Yang YangLaboratory
Structural Basis for Neurodegenerative Diseases
The lab of Dr. Yang Yang employs cryo-EM to investigate neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
To this end, the lab seeks to answer the following questions:
- What are the pathological processes of amyloid assembly and spreading mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases?
- How do amyloid aggregates form and disassemble, and what crucial factors contribute to a thorough understanding of disease progression?
- How can we enhance our understanding and efficacy of amyloid-based therapies for neurodegenerative disorders?
Our Impact
We're raising thousands to save millions
We’re turning hope into action for the millions of people around the world affected by diseases like cancer and Parkinson’s. Find out how you can help us make a difference.
- 121 peer-reviewed papers published in 2023
- 62 peer-reviewed papers published in high-impact journals in 2023
- 55 clinical trials launched to date
Yang Yang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Structural Biology
Areas of Expertise
Structural biology, neurodegeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, proteinopathies, amyloid-based therapies
Biography
Dr. Yang Yang leverages leading-edge imaging technologies to illuminate new insights into neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Her research has revealed the structures of critical disease-related protein filaments — an important step toward developing improved treatments.
Dr. Yang earned a B.S. in bioscience from Beijing Forestry University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (adviser: Dr. Zihe Rao). She then continued her work in the Rao Lab as a research associate, where she spearheaded structural studies into the human niacin receptor HCA2-Gi signaling complex.
In 2020, she joined the labs of Dr. Sjors Scheres and Dr. Michel Goedert at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology as a postdoctoral fellow. While there, she led several cryo-EM projects to visualize protein filaments associated with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. Her findings revealed key differences among filament types, shedding light on disease presentation and identifying potential targets for treatment.
Dr. Yang joined Van Andel Institute’s Department of Structural Biology in 2024, where she employs cryo-EM and other advanced techniques to gain mechanistic insight into neurodegenerative diseases.
Selected Publications
For comprehensive lists of Dr. Yang’s publications, please visit her Google Scholar.
2023
Yang Y#, Murzin AG, Chew SP, Granco C, Newell KL, Ghetti B, Goedert M#, Scheres SHW#. 2023. Cryo-EM structures of Aβ40 filaments from the leptomeninges of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Acta Neuropathol Commun 11:191.
#Co-corresponding authorship
Stern AM, Yang Y, Meunier AL, Liu W, Cai YQ, Ericsson M, Liu L, Goedert M, Scheres SHW, Selkoe DJ. 2023. Abundant Aβ fibrils in ultracentrifugal supernatants of aqueous extracts from Alzheimer’s disease brains. Neuron 111(13):2012–2020e4.
Yang Y*, Kang HJ*, Gao RG*, Wang JJ, Han GW, FiBerto JF, Wu LJ, Tong JH, Qu L, Wu YR, Pileski R, Li XM, Zhang XC, Zhao SW, Kenakin T, Wang Q, Stevens RC, Peng W, Roth BL, Rao ZH, Liu ZJ. 2023. Structural insights into the human niacin receptor HCA2-Gi signalling complex. Nat Comm 14(1692).
*Co-first authorship
Yang Y, Zhang W, Murzin AG, Schweighauser M, Huang M, Lövestam S, Peak-Chew SY, Saito T, Saido TC, Macdonald J, Lavenir I, Ghetti B, Graff C, Kumar A, Nordberg A, Goedert M, Scheres SHW. 2023. Cryo-EM structures of amyloid-β filaments with the Arctic mutation (E22G) from human and mouse brains. Acta Neuropathol 145:325–333.
2022
Yang Y*, Garringer HJ*, Shi Y*, Lövestam S, Zhang X, Kotecha A, Bacioglu M, Koto A, Takao M, Spillantini MG, Ghetti B, Vidal R, Murzin AG, Scheres SHW, Goedert M. 2022. New SNCA mutation and structures of α-synuclein filaments from juvenile-onset synucleinopathy. Acta Neuropathol 145:561–572.
*Co-first authorship
Yang Y, Shi Y, Schweighauser M, Zhang XJ, Kotecha A, Murzin AG, Garringer HJ, Cullinane P, Saito Y, Foroud T, Warner TT, Hasegawa K, Vidal R, Murayama S, Revesz T, Ghetti B, Hasegawa M, Lashley T, Scheres HWS, Goedert M. 2022. Structures of α-synuclein filaments from human brains with Lewy pathology. Nature 610:791–795.
Yang Y*, Arseni D*, Zhang W*, Huang M, Lövestam S, Schweighauser M, Kotecha A, Murzin AG, Peak-Chew SY, Macdonald J, Lavenir I, Garringer HJ, Gelpi E, Newell KL, Kovacs GG, Vidal R, Ghetti B, Falcon B, Scheres HW, Goedert M. 2022. Cryo-EM structures of amyloid-β 42 filaments from human brains. Science 375(6577):167–172.
*Co-first authorship
Schweighauser M*, Arseni D*, Bacioglu M*, Huang M*, Lovestam S*, Shi Y*, Yang Y*, Zhang W, Kotecha A, Garringer HJ, Vidal R, Hallinan GI, Newell KL, Tarutani A, Murayama S, Miyazaki M, Saito Y, Yoshida M, Hasegawa K, Lashley T, Revesz T, Kovacs GG, van Swieten J, Takao M, Hasegawa M, Ghetti B, Spillantini MG, Ryskeldi-Falcon B, Murzin AG, Goedert M, Scheres SHW. 2022. Age-dependent formation of TMEM106B amyloid filaments in human brains. Nature 605(7909):310–314.
*Co-first authorship
2021
Shi Y*, Zhang W*, Yang Y, Murzin AG, Falcon B, Kotecha A, van Beers M, Tarutani A, Kametani F, Garringer HJ, Vidal R, Hallinan GI, Lashley T, Saito Y, Murayama S, Yoshida M, Tanaka H, Kakita A, Ikeuchi T, Robinson AC, Mann DMA, Kovacs GG, Revesz T, Ghetti B, Hasegawa M, Goedert M, Scheres SHW. 2021. Structure-based classification of tauopathies. Nature 598(7880), 359–363.
Mohammed Alhadidy, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Yang Yang Laboratory
Nancy Duchaine
Senior Administrative Assistant I, Department of Structural Biology
Katelyn Ernst
Assistant Research Technician, Department of Structural Biology
Tiara Hinton, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Yang Yang Laboratory