Dr. DaZhi Wang
I am a developmental and molecular biologist with a longstanding interest in the molecular mechanisms that regulate mammalian development, cell fate determination, and human disease. In particular, my research group studies transcriptional regulation and miRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation. We have made significant contributions to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle gene expression during development. We have extensively studied the myocardin family of transcription factors and their role in the cardiovascular system. In the past fifteen years, we have increasingly focused on non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), to understand how they regulate gene expression in the normal and diseased heart. Non-coding RNAs represent more than 98% of our genomic sequence, and they are now known to be actively transcribed.
Recently, we discovered the Hippo/Yap pathway was altered in Xinβ knock-out (KO) mice, and we further identified a physical and genetic interaction between Xinβ and NF2, a component of the Hippo/Yap pathway. We also showed that the expression of Xinβ is transcriptionally regulated by Mef2a, YAP, and TEAD1, suggesting the presence of a Xinβ/YAP feedback regulatory network in the heart. Strikingly, we found that overexpression of YAP markedly rescued cardiac defects in Xinβ KO mice; indicating a functional and genetic interaction between Xinβ and YAP. We hypothesize that the ICD protein Xinβ mediates expression and function of the Hippo/YAP pathway to regulate cardiomyocyte proliferation and maturation. In this application, we will continue our effort to study the biological function and molecular interactions of Xinβ with the Hippo/YAP pathway in the heart. Our studies have significantly enhanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac development and function.
Dr. Wang is also the inaugural director of the newly created Center for Regenerative Medicine here at USF Health. Future studies will include cutting edge new studies in the mechanisms regulating cell and tissue renewal and investigations into approaches to leverage these findings for disease therapies.