Aidong (David) Yuan, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Project Manager, Center for Dementia Research Nathan S. Kline Institute
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
New York University School of Medicine
(845)398-5450
yuan@nki.rfmh.org

Education:

            1986                M.D.    Hunan Medical University, China
            1997                Ph.D.   Neuroscience, University of Otago, New Zealand

Memberships in Professional Society:

2001-present    Society for Neuroscience

Ad hoc reviewer for Journals:

Journal of Neurochemistry
Human Gene Therapy
Journal of Experimental Biology
Nature Cell Biology
Journal of Neuroscience
Journal of Cell Biology
Journal of Comparative Neurology
Experimental neurology
Neuroscience
Experimental Cell Research

Ad hoc reviewer for Grant:

The United Kingdom Motor Neuron Disease Association

Major Research Interests:

  1. To understand more fully the molecular basis of axonal transport, especially transport of cytoskeletal proteins such as neurofilament and tau and their functions under physiological conditions.
  1. To elucidate the molecular transport defects responsible for perikaryal aggregates and neuronal death in various neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, AD and PD, especially the transport abnormalities of neurofilament and tau under pathological conditions.
  1. To translate this knowledge into preventions and therapies capable of repairing the nervous system and improving neuronal functions in disease.

Selected Publications

Yuan A, Kumar A, Peterhoff C, Duff K and Nixon RA. Axonal transport rates in vivo are unaffected by tau deletion or overexpression in mice. J Neurosci. 2008;28:1682-1687.

Yuan, A, Rao MV, Sasaki T, Chen Y, Kumar S, Veerranna, Liem RK, Eyer J, Peterson AC, Julien J-P and Nixon RA. a-Internexin is structurally and functionally associated with the neurofilament triplet proteins in the mature CNS. J Neurosci. 2006;26:10006-10019.

Yuan, A, Nixon RA, Rao MV. Deleting the phosphorylated tail domain of the neurofilament heavy subunit does not alter neurofilament transport rate in vivo. Neurosci. Lett. 2006;393:264-268.

Rao, MV, Campbell J, Yuan A, Kumar A, Gotow T, Uchiyama Y, Nixon RA. The neurofilament middle molecular weight subunit carboxyl terminal tail domains are essential for the radial growth and cytoskeletal architecture of the axon but not for the regulation of rate of neurofilament transport. J Cell Biol. 2003;163:1021-1031.

Yuan A, Rao MV, Kumar A, Julien JP, Nixon RA. Neurofilament transport in vivo minimally requires hetero-oligomer formation. J Neurosci. 2003;23:9452-9458.

Rao, MV, Garcia ML, Miyazaki Y, Gotow T, Yuan A, Mattina S, Ward CM, Calcutt NA, Uchiyama Y, Nixon RA, Cleveland DW. Gene replacement in mice reveals that the heavily phosphorylated tail of neurofilament heavy subunit does not affect axonal caliber or the transit of cargoes in slow axonal transport. J. Cell Biol. 2002;158:681-693.

Rao, MV, Engle LJ, Mohan P, Yuan A, Qiu D, Cataldo, A, Hassinger L, Jacobsen S, Lee VM-Y, Andreadis A, Julien J-P, Bridgeman PC, Nixon RA. Binding of myosin Va to neurofilaments is essential for correct myosin Va distribution and transport and neurofilament density. J. Cell Biol. 2002;159:279-290.

Bourke, GJ, El Alami W, Wilson SJ, Yuan A, Roobol A, Carden MJ. Slow axonal transport of the cytosolic chaperonin CCT with Hsc73 and actin in motor neurons. J. Neurosci. Res. 2002; 68:29-35.

Yuan, A, Chia CP. Giant vacuoles observed in Dictyostelium discoideum. Cell Biol. Int. 2001;25:147-155.

Yuan, A, Siu CH, Chia CP. Calcium requirement for efficient phagocytosis by Dictyostelium discoideum. Cell Calcium 2001;29:229-238.

Yuan, A, Mills RG, Chia CP, Bray JJ. Tubulin and neurofilament proteins are transported differently in axons of chicken motoneurons. Cell Mol. Neurobiol. 2000;20:623-632.

Yuan, A, Chia CP. Role of esterase gp70 and its influence on growth and development of Dictyostelium discoideum. Exp. Cell Res. 2000;261:336-347.

Yuan, A, Mills RG, Bamburg JR, Bray JJ. Cotransport of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and actin in axons of chicken motoneurons. Cell Mol. Neurobiol. 1999;19:733-744.

Yuan, A, Chia CP. Co-loss of profilin I, II and cofilin with actin from maturing phagosomes in Dictyostelium discoideum. Protoplasma, 1999:209:214-225.

Yuan, A, Pardy RL, Chia CP. Non-specific interactions alter lipopolysaccharide patterns and protein mobility on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels. Electrophoresis. 1999;20:1946-1949.

Yuan, A, Mills RG, Bamburg JR, Bray JJ. Axonal transport and distribution of cyclophilin A in chicken neurones. Brain Res. 1997;771:203-212.

Mills, RG, Minamide LS, Yuan A, Bamburg JR, Bray JJ. Slow axonal transport of soluble actin with actin depolymerising factor, cofilin and profilin suggests actin moves in an unassembled form. J. Neurochem. 1996;67:1225-1234.