|
|
Faculty
 |
| |
|
Xiangyun Wei
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Cell Biology and Physiology
Retinal Development Laboratory
Ph.D.
Eye & Ear Institute
203 Lothrop Street, Room 910
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone: 412-647-3537
Email: weix@upmc.edu
Fax: 412-647-5880
|
| |
 Research Interests
 |
Have you ever wondered why you look differently from others? The answer is your cells are organized differently. But how? Multicellular organisms arrange cells in special patterns to form distinct structures through a set of developmental instructions that we do not fully understand. In my laboratory, we use the zebrafish retina as a model system to study the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular pattern formation in the central nervous system.
The vertebrate retina develops from a single sheet of neuroepithelial cells, which later differentiate and reorganize into layered structures during retinal neurogenesis. Each retinal layer is composed of specific neuronal classes and executes distinct functions. Although the cellular architecture and function in the retina are relatively well characterized, the molecular mechanisms that control retinal pattern formation remain largely unknown.
To understand how retinal cells organize, my lab uses a variety of experimental approaches that involve Genetics, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, and Developmental Biology. Our research is currently focused on the following areas: study how retinal epithelial polarity contributes to the formation of the layered cellular structure of the mature retina; investigate how cell-cell adhesion molecules play a role in retinal pattern formation; identify novel mutations that affect retinal development through mutagenesis screens
|
| |
Education
|
University of Notre Dame
Post-doc
2002-2003
Developmental biology.
Harvard Medical School/MEEI, Boston
Post-doc
1998-2002
Developmental biology
SUNY/Buffalo
Ph.D.
1993-1998
Cell Biology |
| |
Academic Affiliation
|
Assistant Professor,
Department of Ophthalmology,
University of Pittsburgh
2003 |
| |
Publications
|
L. Kagemann, H. Ishikawa, J. Zou, P. Charukamnoetkanok, G. Wollstein, K. Townsend, ML. Gabriele, N. Bahary, X. Wei, JG. Fujimoto, JS. Schuman (2008) Non-Invasive High-Speed Ultrahigh Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging of Zebrafish Embryos Cross-Sectionally and Over Time. Molecular Vision. 14:2157-70.
J. Zou, K. Lathrop, M. Sun, X. Wei (2008) Intact RPE maintained by Nok is essential for retinal epithelial polarity and cellular patterning in zebrafish. Journal of Neuroscience. 28(50):13684 –13695.
A. Catalano, P. Raymond, D. Goldman, and X. Wei. (2007) Zebrafish dou yan Mutation Causes Patterning Defects and Extensive Cell Death in the Retina. Dev Dyn. 236(5):1295-306.
J. Zou, F. Beermann, J. Wang, K. Kawakami, and X. Wei. (2006) The Fugu rubripes tyrp1 promoter directs specific GFP expresssion in zebrafish: tools to study the RPE and neural crest-derived melanophores. Pigment Cell Research. 19:615-627.
X. Wei, J. Zou, M. Takechi, S. Kawamura, and L. Li. (2006) Nok plays an essential role in maintaining the integrity of the outer nuclear layer in the zebrafish retina. Experimental Eye Research. 83(1):31-44.
X. Wei, Y. Luo, D. Hyde (2006) Molecular cloning of three zebrafish lin7 genes and their expression patterns in the zebrafish retina. Experimental Eye Research. 82 (1):122-31.
X. Wei, C. Yan, Y. Luo, X. Shi, S. Nelson, and D. Hyde. (2004). The zebrafish Par-3 homolog is required for separation of the eye fields and retinal lamination, but not neuronal specification. Developmental Biology. 269:286-301.
X. Wei and J. Malicki. (2002). nagie oko, encoding a MAGUK-family protein, is essential for cellular patterning of the retina. Nature Genetics. 31, 150-157.
X. Wei, S. Somanathan, J. Samarabandu and R. Berezney. (1999). Three-dimensional visualization of transcription sites and their association with splicing factor-rich nuclear speckles. Journal of Cell Biology 146: 543-558.
X. Wei, J. Samarabandu, R.S. Devdhar, A. Siegel. R. Acharya, R. Berezney. (1998) Segregation of transcription and replication sites into higher order domains. Science. 281: 1502-1505.
|
| |
Grants
|
NIH RO1 EY016099
PI: Xiangyun Wei
Sept 30, 2005 -- Aug 31, 2010
Research to Prevent Blindness Career Development Award
PI: Xiangyun Wei
Dec 2004-Dec 2008
University of Pittsburgh Health System Competitive Medical Research Fund (CMRF) grant
PI: Xiangyun Wei
July 1, 2004-June 30, 2006
University of Pittsburgh Startup fund
PI: Xiangyun Wei
Sept 2003-August 2006 |
| |
Lab Personnel
|
Postdoctoral Associates
Jian Zou
Xiaolei Wang
Student Assistant
Anne Catalano |
| |
|
