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Our current research includes:  1) Application of Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for both basic and clinical research, and 2) Gene regulation on embryogenesis, organogenesis, tumorigenesis and multi-drug resistance. The main focus is on the application of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and automatic quantitative analysis (AQUA) on both basic and clinical research, particularly in biomarker characterization and discovery.  Specifically, including:

1) Develop IHC assay for new biomarkers

2) Automated Quantitative Analysis (AQUA) assay development and validation

3) Ovarian cancer biology and multi-drug resistance

Previously, the Yang laboratory focused on understanding the molecular alterations of known and novel signaling pathways that regulate embryogenesis, organ morphogenesis, preneoplastic transformation and tumorigenicity.  Main projects involving: (1) Disabled-2 in mouse embryogenesis, epithelia positional organization and ovarian tumorigenesis.  (2) Basement membrane laminin and its receptors in tumor metastasis, kidney development & function, and neuromuscular development & function. The model systems used were: cell culture, tissue/organ culture, ES cell derived Embryoid Bodies (EBs), transgenic knock-out mouse and cre-loxP conditional knock-out mouse.

1. Yang DH, McKee KK, Chen ZL, Mernaugh G, Strickland S, Zent R and Yurchenco PD. Renal collecting system growth and function depend upon embryonic gamma1 laminin expresseion. Development. 2011 Oct;138(20):4535-44. Epub 2011 Sep 8. PubMed
2. Yang D-H, Cai KQ, Roland IH, Smith ER and Xu XX Disabled-2 is an epithelial surface positioning gene. J Biol Chem. 2007 Apr 27;282(17):13114-22. PubMed
3. Yang D-H, Z Fazili, E.R. Smith, , Q Cai, A. Klein-Szanto, C. Cohen, IR Horowitz and X.X.Xu Disabled-2 heterozygous mice are predisposed to endometrial and ovarian tumorigenesis and exhibit sex-biased embryonic lethality in a p53 null background. Am. J. Path. 2006, 169:258-267. PubMed
4. Yang D-H, E.R. Smith, I.H. Roland, Z. Sheng, J.,He, W. D. Martin, J. D. Kambeth, T.H. Hamiton and X.X. Xu Disabled-2 is essential for endodermal cell positioning and structural formation during mouse embryogenesis. Dev. Biol.2002, 251:27-44. PubMed
5. Yang D-H, E.R. Smith, C. Cohen, C. Patriotis, A.K. Godwin, T.C. Hamilton and X.X.Xu Molecular events associated with dysplastic morphological transformation and initiation of ovarian tumorigenicity. Cancer 2002, 94: 2380-2392. PubMed