Welcome to the Fang Lab Homepage! 
Our lab is generally interested in neurobiology of human disease. Specifically, our research focuses on the fundamental mechanisms underlying the maintenance of the nervous system and the molecular and cellular processes that lead to axon degeneration in neural injury as well as age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS, AD, PD, etc. 

Here, we apply molecular genetics, cell biology, pharmacology, in vivo fluorescent imaging, and evolving high-throughput RNA-seq and mass spec-based proteomic and metabolomic approaches to define genes and pathways that regulate neurodegeneration. In doing so, we hope to uncover evolutionarily conserved core programs that control neural integrity, which will provide the foundation for identifying and developing novel therapeutic strategies to delay, mitigate, prevent or even reverse neurodegeneration in injury and disease.


General Research and Teaching Interests
Neural Injury and Axon De/Re-generation 
Neurobiology of Human Disease
Aging and Neurodegeneration
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience 
Molecular Genetics

2002/09 ~ 2007/12: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, USA, Ph.D., Neuroscience 
1997/09 ~ 2002/07: Peking University Health Science Center, China, Bachelor of Medicine

2013/09 ~ Present: SIOC, IRCBC, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Investigator
2008/06 ~ 2013/08: Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), USA, Research Associate
2008/01 ~ 2008/05: University of Pennsylvania, USA, Postdoctoral Fellow

"Talent Young 1000" plan，2014
"National 863 plan - Outstanding Young Scientist" program，2014

ACS Travel Award, the 7th IBRO World Congress of Neuroscience, 2007
Australasian Chronobiology Society (ACS), Australia

Outstanding College Graduate of the City of Beijing, 2002
Ministry of Education, China

Kwang-Hua Scholarship 2001
United Laboratories (TUL) Honorary Fellowship 1999
First Rank Scholarship 1998, 2000
Peking University, China

2022:

Deng X, Sun X, Yue W, Duan Y, Hu R, Zhang K, Ni J, Cui J, Wang Q, Chen Y, Li A# and FANG Y^#. (2022) “CHMP2B regulates TDP-43 phosphorylation and cytotoxicity independent of autophagy via CK1.” Journal of Cell Biology, 221(1):e202103033.

Hsp70 exhibits a liquid-liquid phase separation ability and chaperones condensed FUS against amyloid aggregation. Li Y, Gu J, Wang C, Hu J, Zhang S, Liu C, Zhang S, FANG Y, Li D. (2022) iScience. 25(6):104356.

The mouse nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase chaperones diverse pathological amyloid client proteins. (2022) Huang C, Lu J, Ma X, Qiang J, Wang C, Liu C, FANG Y, Zhang Y, Jiang L, Li D, Zhang S. J Biol Chem. 298(5):101912. 

2021:

Zhang K, Jiang M and FANG Y. (2021) “The drama of Wallerian degeneration: The cast, crew and script.” Annual Review of Genetics, 55:93-113.

Gu J, Wang C, Hu R, Li Y, Zhang S, Sun Y, Wang Q, Li D, FANG Y^# and Liu C#. (2021) “Hsp70 chaperones TDP-43 in dynamic, liquid-Like phase and prevents it from amyloid aggregation.” Cell Research, 31(9):1024-1027.

Zhang K, Wang Q, Liang Y, Yan Y, Wang H, Cao X, Shan B, Zhang Y#, Li A# and FANG Y^#. (2021) “Quantitative proteomic analysis of mouse sciatic nerve reveals post-injury upregulation of ADPGK promoting macrophage phagocytosis.” Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 14:777621. 

Ni J, Ren Y, Su T, Zhou J, Fu C, Yi Lu, Li D, Zhao J, Li Y, Zhang Y, FANG Y, Liu N, Geng Y# and Chen Y#. (2021) “Loss of TDP-43 function underlies hippocampal and cortical synaptic deficits in TDP-43 proteinopathies.” Molecular Psychiatry, (DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01346-0. Online ahead of print).

Wang H, Zhang Y, Zeng K, Qiang J, Cao Y, Li Y, FANG Y, Zhang Y# and Chen Y#. (2021) “Selective mitochondrial protein labeling enabled by biocompatible photocatalytic reactions inside live cells.” JACS Au, 1(7):1066-1074.

2020:

Wang C, Duan Y, Duan G, Wang Q, Zhang K, Deng X, Qian B, Gu J, Ma Z, Zhang S, Guo L, Liu C# and FANG Y^#. (2020) “Stress induces dynamic, cytotoxicity-antagonizing TDP-43 nuclear bodies via paraspeckle lncRNA NEAT1-mediated liquid-liquid phase separation.” Molecular Cell, 79(3):443-458.e7. (Highlighted with commentary by Malik and Barmada in Molecular Cell).

Gu J, Liu Z, Zhang S, Li Y, Xia W, Wang C, Xiang H, Liu Z, Tan L, FANG Y, Liu C# and Li D#. (2020) “Hsp40 proteins phase separate to chaperone the assembly and maintenance of membraneless organelles.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 117(49):31123-31133.

Sun Y, Zhao K, Xia W, Feng G, Gu J, Ma Y, Gui X, Zhang X, FANG Y, Sun B, Wang R, Liu C# and Li D#. (2020) The nuclear localization sequence mediates hnRNPA1 amyloid fibril formation revealed by cryoEM structure. Nat Communications, 11(1):6349.

Ma X, Zhu Y, Lu J, Xie J, Li C, Shin WS, Qiang J, Liu J, Dou S, Xiao Y, Wang C, Jia C, Long H, Yang J, FANG Y, Jiang L, Zhang Y, Zhang S, Zhai RG#, Liu C# and Li D#. (2020) “Nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase uses its NAD(+) substrate-binding site to chaperone phosphorylated Tau.” Elife, 9. pii:e51859.

2019:

Duan Y, Du A, Gu J, Duan G, Wang C, Gui X, Ma Z, Qian B, Deng X, Zhang K, Sun L, Tian K, Zhang Y, Jiang H, Liu C# and FANG Y^#. (2019) “PARylation regulates stress granule dynamics, phase separation, and neurotoxicity of disease-related RNA-binding proteins.” Cell Research, 29(3):233-247.

Wang H, Wang X, Zhang K, Wang Q, Cao X, Wang Z, Zhang S, Li A# Liu K# and FANG Y^#. (2019) “Rapid depletion of ESCRT protein Vps4 underlies injury-induced autophagic impediment and Wallerian degeneration.” Science Advances, 5(2):eaav4971.

Liu C# and FANG Y^#. (2019) New insights of poly(ADP-ribosylation) in neurodegenerative diseases: a focus on protein phase separation and pathologic aggregation. Biochemical Pharmacology, 167:58-63.

Yang L, Cao Y, Zhao J, FANG Y, Liu N# and Zhang Y#. (2019) “Multidimensional proteomics identifies declines in protein homeostasis and mitochondria as early signals for normal aging and age-associated disease in Drosophila”. Mol Cell Proteomics, 8(10):2078-2088.

2018:

Sun X, Duan Y, Qin C, Li JC, Duan G, Deng X, Ni J, Cao X, Xiang K, Tian K, Chen CH, Li A^# and FANG Y^#. (2018) “Distinct multilevel misregulations of Parkin and PINK1 revealed in cell and animal models of TDP-43 proteinopathy.” Cell Death & Disease, 9(10):953.

2017:

Cao X, Wang H, Wang Z, Wang Q, Zhang S, Deng Y and FANG Y. (2017) “In vivo imaging reveals mitophagy independence in the maintenance of axonal mitochondria during normal aging.” Aging Cell, 16(5):1180-1190.

2015:

Cao X and FANG Y. (2015) “Transducing oxidative stress to death signals in neurons”. Journal of Cell Biology, 211(4):741-743.

FANG Y^# and Boinini NM^#. (2015) “Hope on the fruit fly - the Drosophila wing paradigm of axon injury”. Neural Regeneration Research, 10(2):173-175.

2013 and before:

FANG Y, Soares L and Bonini NM. (2013) “Design and implementation of in vivo imaging of neural injury responses in the adult Drosophila wing.” Nature Protocols, 8(4): 810-819.

Garbe DS, FANG Y, Zheng X, Sowcik M, Anjum R, Gygi SP and Sehgal A. (2013) “Cooperative interaction between phosphorylation sites on PERIOD maintains circadian period in Drosophila.” PLoS Genetics, 9(9): e1003749.

FANG Y and Boinini NM. (2012) “Axon degeneration and regeneration: insights from Drosophila models of nerve injury.” Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, 28:575-597.

FANG Y, Soares L, Teng X, Geary M and Bonini NM. (2012) “A novel Drosophila model of nerve injury reveals an essential role of Nmnat in maintaining zxonal integrity.” Current Biology, 22(7):590-595. (Highlighted with commentary by Wang and Barres in Current Biology; Recommended by Faculty of 1000; Featured in ScienceDaily, etc.)

FANG Y and Sehgal A. (2010) “Protein phosphatases and circadian clocks.” in the Handbook of Cell Signaling, 2nd Edition, eds. Bradshaw, R. A. & Dennis, E. A. Oxford:Academic Press, pp. 877-882.

Wu Y, Bolduc FV, Bell K, Tully T, FANG Y, Sehgal A and Fischer JA. (2008) “A Drosophila model for Angelman syndrome.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 105(34):12399-12404.

FANG Y, Sathyanarayanan S and Sehgal A. (2007) “Post-translational regulation of the Drosophila circadian clock requires protein phosphatase 1 (PP1).” Genes and Development, 21(12):1506-1518.

Sehgal A, Joiner W, Crocker A, Koh K, Sathyanarayanan S, FANG Y, Wu M, Williams J and Zheng X. (2007) “Molecular analysis of sleep:wake cycles in Drosophila.” Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol, 72:557-564.

Stein JM, Bergman W, FANG Y, Davison L, Brensinger C, Robinson MB, Hecht NB and Abel T. (2006) “Behavioral and neurochemical alterations in mice lacking the RNA-binding protein Translin.” Journal of Neuroscience, 26(8):2184-2196.