Jason Yuan
Email Address: jxyuan@uic.eduCollege: Medicine Department: Biomedical Science
Secondary Department: Pharmacology
Title: Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology
Office: COMRB 3131 Phone: 5-5911
Webpage: http://www.uic.edu/labs/iprm/yuanlab/index.html
Participating in the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Awards program: Yes
Research Interest:
1) The overall research interest of Dr. Yuan's laboratory is vascular physiology and pathophysiology and pathogenic mechanisms of pulmonary vascular disease, with particular emphasis on pathogenic mechanisms of pulmonary hypertension, cellular mechanisms of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, electrophysiology of ion channels in smooth muscle and endothelial Cells, calcium signaling and Regulation, cell migration, proliferation, and apoptosis. 2) In addition, Dr. Yuan is the Editor-in-Chief of a new journal, Pulmonary Circulation. The editorial office of Pulmonary Circulation located at UIC also accepts undergraduate volunteer students who are interested in writing, editing (proof reading, copy editing) and graphic design/preparation. Minimum time commitment in hours per week: 8-16 hrs Qualifications of a Student:
Minimum GPA: 3.00 1) For the lab research position: Prerequisite classes necessary: physiology, biochemistry. Preferred major: physics, biology, chemistry, neuroscience. Honors College Student Preference: No Year in College: freshman to senior Prior experience: better have it, but not required. The student is expected to have basic knowledge of physiology, biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology, and bsic understanding of animal and human cell physiology (e.g., membrane potential, membrane receptor and transporter function) and molecular biology (e.g., gene expression and transcriptional regulation). 2) For the editorial position: Prerequisite classes necessary: English literature, English writing, Rhetorical grammer. Preferred major: English literature, English writing, social work, journalism. Honors College Student Preference: No Year in College: freshman to senior Prior experience: Preferred but not required. The student is expected to have basic knowledge of English writing; professional and/or creative writing; grammer, usage, style and mechanics; and editing. Brief Summary of what is expected from the student:
1) For the lab research position: The student is expected to participate in a small research project with a graduat student or postdoctoral fellow working in the lab. The student is expected to come to work on time and follow instructions from his/her mentor, and attend the weekly lab meetings. Here are some potential rotation projects for students: a) Examine the functional effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes related to the development of idiopathic pulmonary hypertension on cell proliferation and/or hyperplasia. b) Determine whether bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) alters the protein expression of voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels, as well as the contribution of Kv channel function to apoptosis of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC). c) Determine whether downregulation of Kv channel genes (e.g., KCNG2 and KCNV2 genes) alters Kv channel function and PASMC proliferation. d) Examine the potential colocalization of Kv channels, anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins, and components of the BMP signaling pathway in membrane caveolae in PASMC, and determine whether this colocalization is altered in PASMC from pulmonary hypertensive patients. e) Examine whether transient receptor potential (TRP) channel expression and the activity of store-operated Ca2+ channels are enhanced in patients with pulmonary hypertension. f) Evaluate whether clotting factors (thrombin/fibrinogen) alter TRP expression and/or function in PASMC. g) Determine if clotting factors induce mitogenesis via an effect on TRP channels in normal PASMC and, if so, whether this effect is enhanced in PASMC from pulmonary hypentensive patients. 2) For the editorial position: The student is expected to work with the executive editorial assistant in preparing articles in each issue of the journal, writing editorials, preparing schematic diagrams and reproducing scientific graphs, proof-reading and copy-editing articles submitted by scientists, maintaining the journal website, and communicating with the editorial board members in different countries. Contact researcher via URE Email Webform
