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Yi Lin Ph.D.

Associate Professor

2005-2009 Jiangnan University, China／B.E.
2009-2014 Marquette University, USA／Ph.D.
2014-2020 University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA／Postdoctoral Fellow
2020-2023 School of Life Sciences Tsinghua University, China / Assistant Professor
2024-present School of Life Sciences Tsinghua University, China /Associate Professor
2020-present IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua University & Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences，China / Principal Investigator

● Research interest：

Neurodegenerative diseases are turning into global health issues. A common pathological signature of such diseases is abnormal protein aggregation in the brain. Dysregulated phase transitions of protein and other biological macromolecules underlie the formation of such aggregation: under physiological conditions, certain proteins go through liquid-liquid phase transition to form membrane-less organelles, thereby partitioning the intracellular space and accurately orchestrating various biochemical reactions; during pathogenesis, abnormal phase transition of such proteins produce insoluble protein aggregation, which in turn, lead to neuronal cell death. We are investigating the phase transition of biological macromolecules in several aspects, including the molecular mechanism and its physiological role in the nervous system. Our ultimate goal is to develop novel therapeutic approaches through intervening pathological phase transitions.

● Selected publications：

1. Liang Yang^#, Jiali Lyu^#, Xi Li^#, Gaigai Guo^#, Xueya Zhou, Taoyu Chen, Yi Lin*, Tingting Li*. Phase separation as a possible mechanism for dosage sensitivity. Genome Biology. 2024 Jan 15; 25(1):17.

2. Ke Ruan*, Yi Lin*, Peiguo Yang*, Wen Zhou*. Condensation matters. Nature Chemical Biology. 2023 Oct; 19(10):1180-1182. (Meeting Reports)

3. Songhao Zhang^#, Gaofeng Pei^#, Boya Li^#, Pilong Li*, Yi Lin*. Abnormal phase separation of biomacromolecules in human diseases. Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica. 2023 Jul 21; 55(7), 1133-1152. (Review)

4. Yanrong Zhuang^#, Zhiyuan Li^#, Shiyue Xiong^#, Chujie Sun#, Boya Li, Shuangcheng Alivia Wu, Jiali Lyu, Xiang Shi, Liang Yang, Yutong Chen, Zhangbin Bao, Xi Li, Chuhanwen Sun, Yuling Chen, Haiteng Deng, Tingting Li, Qingfeng Wu, Ling Qi, Yue Huang, Xuerui Yang*, Yi Lin*. Circadian clocks are modulated by compartmentalized oscillating translation. Cell. 2023 Jul 20; 186(15):3245-3260.e23.

5. Shuangcheng Alivia Wu, Chenchen Shen, Xiaoqiong Wei, Xiawei Zhang, Siwen Wang, Xinxin Chen, Mauricio Torres, You Lu, Liangguang Leo Lin, Huilun Helen Wang, Allen H Hunter, Deyu Fang, Shengyi Sun, Magdalena I Ivanova, Yi Lin*, Ling Qi*. The mechanisms to dispose of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum of adipocytes. Nat Commun. 2023 May 30;14(1):3132.

6. Hongyao Sun^#, Yutong Chen^#, Kun Yan, Yanqiu Shao, Qiangfeng C Zhang, Yi Lin*, Qiaoran Xi*. Recruitment of TRIM33 to cell-context specific PML nuclear bodies regulates nodal signaling in mESCs. The Embo Journal. 2023 Feb 1; 42(3): e112058.

7. Yifei Gao^#, Xi Li^#, Pilong Li*, Yi Lin*. A brief guideline for studies of phase-separated biomolecular condensates. Nature Chemical Biology. 2022 Nov 18; 18(12):1307-1318. (Review)

8. Xiang Shi^#, Yanrong Zhuang^#, Zhenhua Chen, Mingrui Xu, Junqi Kuang, Xue-Lian Sun, Lisen Gao, Xia Kuang, Huairen Zhang, Wei Li, Samuel Zheng Hao Wong, Chuanyu Liu, Longqi Liu, Danhua Jiang, Duanqing Pei, Yi Lin*, QingFeng Wu*. Hierarchical deployment of Tbx3 dictates the identity of hypothalamic KNDy neurons to control puberty onset. Science Advances. 2022 Nov 16; 8(46): eabq2987.

9. Yi Lin*, Xiaofeng Fang*. Phase separation in RNA biology. Journal of Genetics and Genomics. 2021 Oct 20;48(10):872-880. (Review)

10. Yi Lin, Xiaoming Zhou, Masato Kato, Daifei Liu, Sina Ghaemmaghami, Benjamin P Tu, Steven L McKnight*. Redox-mediated regulation of an evolutionarily conserved cross-beta structure formed by the TDP43 LC domain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2020 Nov 17;117(46):28727-28734.

11. Dylan T Murray^#, Masato Kato^#, Yi Lin, Kent R Thurber, Ivan Hung, Steven L McKnight*, Robert Tycko*. Structure of FUS Protein Fibrils and Its Relevance to Self-Assembly and Phase Separation of Low-Complexity Domains. Cell. 2017 Oct 19;171(3):615-627.e16.

12. Yi Lin^#, Eiichiro Mori^#, Masato Kato^#, Siheng Xiang^#, Leeju Wu, Ilmin Kwon*, Steven L McKnight*. Toxic PR Poly-Dipeptides Encoded by the C9orf72 Repeat Expansion Target LC Domain Polymers. Cell. 2016 Oct 20; 167(3):789-802.e12.

● Award：

Oliver Smith Academic Achievement Award (2013)
Marquette University Fellowship (2012-2014)
Richard W. Jobling Award (2012-2013)

● Contact information：

Tel: 010-62798206

E-mail：linyi@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

Address：Biomedical Building Room B205, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 100084