Ye He, Ph.D.

  • Director, Live Imaging and Bioenergetics Facility
  • Co-Director, MALDI-TOF MS Imaging Facility
  • Research Associate Professor, Neuroscience Initiative

Dr. He received her Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, Microbiology & Immunology from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, where she studied developmental myelination regulated by transcription factor YY1.  She continued her postdoctoral training in Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York where her research focused on the transcriptional and epigenetic control of peripheral myelination. She joined ASRC from the University of California, San Francisco Department of Physiology, where she was an HHMI Research Associate working with Dr. Yuh Nung Jan to investigate the function of ion channels in gentle touch mechano-sensation and brain tumors.

As the director of the Live Imaging and Bioenergetics Facility, and the co-director of  MALDI MS Imaging Facility, she will work with researchers to study dynamic changes at the cellular level in live cells and intact organisms, metabolism in live cells and postmortem tissues during development and disease.

Research Interests

Dr. Ye He’s current research interests are employing advanced imaging techniques including super-resolution live imaging, two-photon imaging, and MALDI MS imaging to study: 1) dynamic changes of neuron-glia interaction during development, neurodegeneration and brain tumor progression at the molecular and cellular level, 2) functional interactions between nanomaterials and neurons.

Job History

  • 2022 – Current : Research Associate Professor, Neuroscience Initiative, CUNY ASRC
  • 2019 – Current : Co-Director, MALDI-TOF MS Imaging Joint Facility CUNY ASRC
  • 2016 – Current : Director, Live Imaging and Bioenergetics Facility, CUNY ASRC
  • 2016 – 2021 : Research Assistant Professor, Neuroscience Initiative, CUNY ASRC
  • 2010 – 2013: HHMI Research Associate, University of California, San Francisco, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • 2008 – 2010: Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine

Publications

W. Dong, A. Fekete, X. Chen, H. Liu, G. L. Beilhartz, X. Chen, S. Bahrampour, Y. Xiong, Q. Yang, H. Zhao, T. Kong, M. S. Morioka, G. Jung, J.-E. Kim, D. Schramek, P. B. Dirks, Y. Song, T.-H. Kim, Y. He, S. Wanggou, et al. A Designer Peptide against the EAG2–Kvβ2 Potassium Channel Targets the Interaction of Cancer Cells and Neurons to Treat Glioblastoma. Nat Cancer, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018-023-00626-8.
M. Pruvost, J. Patzig, C. Yattah, I. Selcen, M. Hernandez, H.-J. Park, S. Moyon, S. Liu, M. S. Morioka, L. Shopland, O. Al-Dalahmah, J. Bendl, J. F. Fullard, P. Roussos, J. Goldman, Y. He, J. L. Dupree, P. Casaccia. The Stability of the Myelinating Oligodendrocyte Transcriptome Is Regulated by the Nuclear Lamina. Cell Reports, 2023, 42 (8), 112848. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112848.

X. Chen, A. Momin, S. Wanggou, X. Wang, H.-K. Min, W. Dou, Z. Gong, J. Chan, W. Dong, J. J. Fan, Y. Xiong, K. Talipova, H. Zhao, Y. X. Chen, K. Veerasammy, A. Fekete, S. A. Kumar, H. Liu, Q. Yang, J. E. Son, et al. Mechanosensitive Brain Tumor Cells Construct Blood-Tumor Barrier to Mask Chemosensitivity. Neuron, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2022.10.007.

A. Jain, S. Kassem, R.S. Fisher, B. Wang, T.-D. Li, T. Wang, Y. He, S. Elbaum-Garfinkle, and R.V. Ulijn, Connected Peptide Modules Enable Controlled Co-Existence of Self-Assembled Fibers Inside Liquid Condensates, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2022, 144 (33), 15002–15007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c05897.

G. A. Soliman, R. R. Abzalimov, Y. He. MTORC1 and MTORC2 Complexes Regulate the Untargeted Metabolomics and Amino Acid Metabolites Profile through Mitochondrial Bioenergetic Functions in Pancreatic Beta Cells. Nutrients, 2022, 14 (15), 3022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14153022.

Y. X. Chen, K. Veerasammy, J. Yin, T. Choetso, T. Zhong, M. A. Choudhury, C. Weng, E. Xu, M. A. Hein, R. Abzalimov, Y. He. Sample Preparation for Rapid Lipid Analysis in Drosophila Brain Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging. JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments), 2022, No. 185, e63930. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3791/63930.

R.H. Huang, N. Nayeem, Y. He, J. Morales, D. Graham, R. Klajn, M. Contel, S. O’Brien, and R.V. Ulijn. Self‐Complementary Zwitterionic Peptides Direct Nanoparticle Assembly and Enable Enzymatic Selection of Endocytic Pathways, Adv. Mater., 2021, 2104962, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202104962.

F. Li, T. Y. Lo, L. Miles, Q. Wang, H. N. Noristani, D. Li, J. Niu, S. Trombley, J. I. Goldshteyn, C. Wang, S. Wang, J. Qiu, K. Pogoda, K. Mandal, M. Brewster, P. Rompolas, Y. He, P. A. Janmey, G. M. Thomas, S. Li, Y. Song. The Atr-Chek1 Pathway Inhibits Axon Regeneration in Response to Piezo-Dependent Mechanosensation. Nat Commun, 2021, 12 (1), 3845. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24131-7.

D. Chang, Q. Brown, G. Tsui, Y. He, J. Liu, L. Shi, A. Rodríguez-Contreras. Distinct Cellular Profiles of Hif1a and Vegf MRNA Localization in Microglia, Astrocytes and Neurons during a Period of Vascular Maturation in the Auditory Brainstem of Neonate Rats. Brain Sciences, 2021, 11 (7), 944. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070944.

J. Yin, E. Spillman, E. S. Cheng, J. Short, Y. Chen, J. Lei, M. Gibbs, J. S. Rosenthal, C. Sheng, Y. X. Chen, K. Veerasammy, T. Choetso, R. Abzalimov, B. Wang, C. Han, Y. He, Q. Yuan. Brain-Specific Lipoprotein Receptors Interact with Astrocyte Derived Apolipoprotein and Mediate Neuron-Glia Lipid Shuttling. Nature Communications, 2021, 12 (1), 2408. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22751-7.

A. Lampel, S.A. McPhee, S. Kassem, D. Sementa, T. Massarano, J. M. Aramini, Y. He, and R. V. Ulijn, Melanin-Inspired Chromophoric Microparticles Composed of Polymeric Peptide Pigments, Angew Chem Int Ed Engl, 2021, 60, 7564-7569.

K. Veerasammy, Y. X. Chen, S. Sauma, M. Pruvost, D. K. Dansu, T. Choetso, T. Zhong, D. Marechal, P. Casaccia, R. Abzalimov, Y. He. Sample Preparation for Metabolic Profiling Using MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging. JoVE, 2020, No. 166, 62008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3791/62008.
F. Li, A. Sami, H. N. Noristani, K. Slattery, J. Qiu, T. Groves, S. Wang, K. Veerasammy, Y. X. Chen, J. Morales, P. Haynes, A. Sehgal, Y. He, S. Li, Y. Song. Glial Metabolic Rewiring Promotes Axon Regeneration and Functional Recovery in the Central Nervous System. Cell Metabolism, 2020, 0 (0). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2020.08.015.

B. J. Piggott, C. J. Peters, Y. He, X. Huang, S. Younger, L. Y. Jan, Y. N. Jan. Paralytic, the Drosophila Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel, Regulates Proliferation of Neural Progenitors. Genes Dev., 2019, 33 (23–24), 1739–1750. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.330597.119.

A. Ntranos, V. Ntranos, V. Bonnefil, J. Liu, S. Kim-Schulze, Y. He, Y. Zhu, R. Brandstadter, C.T. Watson, A.J. Sharp, I. Katz Sand, P. Casaccia. Fumarates target the metabolic-epigenetic interplay of brain-homing T cells in multiple sclerosis. Brain, 2019, 142(3), 647-661. DOI: 10.1093/brain/awy344

X. Huang*, Y. He*, A. M. Dubuc, R. Hashizume, W. Zhang, J. Reimand, H. Yang, T. A. Wang, S. J. Stehbens, S. Younger, S. Barshow, S. Zhu, M. K. Cooper, J. Peacock, V. Ramaswamy, L. Garzia, X. Wu, M. Remke, C. M. Forester, C. C. Kim, et al. EAG2 Potassium Channel with Evolutionarily Conserved Function as a Brain Tumor Target. Nat Neurosci, 2015, 18 (9), 1236–1246. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.4088. (* equal contribution)

Z. Yan, W. Zhang, Y. He, D. Gorczyca, Y. Xiang, L. E. Cheng, S. Meltzer, L. Y. Jan, Y. N. Jan. Drosophila NOMPC Is a Mechanotransduction Channel Subunit for Gentle-Touch Sensation. Nature, 2013, 493 (7431), 221-225. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11685.

X. Huang, A. M. Dubuc, R. Hashizume, J. Berg, Y. He, J. Wang, C. Chiang, M. K. Cooper, P. A. Northcott, M. D. Taylor, M. J. Barnes, T. Tihan, J. Chen, C. S. Hackett, W. A. Weiss, C. D. James, D. H. Rowitch, M. A. Shuman, Y. N. Jan, L. Y. Jan. Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel EAG2 Controls Mitotic Entry and Tumor Growth in Medulloblastoma via Regulating Cell Volume Dynamics. Genes & Development, 2012, 26 (16), 1780–1796. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.193789.112.

H. Y. Lee, W.-P. Ge, W. Huang, Y. He, G. X. Wang, A. Rowson-Baldwin, S. J. Smith, Y. N. Jan, L. Y. Jan. Bidirectional Regulation of Dendritic Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels by the Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein. Neuron, 2011, 72 (4), 630–642. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2011.09.033.

Y. He, J. Y. Kim, J. Dupree, A. Tewari, C. Melendez-Vasquez, J. Svaren, P. Casaccia. Yy1 as a Molecular Link between Neuregulin and Transcriptional Modulation of Peripheral Myelination. Nat Neurosci, 2010, 13 (12), 1472–1480. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2686.

J. Y. Kim, S. Shen, K. Dietz, Y. He, O. Howell, R. Reynolds, P. Casaccia. HDAC1 Nuclear Export Induced by Pathological Conditions Is Essential for the Onset of Axonal Damage. Nat Neurosci, 2010, 13 (2), 180–189. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2471

H. Li, Y. He, W. D. Richardson, P. Casaccia. Two-Tier Transcriptional Control of Oligodendrocyte Differentiation. Curr Opin Neurobiol, 2009, 19 (5), 479–485. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2009.08.004.

Y. He, P. Casaccia-Bonnefil. The Yin and Yang of YY1 in the Nervous System. J Neurochem, 2008, 106 (4), 1493–1502. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.2008.05486.x.

Y. He, J. Sandoval, P. Casaccia-Bonnefil. Events at the Transition between Cell Cycle Exit and Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Differentiation: The Role of HDAC and YY1. Neuron Glia Biol., 2007, 3 (3), 221–231. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1740925X08000057.

Y. He, J. Dupree, J. Wang, J. Sandoval, J. Li, H. Liu, Y. Shi, K. A. Nave, P. Casaccia-Bonnefil. The Transcription Factor Yin Yang 1 Is Essential for Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Differentiation. Neuron, 2007, 55 (2), 217–230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2007.06.029.

M. Marin-Husstege, Y. He, J. Li, T. Kondo, F. Sablitzky, P. Casaccia-Bonnefil. Multiple Roles of Id4 in Developmental Myelination: Predicted Outcomes and Unexpected Findings. Glia, 2006, 54 (4), 285–296. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/glia.20385.

headshot: ye he

Phone Number

212.413.3182