Yue Lab at UCSF

RESEARCH

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) shields the brain from harmful substances. Yet, this barrier also restricts the flow of chemical signals vital for long-range communication between the brain and the body, which are essential for orchestrating diverse physiological processes at distant sites. Specialized interfaces near the brain's ventricles facilitate necessary communication between neural tissues and its surrounding fluid environment—blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Thus, these interfaces provide a window for the brain to sense humoral factors and secrete hormones into the bloodstream. Our lab focuses on these unique structures, studying how they detect, transmit, and modulate these vital signals. We aim to determine how these pathways contribute to neurological disorders and explore their potential to enhance drug delivery and therapeutic strategies.

Cell Identification

We develop genetic and viral tools to label, transcriptomically profile and manipulate specific cell types.

Ex vivo Physiology

We use electrophysiology, imaging and pharmacology to dissect cellular and molecular signaling pathways.

Behavior & Disease Models

We study whole-animal behaviors in disease models to explore how cell signaling contributes to physiological, pathological, and injury responses.

TEAM

Our lab opens in Fall 2024, and we're excited to welcome passionate scientists to our team. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. For students and postdocs eager to contribute to our research efforts, please email us with your CV. Experience in electrophysiology will be given priority.

Principal Investigator

Wendy Yue

My research journey began in Dr. King-Wai Yau's lab with the biophysics of phototransduction, the first step of vision. This passion in sensory signaling led me to study spinal cord injury response with Dr. David Julius. I believe science should be curiosity-driven and collaborative.

Lab Manager

Carol Kim

Email: Carol.Kim@ucsf.edu
Phone: 415-353-1699

I've been a lab manager at UCSF for many years, focusing on neurodevelopment. I started in Dr. John Rubenstein’s lab studying genetic mechanisms of neocortical and basal ganglia development, then continued in Drs. Anna Molofsky and Xianhua Piao’s labs, centering on neuroimmune interactions. I enjoy working with talented and curious colleagues whom I am constantly learning from.

PUBLICATIONS

Yue W.W.S.*, Touhara K.T., Toma K., Duan X., and Julius D*. (2023) Endogenous opioid signalling regulates spinal ependymal cell proliferation. Nature 634(8033):407-414. PMID: 39294372. (*co-corresponding authors) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07889-w

Yue W.W.S., Yuan L., Braz J., Basbaum A.I., and Julius D. (2022) TRPV1 drugs alter core body temperature via central projections of primary afferent sensory neurons. eLife 11:e80139. PMID: 35968676. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.80139

Yue W.W.Y., Kiyofumi M, & Yue W.W.S. (2021) Side- and similarity-biases during confidence conformity. PLoS One 16(7):e0253577. PMID: 34270563. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253577

Silverman D., Chai Z., Yue W.W.S., Ramisetty S.K., Bekshe Lokappa S., Sakai K., Frederiksen R., Bina P., Tsang S. H., Yamashita T., Chen J., and Yau K. -W. (2020) Dark noise and retinal degeneration from D190N-rhodopsin. PNAS 117(37): 23033–23043. PMID: 32873651. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2010417117

Yue W.W.S.*, Silverman D*., Ren X., Frederiksen R., Sakai K., Yamashita T., Shichida Y., Cornwall M.C., Chen J. and Yau K.-W. (2019) Elementary response triggered by transducin in retinal rods. PNAS 116(11):5144-5153. PMID: 30796193. (*co-first authors) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1817781116

Jiang Z., Yue W.W.S.* L. Chen.*, Sheng Y. and Yau K.-W. (2018) HCN-channel-mediated phototransduction in intrinsically-photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. Cell 175(3):652-664.e12. PMID: 30270038. (*co-second author) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.08.055

Wang Q., Yue W.W.S., Jiang Z., Xue T., Kang S.H., Bergles D.E., Mikoshiba K., Offermanns S. and Yau K.-W. (2017) Synergistic signaling by light and acetylcholine in mouse iris sphincter muscle. Curr Biol. 27(12):1791-1800.e5. PMID: 28578927. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.022

Yue W.W.S.*, Frederiksen R.*, Ren X., Luo D.-G., Yamashita T., Shichida Y., Cornwall M.C. and Yau K.-W. (2017) Spontaneous activation of visual pigments in relation to openness/closedness of chromophore-binding pocket. eLife pii: e18492. PMID: 28186874. (*co-first authors) DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.18492

Buhr E.D., Yue W.W.S., Ren X., Jiang Z., Liao H.W., Mei X., Vemaraju S., Nguyen M.T., Reed R.R., Lang R.A., Yau K.-W., and Van Gelder R.N. (2015) Neuropsin (OPN5)-mediated photoentrainment of local circadian oscillators in mammalian retina and cornea. PNAS 112(42):13093-13098. PMID: 26392540. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1516259112

Luo D.-G., Yue W.W.S., Ala-Laurila P. and Yau K.-W. (2011) Activation of visual pigments by light and heat. Science 332(6035):1307-1312. PMID: 21659602. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1200172

CONTACT

Lab address

Rock Hall Room 281
1550 4th Street
UCSF Mission Bay Campus
San Francisco, CA 94158
Phone: 415-353-1699

Office address

Rock Hall Room 285
Box 2140
1550 4th Street
UCSF Mission Bay Campus
San Francisco, CA 94158
Phone: 415-353-2053

GALLERY

First impression

@ Fort Mason, San Francisco
Wendy fell in love with the city in her postdoc interview trip

Mosiac

@ Lincoln Park Steps, San Francisco
Colors bring happiness. Get a dose when experiments don't work.

Hop around

@ Antelope Canyon, Utah
National Parks in California are great, but there are other gems out there as well

Holiday fun

@ Mission Bay, UCSF
A tradition of the Julius Lab to be at the photo booth in Departmental Holiday Party

Gifts of friendship

@ Julius Lab, UCSF
White elephant - gifts are secondary, exchange is first

A sip of art

@ Legion of Honor, San Francisco
A great place for the artistic minds

Behind bars

@ Alcatraz, San Francisco
A pleasant walk on an island with a dark history

On fire

@ Mission Bay, UCSF
Not Sci-Fi, but UCSF under an orangey sky stained by forrest fire

Chase the ball

@ Mission Bay, San Francisco
Chase Center is open for the basketball lovers

Ship building and team building

@ Dogpatch, San Francisco
Abandoned buildings speak of the history of ship building in Union Iron Works