Jian Wang
Assistant Professor
Email: [email protected]
Office Phone: 301-405-7892
Fax: 301-314-9290
Office Address: Department of Entomology * 4112 Plant Sciences .Building * University of Maryland * College Park, MD 20742-4454
URL: http://www.jianwanglab.umd.edu
Graduate Program Affiliations
The nervous system is extremely complex and accurate. Generation of this complicated network involves many biological events, such as cell proliferation, cell degeneration, cell differentiation, neuron remodeling, axon guidance, axon bifurcation, axon extension, synapse formation and plasticity. Our lab seeks to understand the fundamental molecular mechanisms that guide the formation and maintenance of the nervous system using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model system.
Many genes controlling neuronal development are essential genes. We use the genetic technique called MARCM (Mosaic Analysis with a Repressive Cell Marker) (Lee and Luo, 1999) to manipulate gene expression in a single neuron or a subset of neurons within the developing brains and to examine neuronal morphology at the certain developmental stages.
Currently, two projects are actively ongoing in the lab. The first project is to study the functions and signaling pathways of Drosophila Dscam (Down Syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule). Down Syndrome (DS) is the most frequent mental retardation disease caused by a genetic disorder in humans. It occurs in about 1 out of 800 live births among all races and economic groups. Human DSCAM is strongly suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of DS, and our early studies indicated that Drosophila Dscam, a homologue of human DSCAM, is required for normal axon branching and guidance. Surprisingly, Drosophila Dcsam gene potentially encodes more than 150,000 distinct cell adhesion molecules through mRNA alternative splicing. We are also interested in understanding the biological significance of this tremendous molecular diversity. The second project is to continue the systemic, genome-wide mosaic screens for genes underlying different aspects of neuronal development.
Recent Publications
Awards
Education
Email: [email protected]
Office Phone: 301-405-7892
Fax: 301-314-9290
Office Address: Department of Entomology * 4112 Plant Sciences .Building * University of Maryland * College Park, MD 20742-4454
URL: http://www.jianwanglab.umd.edu
Graduate Program Affiliations
- Entomology
- BISI - BISI-Molecular & Cellular Biology (MOCB)
- Neuroscience & Cognitive Science (NACS)
The nervous system is extremely complex and accurate. Generation of this complicated network involves many biological events, such as cell proliferation, cell degeneration, cell differentiation, neuron remodeling, axon guidance, axon bifurcation, axon extension, synapse formation and plasticity. Our lab seeks to understand the fundamental molecular mechanisms that guide the formation and maintenance of the nervous system using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model system.
Many genes controlling neuronal development are essential genes. We use the genetic technique called MARCM (Mosaic Analysis with a Repressive Cell Marker) (Lee and Luo, 1999) to manipulate gene expression in a single neuron or a subset of neurons within the developing brains and to examine neuronal morphology at the certain developmental stages.
Currently, two projects are actively ongoing in the lab. The first project is to study the functions and signaling pathways of Drosophila Dscam (Down Syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule). Down Syndrome (DS) is the most frequent mental retardation disease caused by a genetic disorder in humans. It occurs in about 1 out of 800 live births among all races and economic groups. Human DSCAM is strongly suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of DS, and our early studies indicated that Drosophila Dscam, a homologue of human DSCAM, is required for normal axon branching and guidance. Surprisingly, Drosophila Dcsam gene potentially encodes more than 150,000 distinct cell adhesion molecules through mRNA alternative splicing. We are also interested in understanding the biological significance of this tremendous molecular diversity. The second project is to continue the systemic, genome-wide mosaic screens for genes underlying different aspects of neuronal development.
Recent Publications
- Haung, J.H., Raghavan, S., Wang, Y., Wang, J. (2011) Human DSCAMs are functionally conserved with DrosophilaDscam [TM1]. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 41(10): 778-787. [Article]
- Haung, J.H., Tian, L., Abdou, M., Wen, D., Wang, Y., Li, S., Wang, J. (2011) Drosophila Tkv/Mad-mediated TGF-β signaling regulates juvenile hormone biosynthesis through controlling JHAMT expression. Development. 138: 2283-91. [Article]
- Feng, S.Q., Huang, J.H., and Wang, J. (2011) Loss of Polhomeotic converts imaginal disc cells to functional endocrine glands that induce non-autonomous over-proliferation of normal cells. EMBO Reports. 12(2): 157-163.[Article]
- Liu, Y., Sheng, Z.T., Liu, H.H., Wen, D., He, Q.Y., An, S.H., Wang, J., Song, Q.S., Li, S. (2009) Juvenile hormone exerts opposing actions on the transcriptional activity of Met/Gee in Drosophila fat body. Development. 136(2): 2015-2025. [Article]
- Yu, H.H., Yang, J.S., Wang, J., Huang, Y., Lee, T. (2009) Endodomain diversity in the Drosophila Dscam and its roles in neuronal morphogenesis. J. Neurosci. 29(6): 1904-1914. [Article]
- Ting, C.Y., Herman, T., Yonekura, S., Gao, S., Wang, J., Serpe, M., O'Connor, M.B., Zipursky, S.L., Lee, C.H. (2007) Tiling of r7 axons in the Drosophila vidual system is mediated both by transduction of an activin signal to the nucleus and by mutual repulsion. Neuron. 56(5): 793-806. [Article]
- Wang J, Lee CH, Lee T (2006) Steroid hormone-dependent transformation of polyhomeotic mutant neurons in the Drosophila brain. Development 133(7):1231-1240. [Article]
- Wang J, Ma X, Yang JS, Zheng X, Zugates CT, Lee CH, Lee T (2004) Transmembrane/juxtamembrane domain-dependent Dscam distribution and function during mushroom body neuronal morphogenesis. Neuron 43(5):663-672. [Article]
- Zheng X#, Wang J#, Haerry TE#, Wu AY, Martin J, O'Connor MB, Lee CH, Lee T (2003) TGF-beta signaling activates steroid hormone receptor expression during neuronal remodeling in the Drosophila brain. Cell 112(3):303-15. # Joint first authors. [Article]
- Wang J, Zugates CT, Liang IH, Lee CH, Lee T (2002) Drosophila Dscam is required for divergent segregation of sister branches and suppresses ectopic bifurcation of axons. Neuron 33(4):559-71. [Abstract]
Awards
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, American Heart Association, U.S.A., 2004-2005
- The President's Prize, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. R. China, 1997
- Third Prize of Advances on Science and Technology,
- Chinese National Education Committee, P. R. China, 1993
Education
- B.S. 1984 Nanjing Agricultural University, P. R. China,
- M.S. 1987 Nanjing Agricultural University, P. R. China,
- Ph.D. 1998 Shanghai Institute of Entomology, P. R. China.