Jeong Yoon, Ph.D.

Center for Molecular Medicine
Maine Medical Center Research Institute
81 Research Drive
Scarborough, ME 04074
(207) 885-8196 (Office)
(207) 885-8244 (Lab)
(207) 885-8179 (Fax)
yoonje@mmc.org

Biosketch

Dr. Jeong Yoon is a principal investigator in the Center for Molecular Medicine at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute. He received his Ph.D. degree in Genetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Medicine. He joined MMCRI in 2001 after leaving a Senior Research Fellow position in the Division of Biology at California Institute of Technology. He is a member of the graduate faculty at the University of Maine, Orono and a Director of MMCRI Summer Student Research Program (SSRP). He also directs the Cell Culture/Virus Core Facility in the Center for Molecular Medicine.

Research Interests

My laboratory is interested in investigating the biological roles and underlying molecular mechanisms of the Wnt signaling pathway during normal development, tissue regeneration, and in pathological conditions. In canonical Wnt signaling, a binding of the Wnt ligand proteins to the Frizzled and LRP5/6 receptor complex activates beta-catenin/Tcf-dependent transcription of down-stream genes. In the non-canonical Wnt pathway, the Wnt ligands activate the Rac/Rho-mediated JNK pathway (also known as the PCP (Planar Cell Polarity) pathway) and the Ca++-dependent PKC pathway through the Frizzled and/or Ror2 receptors. Our research is currently focused on investigating the R-spondin family of secreted proteins, which are recently discovered in our laboratory. We are interested in 1) determining R-spondin signaling activities and mechanisms in the Wnt pathway by applying molecular and biochemical approaches, and 2) investigating the biological roles of R-spondin2 during craniofacial skeletal development and skeletal muscle differentiation/regeneration using genetically modified mouse models.

Selected Publications

Venkatesh DA, Park KS, Harrington A, Miceli-Libby L, Yoon JK and Liaw L (2008) Cardiovascular and hematopoietic defects associated with Notch1 activation in embryonic Tie2 expressing populations. Circulation Research, 103:423-431.

Ishii Y, Wajid M, Bazzi H, Fantauzzo KA, Barber AG, Blaydon DC, Nam JS, Yoon JK, Kelsell DP and Christiano AM (2008). Mutations in R-Spondin4 (RSPO4) underlie inherited Anonychia. J. Invest. Dermatol., 128: 867-870

Kim DJ, Park CS, Yoon JK* and Song WK* (2008). Differential Expression of the Wnt and Frizzled genes in Flk+ cells derived from mouse ES cells.  Cell Biochemistry and Function, 26:24-32.*co-corresponding authors.

Nam JS, Park E, Turcotte TJ, Palencia S, Zhan X, Lee J, Yun K, Funk WD* and Yoon JK* (2007). Mouse R-spondin2 is required for apical ectodermal ridge maintenance in the hindlimb. Dev. Biol. 311:124-135. *co-corresponding authors.

Nam JS, Turcotte TJ and Yoon JK (2007). Dynamic expression of R-spondin family of genes in mouse development. Gene Expression Patterns 7:306-312.

Durmus T, LeClair RJ, Park KS, Terzic A Yoon JK and Lindner L (2006). Expression Analysis of the Novel Gene Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing-1 (Cthrc1).  Gene Expression Patterns 6:935-940.

Nam JS, Turcotte TJ, Smith P, Choi S and Yoon JK (2006). Mouse Cristin/R-spondin family proteins are novel ligands for the Frizzled8 and LRP6 receptors and activate beta-catenin-depedent gene expression. J. Biol. Chem. 281:13247-13257.

Lab Photo

Coming soon!