2001 - 2005  B.S. Shandong University

2007 - 2008  M.S. Imperial College London

2008 - 2014  Research Assistant West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University

2012 - 2014  Ph.D. West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University

2014 - 2019  Postdoctoral Fellow Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

2019 - 2025  Principal Investigator, Associate Investigator, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

2025 -           Principal Investigator, Investigator, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Our laboratory primarily investigates the mechanisms of neural development and neurological diseases. Our specific research areas include:

1. Molecular Mechanisms of Neural Development

The nervous system, with its highly complex anatomical structure, diverse cell types, and precise neural connections, supports a wide range of regulations from basic physiological functions to higher cognitive behaviors. Understanding how this system develops from a simple neural tube or neural stem cells is a central question in neurobiology and life sciences at large.

Our lab focuses on the critical processes of neural cell fate determination. We employ a comprehensive suite of tools, including precise mouse genetic strategies (cis-trans analysis, conditional knock-out/knock-in, inducible systems, lineage tracing, chemogenetics, etc.), molecular biology, and multi-omics-driven bioinformatic approaches, to systematically dissect the underlying transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms. Concurrently, we are dedicated to extending our findings from developmental mechanisms to disease models, deeply exploring the pathogenesis of conditions closely related to abnormal neural development and function, such as brain tumors and neurodegenerative diseases.

2. Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Neuroautoimmune Diseases

The nervous system is an enclosed and immunologically privileged environment. However, in neuroautoimmune diseases, dysfunction of the immune system allows immune cells to infiltrate the nervous system, "develop" within this unique environment, and erroneously attack neural cells.

The core of this research direction is to deconstruct the cellular and molecular basis of neuro-immune interactions. We focus on investigating: (1) Immune Infiltration: How do peripheral immune cells (e.g., T cells, B cells) sense signals from within the CNS and traverse the blood-brain barrier (BBB)? (2) Microenvironmental Adaptation: How do immune cells that have infiltrated the CNS adapt to the unique physical, metabolic (e.g., high lipid, low glucose), and neuromodulatory (e.g., neurotransmitters) environment of the nervous system? (3) Pathogenic Mechanisms: How do immune cells interact with neurons, astrocytes, and other neural cells? How do these adaptive changes reshape the functional states of both immune and neural cells, ultimately enabling immune cells to orchestrate an attack? And how does the post-attack damage cascade to cause neuronal death?

We are an interdisciplinary and dynamic research team. We welcome outstanding scholars and students with a passion for neurobiology, immunology, and computational biology to join us in exploring the mysteries of the brain.

1. Yixing Shi, Qianqian Sun, Fuchuan Jia, Xiangyu Xie, Xiangyu Zhou, Rong Guo, Yangfan Zeng, Shanshan Chen, Zhenzhen Guo, Wenli Sun, Tong Guo, Yu Xia, Wenlong Li, Li Zhang, Wei Shi*, Yang Yu*, Oncogenic fusions converge on shared mechanisms initiating astroblastoma. Nature, 2025

2. Fuchuan Jia, Yixing Shi, Yang Yu*, Structural homology-based identification of BEN domain proteins in Poxviruses. Biochem Bioph Res Commun, 2024

3. Anyu Pan, Jieyi Shentu, Yangfan Zeng, Rong Guo, Yang Yu*, Identification of homologous protein models via 3D comparisons using predicted structures. STAR Protocols, 2024,5(1)

4. Anyu Pan, Yangfan Zeng, Jingjing Liu, Mengjie Zhou, Eric Lai, Yang Yu*, Unanticipated broad phylogeny of BEN DNA-binding domains revealed by structural homology searches. Current Biology, 2023,33(11):2270-2282

5. Luqian Zheng, Jingjing Liu, Lijie Niu, Mohammad Kamran, Ally W.H. Yang,Arttu Jolma, Qi Dai, Timothy R. Hughes, Dinshaw J. Patel, Long Zhang,Supriya G. Prasanth,Yang Yu*, Aiming Ren*, Eric C. Lai*, Distinct structural bases for sequence-specific DNA binding by mammalian BEN domain  proteins. Genes &,Development 2022,36(1):225-240

6. Yang Yu*, Andreu-Agullo,C.,Liu, B., Barboza,L., Toth,M., Lai, E*. (2020). Regulation of embryonic and adult neurogenesis by Ars2. Development 147:dev180018. PMID: 31969356.

7. Yang Yu*, Chen,Y.*, Kim,B.*, Wang H,Zhao C, He X, Liu L, Liu W, Wu LM, Mao M, Chan JR, Wu J, Lu QR. (2013). Olig2 targets chromatin remodelers to enhancers to initiate oligodendrocyte differentiation. Cell 152,248-261..PMID: 23332759.

8. He,X*., Yang Yu*., Awatramani, R., and Lu, Q.R. (2012). Unwrapping myelination by microRNAs. The Neuroscientist 18,45-55. (Review)

9. Yang Yu, Casaccia, P., and Lu, Q.R. (2010). Shaping the oligodendrocyte identity by epigenetic control. Epigenetics 5,124-128. (Review)

10. Wang JJ, Lee J., Riemondy K., Yang Yu, Marquez S., Lai E., and Yi R (2020). XPO5 promotes primary miRNA processing independently of RanGTP. Nature Communications

11. Lv X, Ren SQ,Zhang XJ, Shen Z,Ghosh T, Xianyu A, Gao P, Li Z, Lin S, Yang Yu, Zhang Q, Groszer M, Shi SH (2019). TBR2 coordinates neurogenesis expansion and precise microcircuit organization via Protocadherin 19 in the mammalian cortex. Nature Communications 10,3946. PMID: 31477701.

12. He X, Zhang L,Chen Y, Remke M, Shih D,Lu F, Wang H, Deng Y, Yang Yu, Xia Y, Wu X,Ramaswamy V, Hu T, Wang F, Zhou W, Burns DK, Kim SH,Kool M,Pfister SM, Weinstein LS, Pomeroy SL, Gilbertson RJ, RubinJB, Hou Y, Wechsler-Reya R, T aylor MD, Lu QR (2014). The G protein α subunit Gαs is a tumor suppressor in Sonic hedgehog-driven medulloblastoma. Nature Medicine 20,1035-1042. PMID:25150496

13. Zhao X,He X, Han X, Yang Yu, Ye F, Chen Y, Hoang T, Xu X, Mi QS, Xin M, Wang F, Appel B, Lu QR. (2010). MicroRNA-mediated control of oligodendrocyte differentiation. Neuron 65,612-626. PMID: 20223198.

(From Yang Yu, October 22, 2025)