DEYANG YU

Undergraduate Work

Wuhan University (2006-2011)
Preventive Medicine

Current Research – Spring 2015

I am using a proteomics approach to study the signaling pathways of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the cardiac system. AMPK plays critical roles in promoting and maintaining energy homeostasis in the heart, thus vital for the health of the heart under energy-stressed conditions such as hypoxia and ischemia. Using global proteomics approach, we aim to identify all the interacting proteins of AMPK (interactome) and explore their functional significance of these interactions in the heart. We are particularly interested in whether and how AMPK regulates autophagy as well as contraction, identification of AMPK-interacting proteins involved in these two pathways would be key to answer these questions. More importantly, the elucidation of all the signaling pathways of AMPK in the heart would help provide therapeutic targets for many heart diseases such as myocardial infarction, cardiac hypertrophy.

Why I Joined METC 

I studied preventive medicine in my undergrad, and Toxicology was a very important course for my major. I was very fortunate to get to know Dr. Jefcoate when he paid a visit to our university and gave us a series of lectures in Toxicology. While taking his lectures, I learned the concepts of AhR and Cytochrome P450 and I was intrigued by the interaction between toxicants and living organisms. Later on when I needed to write my undergraduate thesis, I went to work in the lab headed by the course director of the toxicology class to study the effect of TCDD on zebrafish and use this model to monitor the pollution of TCDD in water. In the process of conducting this project I read quite a few famous papers published by researchers that are affiliated with METC at UW-Madison so I decided to apply here for my graduate study.

Interests/Hobbies 

I enjoy basketball-related activities such as watching, playing and talking about basketball. I like travel a lot, and I always dream to set my foot on every continent of the world. As once a medical student, I am always interested in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of all kinds of diseases. Lastly but not least, I enjoy hanging out with my wife and watching discovery channel.

Publications

• Peng, Y.; Yu, D.; Gregorich Z., Chen, X.; Beyer, A. M.; Gutterman, D. D.; Ge, Y. In-depth proteomic analysis of human tropomyosin by top-down mass spectrometry, J. Muscle Res. Cell Motil. 2013, 34, 199-210.
• Peng, Y.; Ayaz-Guner, S.; Yu, D.; Ge, Y. Top-down mass spectrometry of cardiac myofilament proteins in health and disease, Proteomics Clin. Appl. 2014, 8, 554–568.
• Chang, Y.; Gregorich Z. R.; Chen, A. J.; Hwang L.; Guner, H.; Yu, D.; Zhang, J.; Ge, Y. New mass spectrometry-compatible degradable surfactant for tissue proteomics, J. Proteome Res., 2015
• Yu D, Peng Y, Ayaz-Guner S, Gregorich ZR, Ge Y. Comprehensive Characterization of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Catalytic Domain by Top-Down Mass Spectrometry. J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2015 Oct 21.