Rui Yi

Research Interests:
MicroRNA-mediated regulation in mammalian skin development, stem cells and cancer
Research Profile:
Mammalian skin and its appendages function as the outermost barrier of the body to protect inner organs from environmental hazards and keep essential fluid within. During embryonic development, a single layer of multipotent epidermal stem cells gives rise to the epidermis, hair follicle and sebaceous gland, a process orchestrated by an array of regulatory pathways (see the figure).

In adult, homeostasis of each of three skin lineages is maintained through self-renewal and differentiation of distinct skin stem/progenitor cells. Through extensive investigation, much has been learned about the regulatory networks that control skin morphogenesis during embryonic development and self-renewal and differentiation of adult skin stem/progenitor cells. Recently, however, a novel layer of regulation mediated by miRNAs is implicated in mammalian development and diseases.
MiRNAs are a family of non-coding small RNAs (~19-24nt) expressed in a wide range of animals and plants. This newly discovered RNA species counts for 1-3% genes in mammalian genome. It is estimated that more than one third of protein-encoding mRNAs are regulated by miRNAs. In turn, miRNA-mediated regulation is believed to have a widespread impact on both protein output of transcriptome and evolution of gene regulatory networks. MiRNAs’ potentials in globally regulating gene expression and developmental transitions during mammalian skin development have dramatically escalated interests in these novel regulators.
We are interested in the elucidation of microRNA-mediated regulatory networks in mammalian skin development, stem cells and cancer. Specifically, we are developing research programs in the following areas: 1) comprehensive profiling and analysis microRNA’s expression pattern in different skin lineages and skin cancer; 2) investigation of individual microRNA’s functions with combinatorial approaches in mouse genetics, cell biology, molecular biology and biochemistry; 3) elucidating the molecular mechanisms of microRNA’s functions by systematically identifying their physiological targets; 4) exploring potential roles of other regulatory RNAs in mammalian skin.