Committee

Yan Zhang

E-mail : yanzhang@pku.edu.cn

Job title :
Professor

Office Address : Jinguang Life Science Building, Peking University, No.5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, P.R.China 100871

EDUCATION EXPERIENCE

1993 - 1997, B.Sc. , Psychology , Peking University
1997 - 1999, M.Sc. , Psychology, Carleton University
1999 - 2003, Ph.D. , Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University

WORK EXPERIENCE

2005 - 2012, Associate Professor , College of LIfe Sciences, PKU
2012 - present, Professor , College of LIfe Sciences, PKU

RESEARCH DESCRIPTION

2005 - 2012, Associate Professor , College of LIfe Sciences, PKU
2012 - present, Professor , College of LIfe Sciences, PKU

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Sun X, Wu Y, Gu M, Liu Z, Ma Y, Li J, Zhang Y* , Selective filtering defect at the axon initial segment in Alzheimer , PNAS , 2014 , 111: 14271-14276
Finci LI, Krüger N, Sun X, Zhang J, Chegkazi M, Wu Y, Schenk G, Mertens HDT, Svergun DI, Zhang Y*, Wang J-H*, Meijers R* , The crystal structure of netrin-1 in complex with DCC reveals the bi-functionality of netrin-1 as a guidance cue , Neuron , 2014 , 83: 839-849
Sun X, Wu Y, Gu M, Zhang Y* , MiR-342-5p Decreases Ankyrin G Level in Alzheimer’s Disease Transgenic Mouse Models , Cell Reports , 2014 , 6: 264-270
Chen Q, Sun X, Zhou X-H, Liu J-H, Wu J, Zhang Y*, Wang J-H* , N-terminal horseshoe conformation of DCC is functionally required for axon guidance and may be shared by other neural receptors , J Cell Sci , 2013 , 126: 186-195
Sun X, Meng X, Zhang J, Li Y, Wang L, Qin X, Sui N, Zhang Y* , GABA attenuates amyloid toxicity by downregulating its endocytosis and improves cognitive impairment , J Alzheimer Dis , 2012 , 30: 1-15
Sun X, Wang Y, Zhang J, Tu J, Wang X-J, Su X-D, Wang L, Zhang Y* , Tunneling-nanotube direction determination in neurons and astrocytes , Cell Death Dis , 2012 , 3: e438. DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2012.177
Cui J, Wang Y, Dong Q, Wu S, Xiao X, Hu J, Chai Z* and Zhang Y* , Morphine protects against intracellular amyloid toxicity by inducing estradiol release and upregulation of Hsp70 , J Neurosci , 2011 , 31: 16277-16240
Zhang Y* and Lee D , Sink hypothesis and therapeutic strategies for attenuating Abeta levels , Neuroscientist , 2011 , 17: 163-173
Wang Y, Cui J, Sun X and Zhang Y* , Tunneling-nanotube development in astrocytes depends on p53 activation , Cell Death Differ , 2011 , 18: 732-742
Cui J, Chen Q, Yue X, Jiang X, Gao GF*, Yu L* and Zhang Y* , Galanin protects against intracellular amyloid toxicity in human primary neurons , J Alzheimer Dis , 2010 , 19: 529-544
Zhang Y*, Xiong W, Lin X, Ma X and Yu L , Roles of mu-opioid receptor phosphorylation in opioid tolerance and dependence , Neurosci Biobehav Rev , 2009 , 33: 1192-1197
Zhang Y* and Yu L* , Single-cell microinjection technology in cell biology , BioEssays , 2008 , 30: 606-610.
Zhang Y*, Chen Q and Yu L* , Morphine: a protective or destructive role in neurons? , Neuroscientist , 2008 , 14: 561-570
Zhang Y* and Yu L* , Microinjection as a tool of mechanical delivery , Curr Opin Biotech , 2008 , 19: 506-510
Zhang Y* , Microinjection Technique and Protocol to Single Cells , Nat Protocols , 2007 , DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2007.487
Zhang Y, Beitel L, Goodyer C, Trifiro M and LeBlanc A* , Estrogen and androgen protect against intracellular amyloid beta toxicity , J Neurosci , 2004 , 24: 5315-5321
Zhang Y, Guo Y, Bounhar Y, Roucou X, Goodyer C and LeBlanc A* , p75NTR protects against extracellular amyloid beta toxicity in human neurons , J Neurosci , 2003 , 23: 7385-7394
Zhang Y, McLauglin R, Vereker E, Goodyer C and LeBlanc A* , Selectively cytotoxicty of intracellular amyloid beta peptide1-42 through p53 and Bax in cultured primary human neurons , J Cell Biol , 2002 , 156: 519-529
Bounhar Y, Zhang Y, Papasopulos M, Turcotte B, Goodyer C and leBlanc A* , Prion protein protects human neurons against Bax-mediated cell death , J Biol Chem , 2001 , 276: 39145-39149
Zhang Y, Tounekti O, Akerman B, Goodyer C and LeBlanc A* , 17-beta-estradiol induces an inhibitor of active caspases , J Neurosci , 2001 , 21: RC176, 1-6
Zhang Y, Goodyer C and LeBlanc A* , Selective and protracted apoptosis in human primary neurons microinjected with active caspase-3, -6, -7 and –8 , J Neurosci , 2000 , 20: 8384-8389

COACHING CURRICULUM

Advanced Neurobiology
Neuroscience

LABORATORY INTRODUCTION

The research in my laboratory focuses on understanding the cell death mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). My group has found that intracellular amyloid β is toxic to neurons and can trigger cell death in neurons during early AD development. Furthermore, my group studied the roles of a cell-cell connecting structure tunneling-nanotube in transferring cellular contents, including amyloid β, to propagate cell death from cells to cells to induce a cascade of neurodegeration. In the other hand of neurodegeration, my group found that the alteration and plasticity of axon and axon initial segment (AIS) in AD models. In future work my lab will investigate the mechanisms of the plasticity of axon and AIS and how this would be affected in AD models.