Dr. James Y. Yang
Dr. James Y. Yang currently serves as a Professor at the Health Science Center, East China Normal University. He graduated from the Xiamen University, China, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology. After college, he worked as a Research Associate at the Guangzhou Institute of Microbiology. He went on to the University of Houston, Texas, USA for graduate studies to obtain his PhD in Biochemistry. Dr. Yang did his postdoctoral studies under an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Department of Biochemistry, Columbia University. He subsequently was promoted to Associate Research Scientist at Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University. In 1998, Dr. Yang returned to Hong Kong to serve as Research Assistant Professor and Research Officer respectively at the Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Hong Kong. Later, he became a Professor of Physiology at the Xiamen University, holding academic positions including Principal Investigator, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Principal Investigator, Engineering Research Center of Molecular Diagnostic, Ministry of Education and Director, Fujian Provincial Transgenic Core and Xiamen University Laboratory Animal Center.
Dr. Yang’s research interests are mainly related to cancer, diabetes and diabetic complications and renal physiology and pathophysiology. In particular, he focused his research on the roles and mechanisms of aldo-keto reductase family proteins, nuclear receptors and microRNAs in cellular responses to high glucose or hyperglycemia, hyperosmolarity, oxidative stress and environmental toxins and xenobiotics.
Representative publications
1. Wang, T., Song, D., Li, X., Luo, Y., Yang, D., Liu, X., Kong, X., Xing, Y., Bi, S., Zhang, Y., Hu, T., Zhang, Y., Dai, S., Shao, Z., Chen, D., Hou, J., Ballestar, E., Cai, J., Zheng, F., and Yang, J. Y. (2024) MiR-574-5p activates human TLR8 to promote autoimmune signaling and lupus. Cell Commun Signal 22, 220
2. Li, Y., Yang, D., Tian, N., Zhang, P., Zhu, Y., Meng, J., Feng, M., Lu, Y., Liu, Q., Tong, L., Hu, L., Zhang, L., Yang, J. Y., Wu, L., and Tong, X. (2019) The ubiquitination ligase SMURF2 reduces aerobic glycolysis and colorectal cancer cell proliferation by promoting ChREBP ubiquitination and degradation. J Biol Chem 294, 14745-14756
3. Wang, T., Hou, J., Li, Z., Zheng, Z., Wei, J., Song, D., Hu, T., Wu, Q., Yang, J. Y., and Cai, J. C. (2017) miR-15a-3p and miR-16-1-3p Negatively Regulate Twist1 to Repress Gastric Cancer Cell Invasion and Metastasis. Int. J. Biol. Sci13, 122-134
4. Wei, J., Zhang, Y., Luo, Y., Wang, Z., Bi, S., Song, D., Dai, Y., Wang, T., Qiu, L., Wen, L., Yuan, L., and Yang, J. Y. (2014) Aldose reductase regulates miR-200a-3p/141-3p to coordinate Keap1-Nrf2, Tgfbeta1/2, and Zeb1/2 signaling in renal mesangial cells and the renal cortex of diabetic mice. Free Radic. Biol. Med 67, 91-102
5. Luo, Y., Liu, Y., Liu, M., Wei, J., Zhang, Y., Hou, J., Huang, W., Wang, T., Li, X., He, Y., Ding, F., Yuan, L., Cai, J., Zheng, F., and Yang, J. Y. (2014) Sfmbt2 10th intron-hosted miR-466(a/e)-3p are important epigenetic regulators of Nfat5 signaling, osmoregulation and urine concentration in mice. Biochim. Biophys. Acta -Gene Regulatory Mechanisms 1839, 97-106
6. Ji, S., Ye, G., Zhang, J., Wang, L., Wang, T., Wang, Z., Zhang, T., Wang, G., Guo, Z., Luo, Y., Cai, J., and Yang, J. Y. (2013) miR-574-5p negatively regulates Qki6/7 to impact beta-catenin/Wnt signalling and the development of colorectal cancer. Gut 62, 716-726
7. Liu, H., Luo, Y., Zhang, T., Zhang, Y., Wu, Q., Yuan, L., Chung, S. S., Oates, P. J., and Yang, J. Y. (2011) Genetic deficiency of aldose reductase counteracts the development of diabetic nephropathy in C57BL/6 mice. Diabetologia 54, 1242-1251
8. Huang, W., Liu, H., Wang, T., Zhang, T., Kuang, J., Luo, Y., Chung, S. S., Yuan, L., and Yang, J. Y. (2011) Tonicity-responsive microRNAs contribute to the maximal induction of osmoregulatory transcription factor OREBP in response to high-NaCl hypertonicity. Nucleic Acids Res 39, 475-485
9. Ahmed, M. M., Wang, T., Luo, Y., Ye, S., Wu, Q., Guo, Z., Roebuck, B. D., Sutter, T. R., and Yang, J. Y. (2011) Aldo-keto reductase-7A protects liver cells and tissues from acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity. Hepatology 54, 1322-1332
10. Qiu, L., Wu, X., Chau, J. F., Szeto, I. Y., Tam, W. Y., Guo, Z., Chung, S. K., Oates, P. J., Chung, S. S., and Yang, J. Y. (2008) Aldose reductase regulates hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha phosphorylation and activity to impact lipid homeostasis. J Biol. Chem 283, 17175-17183
ORCID