Yuguang Shi, Ph.D.

My research work focuses on translational aspects of type 2 diabetes and other aging-related metabolic diseases, from identification and validation of novel drug targets, development of high throughput screening assays, to preclinical testing of potential therapeutic compounds in animal models. Our work has recently identified a critical missing link between mitochondrial dysfunction in aging and the onset aging-related metabolic diseases, including diabetes, heart failure, stroke, and Alzheimer’s diseases. Using genome-wide synthetic lethal screening, we have also identified a family of novel regulators of phospholipid trafficking between ER and mitochondria. We are currently characterizing their function in regulating the onset of aging-related diseases.

Related Diseases: Mitochondrial dysfunction, cardiolipin remodeling, aging, metabolic diseases. 

Techniques: Molecular cloning, confocal imaging analysis of mitochondrial dynamics, enzymatic assays, signal transduction, mitochondrial respiration, transgenic and knockout mice, metabolic phenotyping, echocardiography, glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance and animal surgery

• Professional Background

  Training

  • 1992 - PhD - Molecular Biology - Australian National University, Australia
  • 1986 - MS - Genetics - University of New England, Australia
  • 1982 - BS - Animal Science - Northwestern A&F University, China

• Publications

  Hsu, P., Liu, X., Zhang, J., and Shi*, Y. (2015). Cardiolipin Remodeling by Tafazzin Is Selectively Required for the Initiation of Mitophagy. Autophagy 11(4):643-52.

  Wang L, Liu X, Nie J, Zhang J, Kimball SR, Zhang H, Zhang WJ, Jefferson LS, Cheng Z, Ji Q, Shi Y.ALCAT1 controls mitochondrial etiology of fatty liver diseases, linking defective mitophagy to steatosis. Hepatology. 2015 Feb;61(2):486-96.

  Nie J, Liu X, Lilley BN, Zhang H, Pan YA, Kimball SR, Zhang J, Zhang W, Wang L, Jefferson LS, Sanes JR, Han X, Shi Y. SAD-A kinase controls islet β-cell size and function as a mediator of mTORC1 signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2013 Aug 20;110(34):13857-62.

  Nie J, Lilley BN, Pan YA, Faruque O, Liu X, Zhang W, Sanes JR, Han X, Shi Y.SAD-A potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion as a mediator of glucagon-like peptide 1 response in pancreatic β cells. Mol Cell Biol. 2013 Jul;33(13):2527-34.

  Li J, Liu X, Wang H, Zhang W, Chan DC, Shi Y. Lysocardiolipin acyltransferase 1 (ALCAT1) controls mitochondrial DNA fidelity and biogenesis through modulation of MFN2 expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2012 May 1;109(18):6975-80.

  Li J, Romestaing C, Han X, Li Y, Hao X, Wu Y, Sun C, Liu X, Jefferson LS, Xiong J, Lanoue KF, Chang Z, Lynch CJ, Wang H, Shi Y. Cardiolipin remodeling by ALCAT1 links oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction to obesity.Cell Metab. 2010 Aug 4;12(2):154-65.

  Complete List of Published Work in MyBibliography: 

  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/yuguang.shi.1/bibliography/40647214/public/?sort=date&direction=ascending