Research
Astrocyte development and the roles of astrocytes in diseases
Appointments
- Assistant Professor
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
Biography
Astrocytes constitute at least a third of all cells in human brains. Long thought to be passive support cells, astrocytes are recently found to be critical for the development and function of the central nervous system. Accumulating evidence show that astrocytes are involved in almost every type of neurological and psychiatric disorder.
The cellular and molecular mechanisms that control astrocyte development as well as dysfunction of astrocytes in neurological and psychiatric disorders remains poorly understood.
We combine cell culture and mouse genetic approaches to study the following questions:
- What signals regulate astrocyte maturation?
- How is astrocyte differentiation regulated?
- Can we improve treatment of glioblastoma by studying astrocyte development?
- Are astrocytes involved in intellectual disability and autism?
Publications
- Yu, L, Kao, JC, Zhang, Y, Mak, CH, Lo, YC, Pao, CW et al.. Photoresponsive Adaptive Reconfiguration of Single-Atom Interface With Intermittent Light and Soft Ionic Lattices. Adv Mater. 2026; :e18557. doi: 10.1002/adma.202518557. PubMed PMID:41803037 .
- Chen, X, Zhang, X, Zheng, Y, Ling, W, Shan, X, Wei, Y et al.. Loss-of-Function SSFA2 Variants Disrupt Fertility Through Impaired Acrosome Formation and Sperm Function. Andrology. 2026; :. doi: 10.1111/andr.70213. PubMed PMID:41802982 .
- Li, H, Zhang, Y, Tian, X, Xu, X, Wang, M, Wang, H et al.. Evolutionary genomic basis of mimicry diversity of Epicopeiidae moths. Mol Biol Evol. 2026; :. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msag060. PubMed PMID:41802886 .
- Zhang, Y, Hu, W, Rothman, N, Liu, D, Li, J, Xu, J et al.. Variation on Toxic and Inflammatory Potential of Coal Smoke of Different Sources From a Region With High Lung Cancer Risk. Environ Toxicol. 2026; :. doi: 10.1002/tox.70075. PubMed PMID:41802872 .
- Meng, L, Chen, J, Huo, X, Zhang, Y, Zheng, H. Efficacy of progressive exercise snacking for middle-aged and older adults with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2026; :. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2026.02.493. PubMed PMID:41802622 .