“Enjoy the journey of exploring the unknown, decode the beauty of life, and shed light on the path towards the future”
Biography
2004-2008 College of Life Sciences, Ningbo University B.S.
2008-2014 College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University Ph.D.
2011-2014 MCD Biology, University of Colorado Visiting Ph.D.
2014-2017 HHMI and MCD Biology, University of Colorado Postdoc
2018-Present School of Life Sciences, Westlake University Assistant Professor
Research
The coordinated cell-cell communications play critical roles in development, homeostasis maintenance and aging in animals. Besides the well-known secreted proteins-ligands system, extracellular vesicles are served as important information carrier for intercellular crosstalk. Our lab mainly focuses on understanding a newly-emerged vesicle that carry organelles. Our preliminary work in the Westlake University has uncovered a previously-unrecognized vesicle for specifically transporting mitochondria. We strive to discover more novel vesicles that harbor organelles and then elucidating their unique physiological roles in development and aging, including the pathogenesis of the aging-related diseases. Our lab applies cutting-edged technologies to explore the following fundamental questions:
(1), Deciphering the biogenesis mechanisms and regulatory signaling underlying the mitochondria-embedded vesicles, and exploring the unique functions of these vesicles in development and aging of animals
(2), Investigating the role of vesicle-mediated organelle export in organelle quality control, and understanding their potential roles in aging-related diseases, including AD and PD
(3), Elucidating the mechanisms by which vesicles are targeted to specific cells/tissues and how these vesicles cross brain blood barrier, and then employing these knowledges for drug delivery
(4), Exploring novel processes for organelle (ER, mitochondria and lysosome) quality control
(5), Uncovering how gut bacteria affect brain activities
(6), Unveiling new types of protein modifications
Representative Publications
(1) Xin Gong, Yanwen Feng, Hongyun Tang*(2021). A metabolic labeling protocol to enrich myristoylated proteins from Caenorhabditis elegans. STAR Protoc. 2(4):101013.
(2) Hongyun Tang, Mingxue Cui, Min Han* (2021). Fatty acids impact sarcomere integrity through myristoylation and ER homeostasis. Cell Rep. 36(7):109539.
(3) Hongyun Tang, Min Han* (2017). Principles of Chemical Biology: From Sexy Fatty Acids and EBV probes to Anti-Acid Antibiotic via Post-Biotics and Host-Microbe Metabolic Complementarity (First section). Cell chemical biology 24, 647-648, doi:10.1016/j.chembiol.2017.06.006.
(4) Hongyun Tang and Min Han* (2017). Fatty acids regulate germline sex determination through ACS-4-dependent myristoylation. Cell 169, 457-469 e413.
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