XY CV - Jules Stein Eye Institute

PERSONAL DATA
Name: Xian-Jie Yang
CURRICULUM VITAE
Citizenship: United States of America
Address: Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA School of Medicine
Telephone: 310-825-7020 (o)
E-mail: yang@jsei.ucla.edu
EDUCATION
100 Stein Plaza, Los Angeles, CA90095
Bachelor Degree: B.S. in Biology, 1981, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Graduate Degree: Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, 1988
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Thesis advisor: Dr. Jeffrey W. Roberts
Postdoctoral Fellowship: September 1988-June 1989, Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
Advisor: Dr. Victor Ambros
Postdoctoral Fellowship: July 1989-February 1996, Harvard Medical School,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
Advisor: Dr. Constance L. Cepko
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES
Full-Time Positions
July 2009- present Professor, Department of Ophthalmology,
Jules Stein Eye Institute, Molecular Biology Institute,
University of California Los Angeles
July 2003- June 2009 Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology,
Jules Stein Eye Institute, Molecular Biology Institute,
University of California Los Angeles
March1996-June 2003 Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology,
Jules Stein Eye Institute, Molecular Biology Institute,
University of California Los Angeles
Xian jie Yang Page 1 5/10/10

Editorial Experience
January 2008-present Editorial board member, Visual Neuroscience
2006 Ad hoc academic editor, PLoS Biology
Journal Referee Development
Developmental Biology
Journal of Neuroscience
Neuroscience
Trends in Neurosciences
PLOS-Biology
PLoSONE
Mechanisms of Development
Developmental Neuroscience
Developmental Dynamics
Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science
Glia
Experimental Eye Research
Journal of Neuroscience Research
Ophthalmic Research
Molecular Vision
Brain Research
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Experimental Cell Research
Current Eye Research
Visual Neuroscience
Research Grants /Awards
Active:
National Institute of Health, NEI
R01 EY019052; 12/01/2009-11/30/2013
“Hedgehog Signaling in Photoreceptor Differentiation and Maintenance”
Role: Principal Investigator
National Institute of Health, NEI
R01 EY012270; 05/01/00-06/30/2010
“Cytokine signal transduction in retinal development”
Role: Principal Investigator
Hickey Family Foundation
Research Award; 07/01/08-06/30/2010
“Generation of retinal neurons from stem cells for neural repair”
Role: Principal Investigator
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Hickey Family Foundation
Research Award; 07/01/08-06/30/2010
“Generation and Transplantation of Pluripotent Stem Cells Derived Retinal Ganglion Cells”
Role: Principal Investigator
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Early Translation Award, TR1-01272; 11/01/2009-10/30/2012
“Development of a stem cell-based transplantation strategy for treating age-related macular
degeneration”
Role: Co-Investigator (PI, Gabe Travis)
Foundation Fighting Blindness
Center grant; 07/01/05-06/30/2010
“Development of treatment for Stargardt macular degeneration”
Role: Co-Investigator (PI, Dean Bok)
Previous Research Grants:
Foundation Fighting Blindness
NN-FR-Gt-0805-0007, 07/01/06-06/30/07
“Development of lentivirus-based Usher 1B gene therapy”
Role: Principal Investigator
National Institute of Health, NEI
RO3 EY014440; 03/01/03-02/18/06
“Myosin VIIa gene therapy”
Role: Principal Investigator
Foundation Fighting Blindness
08/01/04-07/31/05
“Development of lentivirus-based Usher 1B gene therapy”
Role: Co-Investigator (PI, David S. Williams)
Foundation Fighting Blindness
T-GT-0602-0217, 06/01/03-05/31/04
“Gene therapy of Shaker1 mouse retinas”
Role: Co-Principal Investigator with David S. Williams
University of California Los Angeles
Human Gene Medicine Seed Grant, 07/1/03-06/30/04
“Lentiviral mediated RNAi gene therapy of a Dominant Stargardt-like retinal dystrophy”
Role: Principal Investigator
Research to Prevent Blindness Foundation
Dolly Green Special Scholar Award, 07/1/03-06/30/04
Role: Principal Investigator
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Foundation Fighting Blindness
Pilot grant, 06/01/02-05/31/03
“Pilot study using myosin VIIa mutant mice as gene therapy models”,
Role: Co-Investigator (PI, David S. Williams)
Karl Kirchgessner Foundation,
Research Awards, 1999-2002
“Sonic hedgehog signaling in vertebrate eye development”
Role: Principal Investigator
University of California Los Angeles, HHMI
Frontier of Science Award, 1999-2000
“The roles of Sonic Hedgehog in chick eye primordium patterning and retinal development”
Role: Principal Investigator
March Of Dimes Birth Defect Foundation
Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar’s Award, 1998-2000
“Function and regulation of homeobox gene Six3 in vertebrate eye development”
Role: Principal Investigator
Research to Prevent Blindness Foundation
Career Development Award, 1996-2000
Role: Principal Investigator
University of California Los Angeles
Stein-Oppenheimer Endowment Award, 1997-1998
“Molecular mechanisms controlling vertebrate eye patterning”
Role: Principal Investigator
SCHOLASTIC HONORS
Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, postdoctoral fellowship, 1988-1991
Medical Foundation/King Trust, postdoctoral fellowship, 1991-1992
National Eye Institute, National Research Service Award, 1992-1994
Research to Prevent Blindness Foundation, Career Development Award, 1996-2000
University of California Los Angeles, Stein-Oppenheimer Endowment Award, 1997
March of Dimes Birth Defect Foundation, Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar’s Award, 1998-2000
University of California Los Angeles (HHMI), Frontier of Science Award, 1999
Karl Kirchgessner Foundation, Research Awards, 1999-2002
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Research to Prevent Blindness Foundation, Dolly Green Special Scholar Award, 2003
Visiting Professor, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,
Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China, since 2006
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Grant Review and Meeting Organizer
External grant reviewer, NHMRC, Australia, 2001
Ad hoc reviewer, Foundation Fighting Blindness, US, 2005
External grant reviewer, Medical Research Council (MRC), UK, 2007
External grant reviewer, Wellcome Trust, UK, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009
Ad hoc reviewer, National Science Foundation (NSF), Developmental System Cluster, US,
2006, 2007
Ad hoc reviewer, National Science Foundation (NSF), Neural Systems, US, 2009
Ad hoc reviewer, National Institute of Health, Biology and Disease of Posterior Eye (BDPE)
study section, US, 2006, 2007, 2010
Ad hoc reviewer, National Institute of Health, ZRG1-CB-N 58 and ZRG1-BDA-A52 study
sections, US, 2009
External grant reviewer, The Research Grant Council (RGC) of Hong Kong, China,
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Invited Chair, International Congress of Eye Research, Retinal Cell Biology/
Development Session, Beijing, China, 2008
External grant reviewer, Israel Science Foundation, Israel, 2010
External Seminars
University of Alabama, Department of Cell Biology, Birmingham, AL, February 2002
UCSD/Script Vision Research, La Jolla, CA, March 2003
University of Oklahoma, Department of Cell Biology, Oklahoma City, OK, April 2003
UCSF/Beckman Vision Center, San Francisco, CA, April 2005
University of Miami, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, FL, May 2006
Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China, November 2006
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Zhong Shan University Eye Center, Guang Zhuo, China, July 2007
University of Michigan, Kellog Eye Center, Ann Arbor, MI, November 2007
Nanjing Medical University, Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Nanjing, China, September 2008
UCSD/Department of Ophthalmology, La Jolla, CA, October 2008
Meeting/Symposia as Invited Speaker
Third Vision System Development Workshop, Tyrosine kinases in the mouse retina,
Asilomar, CA, June 1996
ARVO, CNTF influences postmitotic retinal neuron development, Ft, Lauderdale, FL,
May 1997
ARVO, Homeobox gene Six3 and eye morphogenesis, Ft, Lauderdale, FL, May 1999
Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Hedgehog signal and chicken brain patterning,
Los Angeles, CA, October 1998
ARVO, Shh and negative regulation of ganglion development, Ft, Lauderdale, FL, May 2000
Gordon Research Conference on Visual System Development, Extrinsic signals regulating
retinogenesis, Newport, RI, June 2002
XIIth International Symposium on Retinal Degeneration, Molecular and cellular impacts of
CNTF in a retinal degeneration model, Bariloche, Argentina, October 2006
2 nd Shanghai International Conference on Audition and Vision, CNTF and adult retina
remodeling, Shanghai, China, November 2006
European Union Stem Cell Workshop, Potential of retinal stem cell therapy, Oslo, Norway,
May 2007
ARVO Summer Conference, Hedgehog signaling in retinal neurogenesis and survival,
Monterey, CA, August 2007
International Society of Ocular cell Biology meeting, Hedgehog signaling in retinal
progenitor proliferation and neuronal fate specification, San Diego, CA, September
2008
International Congress of Eye Research, Hedgehog signaling coordinates retinal
proliferation and neuronal specification, Beijing, China, September 2008
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Campus Seminars
Jules Stein Eye Institute Research Seminars, UCLA, November 1996
Department of Neurobiology Seminars, UCLA, January 1997
Embryology Club Seminars, UCLA, April 1998
Jules Stein Eye Institute Research Seminars, UCLA, December1998
Department of Neurobiology Seminars, UCLA, November 1999
Embryology Club Seminars, UCLA, December 1999
Molecular Biology Institute Seminar, UCLA, February 2001
Jules Stein Eye Institute Post-ARVO Seminars, UCLA, June 2001
Jules Stein Eye Institute Post-ARVO Seminars, UCLA, June 2003
Molecular Medicine Seminar, UCLA Harbor Medical Center, September 2004
Jules Stein Eye Institute Clinical and Research Seminars, UCLA, May 2005
Jules Stein Eye Institute Clinical and Research Seminars, UCLA, May 2006
Embryology Club Seminars, UCLA, April 2007
Jules Stein Eye Institute Clinical and Research Seminars, UCLA, May 2007
Jules Stein Eye Institute Clinical and Research Seminars, UCLA, May 2008
Embryology Club Seminars, UCLA, March 2010
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MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
PATENT
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Society for Neuroscience
Society for Developmental Biology
International Society for Stem Cell Research
The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
Chinese Biological Investigator Society
Co-inventor with David S. Williams of patent application filed by the Regents of University of
California on Jan. 28, 2008 titled “Compositions and methods for ameliorating Myosin VIIA
defects” for Usher syndrome 1B gene therapy.
IPC8 Class: AA61K3576FI
USPC Class: 424 932
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TEACHING AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES
Member of UCLA Neuroscience Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program
UCLA Neuroscience Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program admission committee
(1997, 2007, 2008)
Core faculty of UCLA Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program
UCLA graduate Ph.D. ACCESS admission program subcommittees
UCLA Amgen Scholar mentor (2006-present)
UCLA undergraduate Sponsored Research Program mentor (1996-present)
UCLA undergraduate Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology honor thesis mentor
(1998-present)
UCLA Biomedical Research Minor mentor (2007-present)
UCLA NIH/NEI Vision Research Training Grant mentor (2000-present)
Courses Taught
Graduate level course Molecular Cell Biology, lectures on “signal transduction in the
nervous system”, 1997-1999
Graduate level course Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Neurobiology, lectures on
“neural induction”, “patterning formation”, “cell fate determination”, and “signal
transduction” in the nervous system, 2000-2002
Graduate seminar course Pattern formation in the vertebrate central nervous system.
1997-1998
UCLA undergraduate neuroscience course Advanced Molecular Genetic Approaches to
the Nervous System”, lectures on “retroviral mediated gene expression”, “retinal
development and disease”. 1998-2006
Graduate seminar course Cell signaling and cell fate in nervous system development.
2006
Resident training Ophthalmology Basic Science Lectures: “embryology and molecular
control of eye development”, “embryology of the lens and developmental anomalies”.
1998-2009
UCLA Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology undergraduate honored thesis,
directing independent research projects. 1998-present
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Graduate Student Supervised
Ph.D thesis committee chair for Kelly Cadenas (MBIDP, 2009-current, HHMI
fellowship)
Evan Hsieh (MBIDP, 2002-2007)
Zoe Verney (Neurobiology, 2000-2006)
Kun-Do Rhee (MBIDP, 2000-2005)
Ph.D thesis committee member for Mark W. Dodson (MBIDP/MSTP, 2009)
Ling Chen (Molecular Pharmacology, 2007)
Senta Georgia (MBIDP, 2007)
Ricardo Cristobal (Neurobiology, 1999)
William Pearlman (NSIDP, 2003)
Postdoctoral fellow Supervised
Undergraduate Student Supervised
UCLA students
Xiang-Mei Zhang M.D
Olivier Goureau Ph.D
Brenden Chen M.D
Takao Hashimoto M.D, Ph.D
Kiyo Sakagami Ph.D
Kun-Do Rhee Ph.D
Evan Hsieh Ph.D
Amy Tien Ph.D
Sponsor Research Program
Eddie Lin, Honna Ho, Mandee Khu, Manijeh Berenji, Charles Feng, Karyn Quyen
To, Joyce Ma, Richard Yun, Mason Lee, Kathleen Asas, Wendy Winckler, Ronald
Tang, William Song, Maria Mouchess, David Kung, Roman Groisberg, Alice Au,
Michelle Christina Lee, Nguyen Phan
Minor in Biomedical Research
Carrie Yue Zhao (Fall 2008-present, URFP fellowship)
Students from other institutions
Amy Steinmetz, Amgen Scholar, Brown University (2008)
Shantha Parameswaran, Ohio State Medical School (2008)
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Research Papers (Peer reviewed):
1. Grayhack, E.J., Yang, X.-J., Lau, L.F., and Roberts, J.W. (1985) Phage lambda gene Q
antiterminator recognizes RNA polymerase near the promoter and accelerates it through a pause
site. Cell 42, 259-269. (PMID 2990726)
2. Yang, X.-J., Hart, C.M., Grayhack, E.J., and Roberts, J.W. (1987) Transcription antitermination
by phage lambda gene Q protein requires a DNA segment spanning the RNA start site. Genes &
Dev 1, 217-226. (PMID 2960589)
3. Yang, X.-J. and Roberts, J.W. (1989) Gene Q antiterminator proteins of E. coli phages 82 and
lambda suppress pausing by RNA polymerase at a Rho-dependent terminator, and at other sites.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 86, 5301-5305. (PMID 2526335)
4. Yang, X.-J., Goliger, J.A. and Roberts, J.W. (1989) Specificity and mechanism of
antitermination by Q proteins of bacteriophages lambda and 82. J Mol Biol 210, 453-460. (PMID
2559206)
5. Goliger, J.A., Yang, X.-J., Guo, H.C., and Roberts, J.W. (1989) Early transcribed sequences
affect termination efficiency of E. coli RNA polymerase. J Mol Biol 205, 331-341. (PMID
2467004)
6. Yang, X.-J., Chung, D., and Cepko, C.L. (1993) Molecular cloning of the murine JAK1 protein
tyrosine kinase and its expression in the mouse central nervous system. J Neuroscience 13, 3006-
3017.
7. Argetsinger, L.S., Campbell, G.S., Yang, X.-J., Witthuhn, B.A., Silvennoinen, O., Ihle, J.N., and
Carter-Su, C. (1993) Identification of JAK2 as a growth hormone receptor-associated tyrosine
kinase. Cell 74, 237-244.
8. Cepko, C. L., Austin, C. P., Yang, X.-J., Alexiades, M. and Ezzedine, D. (1996) Cell fate
determination in the vertebrate retina. Proc Natl Acad USA 93, 589-595.
9. Yang, X.-J. and Cepko, C.L. (1996) Flk-1, a receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor
(VEGF), is expressed by retinal progenitor cells. J Neurosci 16, 6089-6099.
10. Ezzeddine, D., Yang, X.-J., Tom DeChiara, George Yancopoulos, and Cepko, C. L. (1997)
Postmitotic cells fated to become rod photoreceptors can be respecified by CNTF treatment of the
retina. Development 124, 1055-1067.
11. Zhang, X.M., Lin, E., and Yang, X.-J. (2000) Sonic hedgehog mediated ventralization disrupts
formation of the midbrain-hindbrain junction in the chick embryo. Dev Neurosci 22, 207-216.
(PMID 10894984)
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12. Kantorow, M., Huang, Q., Yang, X.-J., Sage, E.H., Magobo, K.S., Miller, K., and Horwitz, J.
(2000) Increased expression of osteonectin/SPARC mRNA and protein in age-related human
cataracts and spatial expression in the normal human lens. Mol Vis 6, 24-29. (PMID 10756178)
13. Zhang, X.M. and Yang, X.-J. (2001) Temporal and spatial effects of Sonic hedgehog signaling in
chick eye morphogenesis. Dev Biol 233, 271-290. (PMID 11336495)
14. Zhang, X.M. and Yang, X.-J. (2001) Regulation of retinal ganglion cell production by Sonic
hedgehog. Development 128, 943-957. (PMID 11222148)
15. Hsieh, Y.W., Zhang, X.M., Lin, E., Oliver, G., and Yang, X.-J. (2002) The homeobox gene Six3
is a potential regulator of the anterior segment formation in the chick eye. Dev Biol 248, 265-280.
(PMID 12167403)
16. Hashimoto, T., Zhang, X.M., and Yang, X.-J. (2003) Expression of the Flk-1 receptor and its
ligand VEGF in the developing chick central nervous system. Gene Expr Patterns 3, 109-113.
(PMID 12609612)
17. Zhang, X.-M., Yang, Z., Karan, G., Hashimoto, T., Baehr, W., Yang, X.-J., Zhang, K. (2003)
Elovl4 mRNA distribution in the developing mouse retina and phylogenetic conservation of Elovl4
genes. Mol Vis 9, 310-317.
18. Rhee, K.D. and Yang, X.-J. (2003) Expression of cytokine signal transduction components in the
postnatal mouse retina. Mol Vis 9, 715-722. (PMID 14685141)
19. Goureau, O., Rhee, K.D., and Yang, X.-J. (2004) Ciliary neurotrophic factor promotes Müller
glia differentiation from the postnatal retinal progenitor pool. Dev Neurosci 26, 359-370. (PMID
15855765)
20. Rhee, K.D., Goureau, O., Chen, S., and Yang, X.-J. (2004) Cytokine-induced STAT3 activation
in photoreceptor precursors regulates rod differentiation in the developing mouse retina. J.
Neurosci 24, 9779-9788. (PMID 15525763)
21. Hashimoto, T., Zhang, X.M., Chen, Y. B., and Yang, X.-J. (2006) VEGF activates divergent
intracellular signaling components to regulate retinal progenitor cell proliferation and neuronal
differentiation. Development 133, 2201-2210. (PMID 16672338)
22. Hashimoto, T., Gibbs, D., Lillo, C., Azarian, S.M., Legacki, E., Zhang, X.M., Yang, X.-J. # , and
Williams, D. S. # (2007) Lentiviral gene replacement therapy of retinas in a mouse model for
Usher syndrome type 1B. Gene Therapy 14, 584-594.
(PMID 17268537) # Co-corresponding authors.
23. Rhee, K.D., Ruiz, A., Duncan, J.L., Hauswirth, W., LaVail, M.M., Bok, D. # , and Yang, X.-J. #
(2007) Molecular and cellular alterations induced by sustained expression of ciliary neurotrophic
factor in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 48, 1389-1400.
(PMID 17325188) # Co-corresponding authors.
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24. Chen, L., Sham, C.W., Chan, A. M., Francisco, L. M., Wu, Y., Mareninov, S., Sharpe, A. H.,
Freeman, G.J., Yang, X.-J., Braun, J., and Gordon, L.K. (2009) Role of the immune modulator
programmed cell death-1 during development and apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells. Invest
Ophthalmol Vis Sci 50, 4941-4948. (PMID 19420345)
25. Sakagami, K., Gan, L., and Yang, X.-J. (2009) Distinct effects of Hedgehog signaling on
neuronal fate specification and cell cycle progression in the embryonic mouse retina. J. Neurosci
29, 6932-6944. (NIHMSID #120970, PMID 19474320)
26. Hsieh, Y.-W. and Yang, X.-J. (2009) Cell cycle-dependent Pax6 expression regulates
proliferation and neuronal fate choices of retinal progenitors. Neural Development 4, 32 (PMID
19686589)
Book Chapters:
1. Yang, X.-J. (2001) “In Situ Hybridization”, chapter 3, pp45-69, in Vision Research Protocols,
Methods in Molecular Medicine Vol. 47, edited by E. Rakoczy. Humana Press, Torowa, New
Jesey.
2. Yang, X.-J. (2001) “Preparation of Recombinant Retroviruses”, chapter 10, pp171-190, in Vision
Research Protocols, Methods in Molecular Medicine Vol. 47, edited by E. Rakoczy. Humana
Press, Torowa, New Jesey.
Reviews:
1. Yang, X.-J. (2002) Retrovirus-mediated gene expression during chick visual system
development. Methods 28, 396-401.
2. Yang, X.-J. (2004) Roles of cell-extrinsic growth factors in vertebrate eye pattern formation and
retinogenesis. Semin Cell Dev Biol 15, 91-103. (PMID 15036212)
3. Rhee, K.-D. and Yang, X.-J. (2010) Function and mechanism of CNTF/LIF signaling in
retinogenesis. Adv Exp Med Biol. 664, 647-654.
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