Education

Associate Professor of Oncology
Experimental Therapeutics Program Member - UW Carbone Cancer Center
Cell Signaling
Structural Biology
Biochemistry
Proteomics

B.S., 1995, Biochemistry, Fudan University, China
M.S., 1997, Institute of Genetics, Fudan University, China
Ph.D., 2002, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Rutgers University and UMDNJ, Piscataway, NJ
Postdoctoral research: UMDNJ, Piscataway, NJ and Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Research Interests

My lab is interested in elucidation of signaling pathways related to cancer using multi-disciplinary biophysics and biochemical approaches, including structural biology and proteomics, in combination with cell biology. We focus on signaling pathways that affect cancer cell metabolism and cancer cell genome integrity.

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is involved in many essential cellular functions. Deregulation of PP2A function is frequently linked to multiple types of cancer. The importance of PP2A function also resides in its crosstalk with the Tor signaling pathway, which has broad effects on cell growth and metabolism. PP2A also interacts with PML, a major component of PML-nuclear body (PML-NB) that is missing in later stage of tumors. PML is considered an important tumor suppressor and has important functions in genome integrity and as an antiviral. Structural biology in combination with biochemistry and proteomics will provide powerful tools for elucidation of the structure and function of the key components in the regulation of PP2A, Tor and PML, as well as the crosstalk among them. Results from these aspects of our research will have a direct impact on the design of therapeutics against cancer. Visit Yongna's University of Wisconsin-Madison page here.