3 synthase gene in embryonic lens requires hedgehog signaling. Dev Dyn, 228:308-312.
9. Li, M., Cao, Y., Zhao, Z., Lin, S., and Meng, A. (2001).Characterization and expression pattern of pouII1 , a novel class II POU gene in zebrafish. Chin Sci Bull, 46(18):1523-1527.
10. Zhao, Z.*, Cao, Y.*, Li, M., and Meng, A. (2001). Double-stranded RNA injection produces nonspecific defects in zebrafish. Dev Biol, 229:215-223. (*authors contribute equally)

 
Education history 
B.S., Tsinghua University, 2000
Ph.D., Tsinghua University, 2005
 
Career history

1. Dr. Ying Cao obtained her postdoctoral training at Yale University School of Medicine from 2005 to 2010. After that, She joined Tongji University as a professor.
2. Dr. Ying Cao is an expert on using zebrafish to address developmental problems. After she joined Anming Meng’s lab in Tsinghua in 1999, She used zebrafish to study early embryonic patterning, proved a new Fgf factor, fgf17b, play an important role in embryonic patterning. Furthermore, she identified couple Fgf downstream factors, including Amotl2. Then She joined Zhaoxia Sun’s lab at Yale. She identified VPA, an HDAC inhibitor, can supress PKD phenotype both in zebrafish and mouse PKD mutants through a chemical compound screen. Also, she linked IFT proteins, which are ciliary protein and cause PKD when mutated, to PCP pathway.

Positions available for students who have molecular biology or biochemistry background.