Danyang He  (1989-) received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with honor from  Tsinghua University in 2011 and her Ph.D. degree in Integrative Biology from UT  Southwestern Medical Center in 2016. She then moved to Brigham and Women’s  Hospital/Harvard Medical School for her postdoctoral training in 2017. She is a  recipient of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation postdoc award. She will join  the School of Life Sciences at Westlake University as a Tenure Track Assistant  Professor from 2020.

Our long-term  interest is to decode the cellular and molecular circuits mediating the  interactions between the immune system and the nervous system in development and  disease. We are seeking to understand how innate immunity (e.g.  microglia-mediated immune mechanisms) and adaptive immunity (e.g. lymphocytes)  regulates early wiring of neural circuits during CNS development and modulates  tissue immunity during aging, neuroinflammation, and  neurodegeneration.

Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental  and neuropsychiatric diseases. On one hand, perturbation of cellular intrinsic  molecular circuits in neuronal lineage cells leads to disrupted developmental  trajectory and function of neuronal cells; on the other hand, dysregulated  immune cues could cause alterations in neuronal vulnerability and function. By  integrating single-cell transcriptomics, functional genetics and systems biology  approaches, we have mapped several distinctive gene modules and identified novel  mechanisms that support microglia-mediated synaptic remolding and brain  homeostasis. We also investigated the role of a panel of autism (ASD) risk genes  in microglia and provided strong evidence for the causal contribution of  microglial dysfunction to behavioral alterations associated with  neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.

Our goal is  to decipher the cellular and molecular basis underlying the reciprocal crosstalk  between the immune system and the nervous system. We employ a combination of  imaging, single-cell genomics, metabolomics, functional genetics, mouse models  and neurobehavioral approaches to address these and other mechanistic questions.  We are currently perusing the following directions:

(1)  Regulation  and function of microglia in neurodevelopment and neurological  disease

(2)  Meningeal  immunity in brain homeostasis and inflammation;

(3)  enteric  glia-immune circuits in intestinal homeostasis and inflammation.

1. Weng Q*, Wang  J*, Wang J*, He  D*, Cheng Z,  Zhang F, Verma R, Xu L, Dong X, Potter A, Zhao C, Xin M, Blackshear P, Rich JN,  Suvà L, He Q, Waclaw R, Potter S, Yu G, Lu QR. Single-Cell Transcriptomics  Uncovers Glial Progenitor Diversity and Cell Fate Determinants during  Development and Gliomagenesis. Cell Stem  Cell. 2019 May  2;24(5):707-723.

2. He D, Xu  H, Zhang H, Christian E, Ding J, Nguyen L, Dionne D, Thakore P, Schnell A, Li S,  Lorello P, Caldarone B, Rozenblatt-Rosen O, Regev A, Kuchroo VK. IL33 dependent  metabolic fitness supports microglial activity and neurodevelopment. (In  Revision)

3. He D, Wang  J, Lu Y, Deng Y, Zhao C, Chen Y, Hu Y, Zhou W, Lu QR. lncRNA Functional Networks  in Oligodendrocytes Reveal Stage-Specific Myelination Control by a lncOL1/Suz12  Complex in the CNS. Neuron. 2017 Jan  18;93(2):362-378 (Featured  Article).

4. He  D, Meyer B, Lu  QR (2017). Isolation and Culture of Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells from  Prenatal and Postnatal Rodent Brain. Stem Cell  Technologies in Neuroscience, pp 95-109.  ISBN 978-1-4939-7022- 3

5. He  D, Marie C,  Zhao C, Kim B, Wang J, Deng Y, Clavairoly A, Frah M, Wang H, He X, Hmidan H,  Jones BV, Witte D, Zalc B, Zhou X, Choo DI, Martin DM, Parras C, Lu QR. Chd7  cooperates with Sox10 and regulates the onset of CNS myelination and  remyelination. Nat  Neurosci. 2016  May;19(5):678- 89.

6. Lu F, Chen  Y, Zhao C, Wang H, He  D, Xu L, Wang  J, He X, Deng Y, Lu EE, Liu X, Verma R, Bu H, Drissi R, Fouladi M,  Stemmer-Rachamimov AO, Burns D, Xin M, Rubin JB, Bahassi el M, Canoll P, Holland  EC, Lu QR. Olig2-Dependent Reciprocal Shift in PDGF and EGF Receptor Signaling  Regulates Tumor Phenotype and Mitotic Growth in Malignant  Glioma. Cancer  Cell. 2016 May  9;29(5):669- 83.

7. Zhang L,  He X, Liu L, Jiang M, Zhao C, Wang H, He  D, Zheng T,  Zhou X, Hassan A, Ma Z, Xin M, Sun Z, Lazar MA, Goldman SA, Olson EN, Richard Lu  Q. Hdac3 Interaction with p300 Histone Acetyltransferase Regulates the  Oligodendrocyte and Astrocyte Lineage Fate Switch. Dev  Cell. 2016 Jun  20;37(6):582.

8. Lopez  Juarez A, He  D, Richard Lu  Q. Oligodendrocyte progenitor programming and reprogramming: Toward myelin  regeneration. Brain  Res. 2016 May  1;1638(Pt B):209-20

Positions  Opening

Postdoctoral  Associate/Fellow

Multiple  postdoc positions are available in the lab. We are seeking independent,  creative, and motivated postdoctoral candidates interested in neuroscience and  immunology. Expertise in immunology, neuroscience, live imaging,  molecular/biochemical biology or related areas will be the most competitive. A  Ph.D. degree in a STEM field is required. The internationally competitive salary  and benefits (including social insurance, medical insurance, etc.) are provided.  Westlake University provides first-class research environment and  infrastructure. Opportunities exist for personal career development.

Research  Assistant

Multiple  research assistant positions are available in the lab. Expertise in mouse colony  management, molecular biology, mammalian cell culture, animal models, or related  areas is preferred. The internationally competitive salary and benefits  (including social insurance, medical insurance, etc.) are provided. Westlake  University provides first-class research environment and infrastructure.  Opportunities exist for personal career development.