The Hedgehog (Hh) family of secreted signaling proteins plays fundamental roles in animal development, cell growth, and differentiation. Loss of or decrease in the Hh signaling pathway activity results in severe birth defects, whereas inappropriate activation of the Hh signaling pathway is also associated with several common types of human cancer. Hh signaling occurs in the primary cilium, a microtubule-based cellular organelle protruding from cell surface. Unsurprisingly, defects in primary cilia not only perturbs Hh signaling but also are associated with a broad range of human diseases. The Wang lab studies how Hh signal is transduced and how defects in cilia biogenesis disrupt Hh signaling by using molecular and cellular biology and genetic approaches.
Biography
Wang earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Shanghai Normal University and master’s degree in genetics from Fudan University, China, and Ph.D. degree in molecular and cell biology from University of Pennsylvania. Wang carried out his postdoctoral work in the laboratory of Philip Beachy at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 2001, he became an assistant professor at Weill Medical College.
Distinctions:
HHMI postdoctoral fellowship (1996)
Basil O’Connor Research Award of March of Dimes (2002)
