The Department of Physiology and Department of Pathophysiology of Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) jointed together in June 2007 and was renamed as the Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology.

Physiology Building, PUMC

History of the Department of Physiology, PUMC
Established in 1921, Department of Physiology of PUMC is the cradle of Physiology in China. Dr. Robert K. S. Lim (1897-1969), the third chairman of the department, is a major founder of Physiology in China. He was born in Singapore on October 15, 1897 and won his doctorate degree in Edinburgh University in Great Britain in 1919. Dr. Lim came back to China in 1924 and was appointed as the chairman of the Department Physiology (1924-1937). In 1937, Dr. Lim left the department and threw himself into Anti-Japanese War. During his term of office in the department, Dr. Lim and his colleagues made a history in the foundation and development of Physiology of China. He for the first time established experimental physiology in China. He discovered enterogastrin, the first gastrointestinal hormone found by a Chinese scientist. He prepared, organized and published Chinese Journal of Physiology (in English), which became later a popular international journal at that time. Dr. Lim initiates the establishment of Chinese Association for Physiological Sciences in PUMC in 1927. Because of Dr. Lim’s outstanding achievement, he was elected as the Academician of Chinese Central Academy of Science in 1949 by the Guomingdang government and was honored the American Army Medal and President Roosevelt Medal for his outstanding contribution during the Anti-Japanese War. He was also honored the Academician of American Academy of Science. Chinese people will forever remember his great contribution both in natural science and social service.
Dr. Robert K. S. Lim (1897-1969), former Department Chair

Another historical scientist in the history of the Department of Physiology PUMC is Dr. Chang HC (1899-1988). Dr. Chang won his PhD and MD degrees in the University of Chicago in 1925. In 1933 respectively, Dr. Chang jointed Dr. Dale HH’s lab and studied the biological behavior of acetylcholine. He had established an unique method for accurate measurement of acetylcholine in tissues. This work established a solid basis for the landmark finding by Dale that acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter, a finding that lead to a Nobel prize to Dale in 1936. Dale highly appreciated Dr. Chang’s contribution in his Nobel lecture. Dr. Chang returned to China in 1933 and was appointed as the standing department chairman in 1937-1941 and the department chair in 1948-1981. In PUMC, Dr. Chang raised a hypothesis of vagus-posterior pituitary reflex based on his experimental findings, that stimulation of the central end of vagal nerve leads to a release of vasopressin from the posterior pituitary gland and an increase of blood pressure. This effect is mediated by acetylcholine. This is the first time to demonstrate the central action of acetylcholine. Dr. Chang was honored the Academician of Chinese Academy of Science.

Prof. Chang HC (1899-1988), the former department chair

Prof. Mengchin Chen, the fifth department chair, former chairman of the Chinese Association for Physiological Sciences

Department Staffs
There are total 28 staff members, 9 research laboratories, and a teaching group in the department. Dr. Ji-Min Cao is the chairman of the Department Physiology and Pathophysiology.
Professors (11):
Ji-Min Cao, MD
Hongbing Zhang, MD, PhD
Youhe Gao, MD, PhD
Alex X. Yang, MD, PhD
Lei Shi, MD
Yikuan Xie, PhD
Yunyi Wen, MD
Rongkun Xu, PhD
Lv Zhou, MD
Guangjin Zhu, MD
Hengyi Guo, MD
Associate professors (5):
Yan Liu, MD
Baoshen Qi, PhD
Yan Meng, PhD
Xiaoming Wang, MD
Chengli Xu, MD
Lecturers (5):
Rong Zhang, MD
Yangxing Pan, MD
Kui Feng, MD
Rui Tian, MD
Wei Sun, MD, PhD
5. Teaching assistant and Technicians (7)
Shu Guo, MD
Wei Hao, BA
Yanling Jin
Xiaomei Zhou
Bo Yuan
……
Teaching group (6):
Ji-Min Cao
Lei Shi
Hengyi Guo
Yan Liu
Yangxing Pan
Xiaoming Wang

Lectures sponsored by the department:
1. Physiology (courses for the 8 curricullum year medical students)
2. Physiolofy (courses for PUMC nursing school students)
3.. Physiology (for students of the adult continuing education program of CAMS)
4. Experimental physiology (for the 8 curricullum year medical students and graduate students)
5. Clinical cardiovascular physiology (for the graduate students)
6. Symposium on Physiology (for graduate students)
7. Hormonal pathophysiology (for graduate students)
8. Proteomics (for graduate students)
9. Pathophysiology (courses for the 8 curricullum year medical students)
Research groups:
1. Dr. Ji-Min Cao’s laboratory

Prof. Ji-Min Cao, Department Chair

Dr. Cao got the bachelor of Medicine degree and Master of Medicine degree in Shanxi Medical Univercity in 1983 and 1988 respectively, and won his MD degree in PUMC in 1995. After that, Dr. Cao continued his postdoctoral research work in Dr. Peng-Sheng Chen’s laboratory, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, UCLA of the States. Currently, Dr. Cao’s research fields are focused on the mechanisms of ventricular arrhythmia; sudden cardiac death; cardiovascular protection; cardiac chronobiology and atherosclearosis. Dr. Cao is the pioneer in the finding that cardiac sympathetic nerve sprouting in healed myocardial infarction can induce ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death. He therefore was honored the Distinguished Young Investigater Award in 2002 by NSFC . Office phone: 86-10-65296959. email: caojimin@126.com.
Grants in recent years as PI:
1) NSFC grant: Nerve sprouting and sudden cardiac death (39970300, 2000-2002.￥160,000).
2) NSFC grant: Mechanism of sumpathetic nerve regeneration-induced sudden cardiac death following myocardial infarction (30370565, 2004-2006. ￥200,000).
3) NSFC grant: Neuronal mechanism of light intrainment (30313902, 2004-2006.￥200,000).
4) NSFC grant: Distinguished Young Investigator Award, “The relationship between antonomic nerve remodeling and sudden cardiac death” (30125016, 2002-2005.￥800,000).
5) 973 grant founded by MOST: The cellular and molecular mechanisms of atherosclearotic complications (2006CB503806,￥500,000, 2007-2011).
6) 973 grant founded by MOST: Mechanism of the transportation of neno articles across the cell membrane (2006CB933202, 2007-2011. ￥1,060,000).
7) NSFC grant: The anti-atherosclearosis effect of GHRPs (30670863, 2007-2009.￥280,000).
8) NSFC grant: Mechanism of the protective effect of growth hormone releasing peptides on heart failure (30028007, 2001-2003.￥400,000). (as collaborating investigator).
Selected publications:
Ji-Min Cao, Zhilin Qu, Young-Hoon Kim, Tsu-Juey Wu, Alan Garfinkel, James N. Weiss, Hrayr S. Karagueuzian, Peng-Sheng Chen. Spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the induction of ventricular fibrillation by rapid pacing: The importance of cardiac restitution properties. Circ Res 1999; 84:1318-1331.
Masaaki Yashima, Toshihiko Ohara, Ji-Min Cao,Young-Hoon Kim, Michael C. Fishbein, William J. Mandel, Peng-Sheng Chen, Hrayr S.Karagueuzian. Nicotine increases ventricular vulnerability to fibrillation in hearts with healed myocardial infarction. Am J Physiol 2000;278(6):H2124-33.
Ji-Min Cao, Lan S. Chen, Jai H. Han, William W. Lai, Angela C. Lai, Michael C. Fishbein, Peng-Sheng Chen. Regional cardiac hyperinnervation in patients with ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Circulation 2000;101(16):1060-1069.
Ji-Min Cao, Lan S. Chen, Bruce H. KenKnight, Toshihiko Ohara, Moon-Hoon Lee, Jerome Tsai, William W. Lai, Hrayr S. Karagueuzian, Paul L. Wolf, Michael C. Fishbein, Peng-Sheng Chen. Nerve sprouting and sudden cardiac death. Circ Res 2000;86:816-821.
Angela C. Lai, Kurt Wallner, Ji-Min Cao, Lan S. Chen, Hrayr S. Karagueuzian, Michael C. Fishbein, Peng-Sheng Chen, Behrooz G. Sharifi. Co-localization of Tenascin and Sympathetic Nerves in a Canine Model of Nerve Sprouting and Sudden Cardiac Death. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2000; 11:1345-1351.
Zhou S, Cao J-M, Tebb Z, Ohara T, Huang H-L A, Omichi C, Lee M-H, KenKnight BH, Chen LS, Fishbein MC, Karagueuzian HS, Chen P-S: Modulation of QT interval by cardiac sympathetic nerve sprouting and the mechanisms of ventricular arrhythmia in a canine model of sudden cardiac death. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2001; 12 (9): 1068-1073.

Ohara T, Ohara K, Cao J-M, Lee M-H, Fishbein MC, Mandel WJ, Chen P-S, Karagueuzian HS: Increased wavebreak during ventricular fibrillation in the epicardial border zone of hearts with healed myocardial infarction. Circulation 2001;103(10):1465-72.

Tsai J, Cao JM, Zhou S, Swissa M, Cates AW, KenKnght BH, Chen LS, Karagueuzian HS, Chen P-S: T-wave alternans as a predictor of spontaneous ventricular tachycardia in a canine model of sudden cardiac death. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2002; 13:51-55
.Zhou S, Cao J-M, Ohara T, KenKnight BH, Chen LS, Karagueuzian HS, Chen PS. Torsade de pointes and sudden death induced by thiopental and isoflurane anesthesia in dogs with cardiac electrical remodeling. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther 2002;7(1):39-43.
Xiang-Bin Xu, Ji-Min Cao, Jing-Jiang Pang, Rong-Kun Xu, Chao Ni, Wen-Lin Zhu, Meng-Chin Chen, Chen Chen. The positive inotropic and calcium-mobilizing effects of growth hormone-releasing peptides on rat heart. Endocrinology 2003; 144:5050-5057. (* co-first author)
Jing-Jiang Pang, Rong-Kun Xu, Xiang-Bin Xu, Ji-Min Cao, Chao Ni, Wen-Ling Zhu, Kamlesh Asotra, Meng-Chin Chen, Chen Chen. Hexarelin protects rat cardiomyocytes from angiotensin ii–induced Apoptosis in vitro. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2004 Mar;286(3):H1063-9. Epub 2003 Nov 13.

Shengmei Zhou, Ji-Min Cao, Moshe Swissa, Ignacio Gonzalez-Gomez, Che-Ming Chang, Kai Chien, Yasushi Miyauchi, Katherine J. Johnny Yi, Kamlesh Asotra, Hrayr S. Karagueuzian, Michael C. Fishbein, Peng-Sheng Chen, Lan S. Chen. Low-affinity NGF receptor p75NTR immunoreactivity in the myocardium with sympathetic hyperinnervation. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2004; 15: 430-437

Xiang-Bin Xu, Jing-Jiang Pang, Ji-Min Cao, Chao Ni, Rong-Kun Xu, Xiao-Zhong Peng, Xiao-Xia Yu, Shu Guo, Meng-Chin Chen, Chen Chen. GH-releasing peptides improve cardiac dysfunction and cachexia, suppress stress-related hormones and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats with heart failure. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2005, 289:H1643-H1651.
Yuan-Fang Xie, Qing Jiao, Shu Guo, Fu-Zhen Wang, Ji-Min Cao*, Zheng-Guo Zhang*. Role of parasympathetic overactivity in water immersion stress-induced gastric mucosal lesion in rat. J Appl Physiol 2005；99：2416－2422 (* co-corresponding author)

Zhou S, Paz O, Cao J-M, Asotra K, Chai N-N, Wang C, Chen LS, Fishbein MC, Sharifi B, Chen P-S: Differential b-adrenoceptor expression induced by nerve growth factor infusion into the canine right and left stellate ganglia. Heart Rhythm 2005 Dec; 2(12):1347-55

Gao X, Xu XB, Pang J, Zhang C, Ding JM, Peng X, Liu Y, Cao JM. NMDA receptor activation induces mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and apoptosis in cultured neonatal rat cardiocyte. Physiol Res 2006 Aug 22; [Epub ahead of print]
Ji-Min Cao, Huy Ong, Chen Chen. Functions of ghrelin and synthetic GH secretagogues in cardiovascular system. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2006 Jan;17(1):13-8. Epub 2005 Nov 23.
Xiangbin Xu, Xue Gao, Barry J. Potter, Ji-Min Cao and Cuihua Zhang. Anti-LOX-1 Rescues Endothelial Function in Coronary Arterioles in Atherosclerotic ApoE Knockout Mice. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2007;27 (in press)

2. Dr. Hongbing Zhang’s laboratory
Prof. Hongbing Zhang

Dr. Zhang won his Ph.D. degree in Pathology from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in the U.S.. He then had his post-doctoral training and instructorship at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Dana-Faber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School.
Major accomplishments in recent five years:
In studying the function of TSC1 and TSC2 protein complex, he has found that TSC1 and TSC2 are suppressors of mTOR, a major protein kinase in the positive regulation of protein synthesis and cell growth. As mTOR was activated in the absence of either TSC1 or TSC2 gene, TSC (tuberous sclerosis) disease was proposed to be treated with mTOR inhibitor. Furthermore he observed that PI3K-AKT signaling was compromised in Tsc1 or Tsc2 deficient cells. That inhibition was partially due to mTOR mediated negative feedback regulation on PDGF receptors. This negative regulation provided an explanation for the benign pathologic nature of most lesions occurring in TSC patients.
Current research interests:
Prof. Zhang’s Laboratory is deciphering the molecular mechanism and exploring the target therapies for the most frequently altered signaling pathway in cancer development: ERK-PI3K-AKT-mTOR. Its research focus is on the roles of this pathway in cell differentiation and metabolism, in relationship to tumorigenesis. The significance of autophagy in TSC pathogenesis is being addressed in a mouse TSC brain model.
Selected Publications:
Zhang H, Bajraszewski N, Wu E, Wang H, Moseman AP, Dabora SL, Griffin JD, Kwiatkowski DJ. PDGF receptors are critical for PI3K/AKT activation and negatively regulated by mTOR. J Clin Invest. 117: 730-738, 2007.
Chan JA, Zhang H, Roberts PS, Jozwiak S, Wieslawa G, Lewin-Kowalik J, Kotulska K, Kwiatkowski DJ. Pathogenesis of tuberous sclerosis subependymal giant cell astrocytomas: biallelic inactivation of TSC1 or TSC2 leads to mTOR activation. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 63:1236-42, 2004
El-Hashemite N, Zhang H, Walker V, Hoffmeister KM, Kwiatkowski DJ. Perturbed IFNg-Jak-stat signaling in tuberouse sclerosis mouse models: synergistic effects of rapamycin-IFNg treatment. Cancer Res 64: 3436-3443, 2004
Zhang H, Cicchetti G, Onda H, Koon HB, Asrikan K, Bajraszewski N, Vazquez P. Carpenter C, Kwiatkowski DJ. Loss of Tsc1/Tsc2 activates mTOR and disrupts PI3K-Akt signalling through downregulation of PDGFR. J Clin Invest 112: 1223-33, 2003
El-Hashemite N, Walker V, Zhang H, Kwiatkowski DJ. Loss of tuberous sclerosis complex genes induces vascular endothelial growth factor production through mTOR pathway. Cancer Res 63: 5173-7, 2003
El-Hashemite N, Zhang H, Henske EP, Kwiatkowski DJ. Mutations in tuberous sclerosis complex-2 gene activate mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) downstream signaling pathway: a role in renal angiomyolipoma development. Lancet 361: 1348-9, 2003
Kwiatkowski DJ, Zhang H, Bandura JL, Heiberger KM, Onda H. A mouse model of TSC1 reveals sex-dependent lethality from liver hemangiomas, and up-regulation of p70S6 kinase activity in TSC1 null cells. Hum Mol Genet 11: 525-534, 2002
Zhang H, Somasundaram K, Peng Y, Tian H, Zhang H, Bi D, Weber BL, El-Deiry WS. BRCA1 physically associates with p53 and stimulates its transcriptional activity. Oncogene. 16: 1713-1721, 1998
Zhang HB, Tomblin G, Weber BL. BRCA1, BRCA2, and DNA Damage Response: Collision or Collusion Cell 92, 433-436, 1998
Somasundaram K, Zhang HB (equal contribution as the first author ), Zeng YX, Houvras Y, Peng Y, Zhang H, Wu GS, Licht JD, Weber BL, El-Deiry WS. BRCA1 inhibition of the cell cycle requires p21WAF1/CIP1. Nature 389, 187-190, 1997
Thakur S, Zhang HB, Peng Y, Le H, Carroll B, Ward T, Yao J, Farid LM, Couch F, Wilson RB, Weber BL. Localization of BRCA1 and a splice variant identifies the nuclear localization signal. Mol. Cell. Biol., 17: 444-452, 1997

3. Dr. Youhe Gao’s laboratory

Prof. Youhe Gao

Dr. Gao received his MD degree from PUMC in 1990 and his PhD degree in Biomedical Science from University of Connecticut, USA in 1997. He did his postdoctoral training at Angiogenesis Research Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. And he was then appointed as instructor in 2000. He became professor in the Department Pathophysiology in July 2001. Dr. Gao’s major research field is proteomics, bioinformatics and biochemistry.
Phone(fax): 86-10-65212284. Email: gaoyouhe@pumc.edu.cn.
Current grants: Project 863 and Beijing Natural Science Foundation
Selected publications:
MA SuCan, SONG ELi, GAO ShiJuan, TIAN Rui & GAO YouHe （2007）Rapid characterization of the binding property of HtrA2/Omi PDZ domain by validation screening of PDZ ligand library Sci China Ser C-Life Sci 50( 3) 412-422
Eli Song, Shijuan Gao, Rui Tian, Sucan Ma, Haiming Huang, Jiayan Guo, Yingna Li, Ling Zhang, and Youhe Gao （2006）A high-efficiency strategy for binding property characterization of peptide-binding domains. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 5:1368-1381
Chen Shao, Ling Zhang, Dexian Zheng and Youhe Gao （2006）An integrated machine learning system to computationally screen protein databases for Protein binding peptide ligands with generalization capability Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 5: 1224-1232.
Wei Sun, Shijuan Gao, Linjie Wang, Yong Chen, Shuzhen Wu, Xiaorong Wang, Dexian Zheng, and Youhe Gao （2006）Microwave-assisted protein preparation and enzymatic digestion in proteomics Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 5：769－776
Linjie Wang, Fuxin Li, Wei Sun, Shuzhen Wu, Xiaorong Wang, Ling Zhang, Dexian Zheng, Jue Wang and Youhe Gao （2006）Concanavalin A captured glycoproteins in healthy human urine Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 5: 560-562.
Wei Sun, Shuzhen Wu, Xiaorong Wang, Fuxin Li, Jue Wang, Dexian Zheng, and Youhe Gao (2006) Human urine proteome analysis with three different separation approaches Proteomics 5（18）4994－5001
Wei Sun, Shuzhen Wu, Xiaorong Wang, Dexian Zheng, Youhe Gao (2005) An analysis of protein abundance suppression in proteomics research with five protein digestion mixtures. European Journal of Mass Spectrometry 11（6）575－580
Yuanming Luo, Jindan Zhang, Yanxin Liu, Allan Christian Shaw, Xiaorong Wang, Shuzhen Wu, Xuan Zeng, Jie Chen, Youhe Gao, and Dexian Zheng (2005) Comparative Proteome Analysis of Breast Cancer and Normal Breast. Molecular Biotechnology 29(3): 233-244
Wei Sun, Fuxin Li and Youhe Gao. (2005) Evaluation of SEQUEST Result Filter—Xcorr and Unified Score. Chinese Medical Science Journal 20(2):99-103.
Haiming Huang and Youhe Gao (2005) A method for the generation of arbitrary peptide libraries. Molecular Biotechnology 30(2):135-142
Wei Sun, Shuzhen Wu, Xiaorong Wang, Dexian Zheng, and Youhe Gao (2004) A Systematical Analysis of Tryptic Peptide Identification with Reverse Phase Liquid Chromatography and Electrospray Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry. Genomics Proteomics and Bioinformatics 2(3):174-183
Wei Sun, Fuxin Li, Jue Wang, Dexian Zheng and Youhe Gao (2004) AMASS: Software for automatically validating the quality of MS/MS spectrum from SEQUEST results. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 3: 1194 - 1199. Automatic validation of MS/MS spectra. TOOLbox Journal of Proteome Research 4(1):18
Haiming Huang, Yuchen Jiao, Rui Xu, and Youhe Gao* (2004) Construction of A Non-Redundant Human SH2 Domain Database Genomics Proteomics and Bioinformatics 2(2): 119-122
Fuxin Li, Wei Sun, Youhe Gao Jue Wang （2004）RScore: A Peptide Randomicity Score For Evaluating MS/MS Spectra. Rapid Communication in Mass Spectrometry 18(14): 1655-9
Haiming Huang, Ling Zhang, Sucan Ma, and Youhe Gao （2004）Finding Potential Ligands for PDZ Domains by Tailfit. Chinese Medical Sciences Journal 19(2):97-104
Gaczynska M, Osmulski PA, Gao Y, Post MJ, and Simons M （2003）Proline- and Arginine-Rich Peptides Constitute a Novel Class of Allosteric Inhibitors of Proteasome Activity. Biochemistry, 42 (29), 8663 –8670
Bao JL; Sato K; Li M; Gao YH; Abid R; Aird W; Simons M; Post MJ. （2001）PR-39 and PR-11 peptides inhibit ischemia-reperfusion injury by blocking proteasome-mediated I kappa B alpha degradation. American Journal of Physiology- Heart and Circulatory Physiology 281(6):H2612-H2618
Gao Y, Lecker S, Post M, Hietaranta AJ, Li J, Volk R, Li M, Sato K, Saluja AK, Steer ML, Goldberg AL and Simons M. （2000） Inhibition of Ub-proteasome mediated I B degradation by a naturally occurring antibacterial peptide: in vivo regulation of NF B-dependent gene expression. Journal of Clinical Investigation 106:439-448.
Li J, Post M, Volk R, Gao Y, Li M, Metais C, Sato K, Tsai Jo, Aird W, Rosenberg RD, Hampton TG, Li J, Sellke F, Carmeliet P and Simons M. （2000） PR39 a peptide regulator of angiogenesis. Nature Medicine. 6:49-55.
Gao Y, Li M, Chen W and Simons M. （2000）Synectin, syndecan-4 cytoplasmic domain binding PDZ protein, inhibits cell migration. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 184:373-9.
Horowitz A, Murakami, M, Gao Y, Simons M. （1999）Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate mediates the interaction of syndecan-4 with protein kinase C. Biochemistry. 38:15871-7.

4. Dr. Alex X. Yang’s laboratory
Dr. Yang got his MD degree in PUMC in 1986 and a PhD degree in State University of New York in 1991. He then entered Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley, New Jersey as a Scientist, to carry on his research work from 1992-1993. In 1996-1999, Dr. Yang worked in the University Medical Center, Las Vegas, Nevada as a Resident Physician. He also got a MBA from Cornell University in 2000. From 2000-2001, he worked in the Pharmacia, Singapore, as a Medical Director, Asia. Dr. Yang became an attending physician in Regional Medical Center of San Jose, San Jose, California in 2002-2005. He went back to PUMC and was appointed as professor of Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology in the same year. Dr. Yang has a broad interest in research, currently, he concentrates his research field on neuroscience and nenoscience.
Selected publications:

Yang XD, Korn H, Faber DS.Long-term potentiation of electrotonic coupling at mixed synapses. Nature. 1990 Dec 6;348(6301):542-5.

Yang XD, Faber DS.Initial synaptic efficacy influences induction and expression of long-term changes in transmission. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1991 May 15;88(10):4299-303.

Yang XD, Connor JA, Faber DS. Weak excitation and simultaneous inhibition induce long-term depression in hippocampal CA1 neurons. J. Neurophysiol. 1994 Apr;71(4):1586-90.

5. Dr. Yikuan Xie’s laboratory

Prof. Yikuan Xie

The major research fields in Dr. Xie’s lab are the mechanisms of chronic pain and meridians. Dr. Xie is famous for the establishment of “banet-Xie” model of chronic pathogenic pain. For a long time, Dr. Xie has been studying the mechanism of chronic pain generation. They have evidenced that ectopic discharges originated in the injured nerve regions and its dorsal root ganglion cell are directive factor producing postganglionic sympathetic sprouting in the DRG, but not nerve growth factors. This result suggests that blockage of early ectopic discharges should be very important in preventing chromic pain generation elicited by nerve injury. Dr. Xie further demonstrated that DRG neuron depolarization by glycosylation of membrane protein after nerve injury is the major mechanism of DRG afferent discharge and pathogenic pain. This might be a historical finding which may lead to a revolution for the treatment of neuronal pathogenic pain after peripheral nerve injury.
In the research of meridians, Dr. Xie and his colleagues concentrate on the nature of meridians, a key theory of traditional Chinese medicine. They have found the neuronal mechanism of needling feeling propagating along the meridian pathways. In the spinal cord, wide range dynamic neuron, a pain related activity, possesses a specific characters, especially its early discharges from myelined fibers, not only modulate the activity of late discharges encoding painful input but also influence the silent period between early and late discharges. They have found that each meridian pathway possesses a specific column of motor neurons and there is an oriental projection of their dendrites between the motor neurons. Ten meridians with their special columns of motor neurons have been demonstrated by this group. These historical findings may help to explain the phenomenon of meridians and may establish a bridge between traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine.
Selected publications:
Li CX, Jing YL, Xie YK. Glycosylation-induced depolarization facilitates subthreshold membrane oscillation in injured primary sensory neurons. Brain Res. 2007 Mar 30;1139:201-9. Epub 2006 Dec 20
Peng XQ, Zhang XL, Fang Y, Xie WR, Xie YK. Sialic acid contributes to hyperexcitability of dorsal root ganglion neurons in rats with peripheral nerve injury. Brain Res. 2004 Nov 12;1026(2):185-93.
Zhang XL, Xie YK. The surface charge theory and influences of sialic acid on the gating of sodium and potassium channels. Sheng Li Ke Xue Jin Zhan. 2004 Apr;35(2):167-9. Review. Chinese.
Li AH, Zhang JM, Xie YK. Human acupuncture points mapped in rats are associated with excitable muscle/skin-nerve complexes with enriched nerve endings. Brain Res. 2004 Jun 25;1012(1-2):154-9.
Zhang XL, Peng XQ, Jing YL, Xie WR, Xie YK. Sialic acid contributes to generation of ectopic spontaneous discharges in rats with neuropathic pain. Neurosci Lett. 2003 Jul 31;346(1-2):65-8.
Liu Y, Xie YK. The bi-directional modulation of endogenous pain modulating system. Sheng Li Ke Xue Jin Zhan. 2002 Oct;33(4):346-9. Review.
Liu XZ, Xie YK. Morphological and physiological changes of the nervous system in chronic painful peripheral neuropathy. Sheng Li Ke Xue Jin Zhan. 1998 Apr;29(2):120-4. Review. Chinese.
Xie YK, Xiao WH. Inhibitory effect of anisodamine on the neuropathic hyperalgesia following peripheral nerve injury (II). Sci China B. 1993 Jul;36(7):824-34.
Xie YK, Xiao WH, Li HQ. The relationship between new ion channels and ectopic discharges from a region of nerve injury. Sci China B. 1993 Jan;36(1):68-74
Sahara Y, Xie YK, Bennett GJ. Intracellular records of the effects of primary afferent input in lumbar spinoreticular tract neurons in the cat. J Neurophysiol. 1990 Dec;64(6):1791-800
Xie YK, Xiao WH. Electrophysiological evidence for hyperalgesia in the peripheral neuropathy.
Sci China B. 1990 Jun;33(6):663-72
Bennett GJ, Xie YK. A peripheral mononeuropathy in rat that produces disorders of pain sensation like those seen in man. Pain. 1988 Apr;33(1):87-107.

6. Dr. Yan Meng’s laboratory

Dr. Yan Meng

Dr. Meng received her bachelor of agronomy degree from the College of Animal Medicine, China Agricultural University in 1986 and master of agronomy degree from the Graduate School of China Agricultural University in 1989. She worked in the Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences as a research fellow, assistant professor, associate professor and deputy director of laboratory of genetics, respectively from 1989/9-1998/9. She was a visiting scholar of JICA in Osaka Prefecture University and Kanazwa University from 1994-1995 and won her PhD degree from the Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Japan in 2003. In July 2003, she jointed PUMC as an associate professor and then the professor.
Honors and awards:
1998-2003 Scholarship of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
of Japan.
1995. 5 3rd Rank Award of Scientific & Technological progress of Ministry of Education,
The People’s Republic of China
1994. 5 1st Rank Award of science and technology improvement of Beijing Health Bureau.
Research interests
Dr. Meng’s lab focuses on understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms in the development of type 2 diabetes, β-cell apoptosis and insulin resistance, and exploiting new drugs for treatment for diabetes.
Phone: 010-65296492 (office), 65296496 (Lab), Fax: 010-65265315. E-mail: ymengsmile@yahoo.com. Research assistant: Fang Wang, Master of Science. Technician: Bo Yuan.
Research funds (recent 5 years):
National Natural Science Foundation of China：Studies on the biological function of PKCZ, a candidate susceptibility gene of type 2 diabetes in Chinese (No. 30370668).
Beijing Natural Science Foundation：Study on the Function of CDC2L2, a susceptibility gene of type 2 diabetes in Chinese (No.5062034)
973 Program：Identification of membrane protein related to type 2 diabetes (No.2004CB720004).
The Key Technologies R&D Program of China During the 10th Five-year Plan Period: Study on the network of the susceptibility genes of type 2 diabetes in Chinese (No. 2002BA711A10-02).
The Major Basic Research Foundation of Ministry of Science and Technology of China: Function study of genes associated with type 2 diabetes in Chinese ( No.2004CCA01400).
The Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Program): Molecular mechanisms involved in dysregulation of tissue glucose metabolism (No. 2006CB503907).
Selected Publications (recent 5 years, the * represents corresponding author):
Liu LZ, Zhao HL, Zuo J, Ho SK, Chan JC, Meng Y*, Fang FD, Tong PC. PKC {zeta} Mediates Insulin-induced Glucose Transport through Actin Remodeling in L6 Muscle Cells.Mol Biol Cell, 2006 Mar 8.
Yun-Feng Li, Guo-Dong Wu, Hong-Xia Sun, Wei-Nan Du, Jin Zuo, Yan Shen,Bo-Qin Qiang,Zhi-Jian Yao, Heng Wang, Wei Huang, Zhu Chen, Mo-Miao Xiong, Yan Meng*, Fu-De Fang. Protein Kinase C/ζ(PRKCZ) is Associated with Type 2 Diabetes in Han Population of Northern China and Analysis of its Haplotype. World Journal of Gastroenterology,2003，9（9）2078-2082.
Zhuo Liu, Hong-Xia Sun, Yong-Wei Zhang, Yun-Feng Li, Jin Zuo, Yan Meng*, Fu-De Fang. Effect of SNPs in Protein Kinase Cz Gene on Gene Expression in the Reporter Gene Detection System. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2004;10(16):2357-2360.
Yan Meng, Miyoshi I., et al. Restoration of copper metablism and rescue of hepatic abnormalities in LEC Rat, an animal model of Wilson disease by expression of Human ATP7B. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2004.1690: 208-219.
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