Medical College of Georgia
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39th Employee Recognition Awards
IMMAG Employees

Robert Yu, PhD, Med. Sc.D.

E-mail:

Research Emphasis:
My research concerns the chemistry, metabolism and biological function of complex glycoconjugates, particularly glycosphingolipids. These compounds play crucial roles in determining cellular properties such as intercellular interactions, recognition, and adhesion. In particular, we are developing an understanding of the role of glycoconjugates in cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as the metabolic basis and regulatory mechanisms for changes of their expression in the developing nervous system. A major trust of our more recent effort is on the glycobiology of neural stem cells. We are developing an understanding of the role of stage-specific glycoconjugates in governing events in cell differentiation and cell-fate determination via several signaling pathways.

In addition, we are elucidating the basic mechanisms underlying a variety of neurodegenerative disorders, including autoimmune demyelinating neuropathies, multiple sclerosis, mucopolysaccharidoses, and sensorineural hearing loss, with a goal of developing novel strategies in disease diagnosis and therapy.

Representative Publication (2004-2008):

Tencomnao, T., Kapitonov, D., Bieberich, E., and Yu, R. K. Transcriptional regulation of the human UDP-galactose:ceramide galactosyltransferase (hCGT) gene expression. Functional Role of GC-box and CRE. Glycoconj. J. 20: 339-351, 2004.
Yu, R. K., Bieberich, E., T. Xia, and Zeng, G. Developmental regulation of ganglioside biosynthesis in the nervous system. J. Lipid Res. 45: 783-793, 2004.
Yanagisawa, M., Liour, S. S., and Yu, R. K. Involvement of gangliosides in proliferation of immortalized neural progenitor cells. J. Neurochem. 91: 804-812, 2004.
Usuki, S., Sanchez, J., Ariga, A., Utsunomiya, I., Taguchi, K., Rivner, M. H., and Yu, R. K. AIDP and CIDP having specific antibodies to the carbohydrate epitope (-NeuAcα2-8NeuAcα2-3Galβ1-4Glc-) of gangliosides. J. Neurol. Sci. 80: 1-17, 2005.
Ariga, T., and Yu, R. K. Anti-glycolipid antibodies in Guillain-Barré syndome and related diseases: A review of clinical features and antibody specificities. J. Neurosci. Res. 80: 1-17, 2005.
Liour, S. S., Dinkins, M. B., Su, C. -Y., and Yu, R. K. Spatiotemporal expression of GM1 in murine medial pallial neural progenitor cells. J. Comp. Neurol. 491:330-338, 2005.
Santiago, M. F., Liour, S. S., Mendez-Otero, R., and Yu, R. K. Glial guided neuronal migration in P19 embryonal carcinoma stem cell aggregates. J. Neurosci. Res. 81: 9-20, 2005.
Yu, R. K., and Yanagisawa, M. Glycobiology of neural stem cells. CNS & Neurol. Disorders-Drug Targets. 5: 15-423, 2006.
Liour, S. S., Kraemer, S. A., Dinkins, M. B., Su, C. Y., Yanagisawa, M., and Yu, R. K. Further characterization of embryonic stem cell-derived radial glial cells. Glia 53: 43-56, 2006.
Yanagisawa, M., Taga, T., Nakamura, K., Ariga, T., and Yu, R. K. Characterization of glycoconjugate antigens in mouse embryonic neural precursor cells. J. Neurochem. 95: 1311-1320, 2005.
Usuki, S., Thompson, S. A., Rivner, M. H., Taguchi, K., Shibata, K., Ariga, T., and Yu, R. K. Molecular mimicry: Sensitization of Lewis rats with Camplyobacter jejuni lipopolysaccharides induces formation of antibody toward GD3 ganglioside. J. Neurosci. Res. 83:274-284, 2006.
Usuki, S., Taguchi, K., Cawthaw, S., Shibata, K., Ariga, T., Newell, D. G., and Yu, R. K. Human and chicken antibodies to gangliosides following infection by Camplyobacter jejuni. Exp. Neurol., 200: 50-55, 2006.
Yanagisawa, M., Ariga, T., and Yu, R. K. Colera toxin B subunit binding does not correlate with GM1 expression: A study using mouse neural precursor cells. Glycobiology, 16: 19G-23G, 2006.
Yanagisawa, M., Ariga, T., and Yu, R. K. Fucosyl-GM1 expression and amyloid beta-protein accumulation in PC12 cells. J. Neurosci. Res. 84: 415-423, 2006.
Sun, X., Gao, L., Yu, R. K., and G. Zeng, Down regulation of WNK1 protein kinase in neural progenitor cells suppresses cell proliferation and migration. J. Neurochem. 99: 1114-1122, 2006.
Yu, R. K., Usuki, S., and Ariga, T. Ganglioside molecular mimicry and its pathological roles in Guillain-Barré yndrome and related diseases. Infect. & Immun. 74: 6517-6527, 2006.
Usuki, S., Pahaniappan, M., Thompson, S. A., and Yu, R. K. Chemical validation of molecular mimicry: the interaction of cholera toxin with Campylobacter lipooligosaccharides. Glycoconj. J. 24:167-180, 2007.
Dasgupta, S., Yanagisawa, M., Krishnamurthy, K., Liour, S. S., and Yu, R. K. TNF-α Upregulates glucuronosyltransferase gene expression in brain endothelial cells and promotes T cell adhesion. J. Neurosci. Res. 85:1086-1094, 2007.
Yu, R. K., Yanagisawa, M., and Ariga, T. Glycosphingolipid Structures. In: “Comprehensive Glycoscience”. (J. P. Kamerling, Ed.), Elsevier, Oxford, UK, 2007, pp. 73-122.
Yu, R.K. and Yanagisawa, M. Glycosignaling in neural stem cells: Involvement of glycoconjugates in signal transduction modulating the neural stem cell fate. J. Neurochem. 103, 39-46, 2007.
Yanagisawa, M. and Yu, R.K. The expression and functions of glycoconjugates in neural stem cells. Glycobiol. 17: 57R-74R, 2007 (ranked among the top 5 of the most frequently read articles in Glycobiology)
Yang, C.-R., Liour, S. S., Dasgupta, S., and Yu, R. K. Inhibition of neuronal migration by JONES antibody is independent of 9-O-acetyl GD3 in GD3-synthase knockout mice. J. Neurosci. Res. 85: 1381-90, 2007.
Ngamukote, S., Yanagisawa, M., Ariga, T., Ando, S., and Yu, R.K. Developmental changes of glycosphingolipids and expression of glycogenes in mouse brains. J. Neurochem. 103: 2327-2341, 2007.
Zeng, G. and Yu, R. K. Cloning and transcriptional regulation of ganglioside synthase genes. Current Drug Target 9: 317-324, 2008.
Usuki, S., Nakatani, Y.; Taguchi, K. Fujita, T., Tanabe, S., Utsunomi, I. Gu, Y.-H.,Cawthraw, S., Newell, D., Pajaniappan, M., Thompson, S., Ariga, T.. and Yu, R. K. Topology and patch-clamp analysis of the sodium channel in relationship to the anti-lipid A antibody in campylobacteriosis. J. Neurosci. Res. (in press), 2008.
Usuki, S., Ariga, T., Dasgupta, S., Kasama, T., Morikawa, K., Nonaka, S., Okuhara, Kise, M., and Yu, R. K. Structural analysis of novel bioactive acylated steryl glucosides (ASGs) in pre-germinated brown rice bran. J. Lipid Res. (in press).
Ariga, T., McDonald, M. P., and Yu, R. K. Role of ganglioside metabolism in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease—A review. J. Lipid Res. 49: 1157-1175, 2008.
Yang, C. R. and Yu, R. K. Intracerebral transplantation of neural stem cells combined with trehalose ingestion alleviates pathology in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease. J. Neurosci. Res. (in press).

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November 07, 2006