Wei Yan, MD, PhD
Investigator, The Lundquist Institute
Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Contact
Email
Development and function of germ cells
Research Description
1) Regulation of spermatogenesis, with an emphasis on the haploid phase, i.e., spermiogenesis;2) Mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance, with a focus on the roles of sperm-borne/maternal RNAs in the transmission of epigenetic information.
3) Physiological roles of reproductive tracts, with particular interest in the functions of motile cilia in efferent ductules and oviduct/uterine tube/Fallopian tube.
Theme Groups
Research Interests
Education
- MD, 1990, China Medical University
- PhD, 2000, University of Turku, Finland
Recent and/or Significant Publications
Tang C, Xie Y, Yu T, Gao Q, Zhang Y, Wang Z, Klukovich R, Zheng H, Tang Y, Wei X, Zhang X, Qin W, Liu N, Yan W. m6A-dependent circular RNA biogenesis functions to stabilize mRNAs for delayed translation in male germ cells. Cell Research 2020;30(3):211-228.
Yuan S, Liu Y, Peng H, Tang C, Hennig GW, Wang Z, Yu T, Klukovich R, Zhang Y, Zheng H, Hess RA, Xu C, Wu J, Yan W. Motile cilia in the male reproductive system require miR-34/miR-449 for development and function to prevent sperm traffic jam by generating luminal turbulence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 2019;116(9):3584-3593.
Tang C, Klukovich R, Peng H, Wang Z, Yu T, Zhang Y, Zheng H, Klungland A, Yan W ALKBH5-dependent m6A demethylation controls splicing and stability of long 3’UTR mRNAs in male germ cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 2018;115 (2): E325-E333.
Ying Zhang, Tang C, Yu T, RR Zhang, Zheng H, Yan W. MiRNAs control mRNA fate by compartmentalizing mRNAs based on 3’UTR length. Genome Biology 2017;18(1):105.
Chen Q, Yan W, Duan E. Epigenetic inheritance of acquired traits through sperm RNAs and sperm RNA modifications. Nature Reviews Genetics 2016;17(12):733-743.