Dr. Yu will present a Zoom seminar entitled “Organ Size Control, Tumorigenesis, and Beyond: From mTOR to Hippo” on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, from 3:30-4:30 pm. Zoom call-in particulars are included below.
Dr. Yu received his Ph.D. from Martin-Luther-University in Germany. After completing his Ph.D., he started his postdoctoral training at Florida State University using drosophilia as a model system to study basic developmental questions. He then continued his postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine focusing on the molecular regeneration of the Hippo pathway, an evolutionally-conserved pathway during animal development. Dr. Yu is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at Kansas State University.
Abstract: Nutrient restriction (NR) is the most robust environmental intervention that is known to restrict growth and development in a variety of species. NR decreases the incidence and growth of many types of tumors, yet the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Our recent work identified two NR-specific tumor suppressors that function through mTORC1 signaling, providing new insight into molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-tumorigenic effects of NR. In addition to mTORC1 signaling, the Hippo pathway has emerged as an evolutionarily-conserved developmental pathway that controls organ size and tissue homeostasis in at metazoan animals. Dysregulated Hippo pathway has been implicated in a wide range of human disorders including cancer. It remains unclear how diverse upstream signals are coordinated to the core Hippo pathway. We recently identified a novel regulator of the Hippo pathway that will advance our knowledge of the upstream regulation of this pathway. Our work, therefore, provides novel mechanistic basis of organ size control and tumorigenesis.
We look forward to seeing everyone this coming Tuesday afternoon!