Dandan Yang, PhD
Postdoc
Jidong Fu, The Ohio State University
Pronouns: she/her
Very recently, our group has unveiled an evolutionarily conserved biophysical action of miR beyond being an interfering RNA. We found that miR1, the predominant miR in the heart, directly binds with inward-rectifier potassium channel Kir2.1, suppresses the inward-rectifier potassium current (IK1) and modulates cardiomyocyte electrophysiology. Importantly, this biophysical modulation is involved in the dysregulation of ion channels in arrhythmia associated human single nucleotide polymorphisms (hSNPs). hSNP14A/G identified in atrial fibrillation patients, specifically loses the biophysical modulation but retains the conventional RNAi function of miR1. We delivered miR1 or hSNP14A/G into miR1-deficient mice and demonstrated that the biophysical modulation of miRs contributes to the electrophysiological stability of ex vivo heart. However, the mechanism and the biological significance of this newly-discovered biophysical function remain largely unknown. My current studies are mainly focus on: 1) understanding the underlying mechanism by which miR1 maintains the cardiac physiology and regulates arrhythmia through RNAi and biophysical modulation pathways; 2) stressing the physiological significance of miR1’s biophysical function in vivo by characterizing the cardiovascular phenotype of miR1-hSNP14A/G mutant transgenic mice; 3) Extending our discussion of the potential effects of miR1’s biophysical modulation on other targets, such as other potassium channels and calcium channels.
My Presentations
We are still accepting POSTER abstracts. Once you have submitted an abstract, and it is approved, it will appear here a few days ahead of the meeting.
Topics of Interest
- Bay Area RNA Conference
- RNA Mechanism
- RNA Structure
- RNA Technologies
- Sequence Exploration
- Gene Regulation
- In Vivo Function
- Workshops, Sessions, and Socials
- Careers in Industry
- Postdoc to PI