Introduction

Sen Yan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Investigator of GHMICR. She obtained her Ph.D. from Jilin Univ. School 2008-2013, 2011-2013 as a visiting student study in Department of human genetics in Emory University. The main interest of Dr. Yan is to understand the molecular mechanical of neurodegeneration disease such as HD, AD, PD, ALS. Currently, they focus on Huntington’s disease (HD) and Alzheimer disease which might caused by misfolded protein. Embryonic development and gene modification in embryo. Using large animal models are extremely valuable to help them understand the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders and to find treatments for them. The goal of their studies is to provide mechanistic insight into the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration caused by misfolding protein and to help develop effective therapeutic strategies.

Selected Publications

1. Yan S, Tu Z, Liu Z, Fan N, Yang H, Yang S, Yang W, Zhao Y, Ouyang Z, Lai C,Yang H, Li L, Liu Q, Shi H, Xu G, Zhao H, Wei H, Pei Z, Li S, Lai L, Li XJ. A Huntingtin Knockin Pig Model Recapitulates Features of Selective Neurodegeneration in Huntington's Disease. Cell. 2018 May 3;173(4):989-1002.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.03.005. Epub 2018 Mar 29. PubMed PMID: 29606351; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5935586.

2. Yan S, Wang CE, Wei W, Gaertig MA, Lai L, Li S, Li XJ*, Tdp-43 Causes differential pathology in neuronal versus glial cells in the mouse brain, Hum Mol Genet ,23(10):2678-93,2014.

3. Yan S, Tu Z, Li S, Li XJ. Use of CRISPR/Cas9 to model brain diseases. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2018 Feb 2;81:488-492.doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp. 2017.04.003. Epub 2017 Apr 6. Review. PubMed PMID: 28392484;PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5630495.

4. Xiang J, Yan S, Li SH, Li XJ*, Postnatal loss of hap1 reduces hippocampal neurogenesis and causes adult depressive-like behavior in mice. Plos Genet. 2015 Apr 15.

5. Wang GH#, Yang HQ#, Yan S# , Wang CE, Liu XD,Li XJ* and Lai LX*，Cytoplasmic mislocalization of RNA splicing factors and aberrant neuronal gene splicing in TDP-43 transgenic pig brain, Molecular Neurodegeneration, (# Equal contibutors)2015 Sep 3;10:42.

6. Bhat KP, Yan S, Wang CE, Li SH, Li X-J*, Differential ubiquitination and degradation of huntingtin fragments modulated by E3 ligase Ube3a.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Apr 15;111(15):5706-11. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1402215111. Epub 2014 Mar 31.  

7. Tu, Z#.; Yang, W#.; Yan, S#.; Yin, A.; Gao, J.; Liu, X.; Zheng, Y.; Zheng, J.; Li,Z.; Yang, S.; Li, S.; Guo, X.; Li, X. J., Promoting Cas9 degradation reducesmosaic mutations in non-human primate embryos. Scientific reports2017, 7,42081. (# co-first author)  

8. Yan S, Song H, Pang D, Zou Q, Li L, Yan Q, Fan N, Zhao X, Yu H, Li Z, Wang H, Gao F, Ouyang H, Lai L*, Expression of plant sweet protein brazzein in the milk of transgenic mice, PLoS One , 8,e76769,2013. 

9. Huang S, Yang S, Guo J, Yan S, Gaertig MA, Li S, Li XJ*. Large Polyglutamine Repeats Cause Muscle Degeneration in SCA17 Mice.Cell Rep. 2015 Oct 6;13(1):196-208.

10. Wade B, Wang C-E, Yan S, Bhat K, Huang H, Li SH, Li X-J* Ubiquitin-activating enzyme activity contributes to differential accumulation of mutant huntingtin in brain and peripheral tissues , J Neurosci ,34(25):8411-22, 2014.

11. Zhao H, Tu Z, Xu H, Yan S, Yan H, Zheng Y, Yang W, Zheng J, Li Z, Tian R, Lu Y, Guo X, Jiang YH, Li XJ, Zhang YQ. Altered neurogenesis and disrupted expression of synaptic proteins in prefrontal cortex of SHANK3-deficient non-human primate. Cell Res. 2017 Oct;27(10):1293-1297. doi: 10.1038/cr.2017.95. Epub 2017 Jul 25. PubMed PMID: 28741620; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5630686.