Education:
2014 Ph.D. | Chemistry
The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Thesis title: Surface macromolecules of Bacillus cereus group
Advisor: Olaf Schneewind, M.D., Ph.D. (Microbiology)
Co-advisor: Chuan He, Ph.D. (Chemistry)
2008 B.S. | Biology
Nankai University, Tianjin, China
Professional Positions:
2015~ 2019 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of immunology and pathology, Washington University School of Medicine
2019~2021 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine
2021-2024 Assistant Professor (tenure-track) of School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
2024-now Associate Professor (tenure-track) of School of Basic Medical Sciences/Center of Infection Biology (CIB), Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Research Areas:
Built upon the expertise in microbiology, immunology and cell biology, we study issues at the interface between microbiology and immunology, working from the hypothesis that pathogenic microbes manipulate the immune response using immunoevasive gene products as the immune response attempts to eradicate the microbes. This delicate balance determines the fate of both pathogens and host. Most of the time, our immune system does a remarkable job of eliminating infectious microbes before they cause problem, but occasionally the immune system fails to intercept pathogens resulting in infectious diseases. We are interested in the fundamental mechanisms that provide successful host defense against pathogen. The ultimate goal of the lab is, through gaining a detailed understanding of the protective immune mechanisms, to improve vaccine efficacy and treatment of pulmonary infections. Around this theme, Ya-Ting has published over 15 peer-reviewed papers in Nature Microbiology, Science, Nature Commun., PNAS, etc. Currently, the lab focuses on 3 major topics:
1. the immune regulatory role of autophagy during infection.
2. protective immune responses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
3. host responses in pulmonary infections and pulmonary vaccines
Honors and Awards:
Excellent Young Investigator, Beijing, 2024
Chinese Society for Cell Biology, Young Female Investigator Award, 2022
Top Student Fellowship (awarded for the top GPA), Nankai University, 2007, 2006, 2005
Student Leadership Award, Nankai University, China, 2005
Selected Publications:
1. Feng S*, Nehls EM*, Kinsella RL, Chowdhury CS, Chavez SM, Naik SK, McKee SR, Winkle JA, Dubey N, Samuels A, Swain A, Cui X, Hendrix SV, Woodson R, Kreamalmeyer D, Smirnov A, Artyomov MN, Virgin HW, Wang YT#, Stallings CL#. Autophagy promotes efficient T cell responses to restrict high-dose Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in mice. Nature Microbiology. 2024. #corresponding author, *co-first author.
2. Strine MS, Fagerberg E, Darcy PW, Barrón GM, Filler RB, Alfajaro MM, D'Angelo-Gavrish N, Wang F, Graziano VR, Menasché BL, Damo M, Wang YT, Howitt MR, Lee S, Joshi NS, Mucida D, Wilen CB. Intestinal tuft cell immune privilege enables norovirus persistence. Science Immunology. 2024 Mar 22;9(93):eadi7038.
3. Wang YT#, Zaitsev K, Lu Q, Li S, Schaiff WT, Kim KW, Droit L, Wilen CB, Desai C, Balce DR, Orchard RC, Orvedahl A, Park S, Kreamalmeyer D, Handley SA, Pfeifer JD, Baldridge MT, Artyomov MN, Stallings CL#, Virgin HW#. Select autophagy genes maintain quiescence of tissue-resident macrophages and increase susceptibility to Listeria monocytogenes. Nature Microbiology. 2020 Feb;5(2):272-281. #corresponding author.
4. Wang YT, Sansone A, Smirnov A, Stallings CL, Orvedahl A. Myeloid autophagy genes protect mice against fatal TNF- and LPS-induced cytokine storm syndromes. Autophagy 2022;1–14.
5. Greene CJ, Nguyen JA, Cheung SM, Arnold CR, Balce, DR, Wang YT, Soderholm A, McKenna N, Aggarwal D, Campden RI, Ewanchuk BW, Virgin HW, Yates RM. Macrophages disseminate pathogen associated molecular patterns through the direct extracellular release of the soluble content of their phagolysosomes. Nature Communication. 2022 Jun 2;13(1):3072.
6. Balce DR, Wang YT, McAllaster MR, Dunlap BF., Orvedahl A, Hykes B, Droit L, Handley SA, Wilen CB, Doench JG, Orchard RC, Stallings SL, Virgin HW. UFMylation inhibits the pro-inflammatory capacity of interferon-γ-activated macrophages. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2021 Jan 5;118(1):e2011763118.
7. Wilen CB, Lee S, Hsieh LL, Orchard RC, Desai C, Hykes BL Jr, McAllaster MR, Balce DR, Feehley T, Brestoff JR, Hickey CA, Yokoyama CC, Wang YT, MacDuff DA, Kreamalmayer D, Howitt MR, Neil JA, Cadwell K, Allen PM, Handley SA, van Lookeren Campagne M, Baldridge MT, Virgin HW. Tropism for tuft cells determines immune promotion of norovirus pathogenesis. Science. 2018 Apr 13;360(6385):204-208.
8. Wang YT, Missiakas D, Schneewind O. GneZ, a UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase, is required for S-layer assembly and vegetative growth of Bacillus anthracis. J Bacteriol. 2014 Aug 15;196(16):2969-78.
9. Wang YT, Oh SY, Hendrickx AP, Lunderberg JM, Schneewind O. Bacillus cereus G9241 S-layer assembly contributes to the pathogenesis of anthrax-like disease in mice. J Bacteriol. 2013 Feb;195(3):596-605.
10. Garufi G*, Wang YT*, Oh SY, Maier H, Missiakas DM, Schneewind O. Sortase-conjugation generates a capsule vaccine that protects guinea pigs against Bacillus anthracis. Vaccine. 2012 May 14;30(23):3435-44. *co-first author.
Invited Review：
1. Cui X, Wang YT#, Function of autophagy genes in innate immune defense against mucosal pathogens. Current Opinion in Microbiology. 2024 Mar 29;79:102456.
Book：
1. Feng S,Wang YT. Pathogenicity Islands: Origins, Structure, and Roles in Bacterial Pathogenesis. In Molecular Medical Microbiology; Elsevier, 2024; pp 325–336.
2. Li Y-Y, Cai R-J, Talbot EA, Wang YT. Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. In Molecular Medical Microbiology; Elsevier, 2024; pp 1569–1584.
3. Eallonardo SJ, Wang YT, Freitag NE. Listeria Monocytogenes. In Molecular Medical Microbiology; Elsevier, 2024; pp 1249–1267.
