Zhang, Ye, Ph.D.

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

1. Song, M, Zhang, H, Wei, Z, Gong, L, Chen, X, Xiao, J et al.. Pt₁/MnO₂ Nanotip Inducing Local Electric Field Intensifies Oxygen Transport for High-Energy-Density Al-Air Battery Stacks. Adv Mater. 2026; :e72745. doi: 10.1002/adma.72745. PubMed PMID:41789534 .
2. Yoshisada, R, Zhang, Y, Janssen, E, Bouchard, C, Poole, DA 3rd, Wan, T et al.. A suite of macrocyclic peptide inhibitors and substrate probes for arginine methyltransferases. Chem Sci. 2026; :. doi: 10.1039/d5sc09232a. PubMed PMID:41789358 PubMed Central PMC12958360.
3. Hu, X, Zhang, Y, Zhao, Q, Li, Y, Wu, X. Lactylation, Crotonylation and Succinylation: Decoding Their Roles in the Progression of Cardiovascular Disease. Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2026;27 (2):45696. doi: 10.31083/RCM45696. PubMed PMID:41789347 PubMed Central PMC12959988.
4. Zhang, S, Gong, Y, Zhang, Y, Sun, D, Li, Y. Proximal Anchoring Technique: A Novel Technique to Prevent Coronary Stent Longitudinal Deformation. Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2026;27 (2):44250. doi: 10.31083/RCM44250. PubMed PMID:41789321 PubMed Central PMC12959999.
5. Zhang, Y, Liu, Y, Yun, Q, Wang, J. Trap versus trade-off: cohort evidence on overeducation, income returns, and group disparities after China's higher education expansion. Front Sociol. 2026;11 :1705158. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2026.1705158. PubMed PMID:41789258 PubMed Central PMC12956667.

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