Dr Yutang Wang
E:
T: +61 2 9036 3212
F: +61 2 9036 3038
Position
Postdoctoral Fellow, University Lecturer
Qualifications/Employment
| 1997 | Bachelor degree in Science, Shandong University of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology, Jinan, China |
| 1997-2000 | Master degree in Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology, Beijing, China |
| 2000-2003 | Ph.D. Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China |
| 2003-2004 | Research officer, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China |
| 2004-2006 | Research officer, Centre for Vascular Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney |
| Since 2006 | Postdoctoral Fellow and Sydney University Lecturer, Centre for Vascular Research, University of Sydney, Stocker lab |
Research interests
My major interest focuses on blood pressure regulation in inflammation.
Research tools
I am using physiological, molecular and cellular biology tools, including blood pressure determination in mice (tail cuff, carotid artery cannulation, telemetry); functional assessment of blood vessels (myobath for large and small vessels); microsurgery; immunohistochemistry; cell culture, and molecular biological techniques such as western blot, PCR, etc. This work also involves HPLC analyses.
Collaborators
- Professor Nicholas Hunt, School of Medical Sciences (Pathology) & Bosch Institute, University of Sydney
- Professor David Celermajer, Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney
- Dr Rob Ogle, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney
- Associate Professor Annemarie Hennessy, University of Western Sydney, Sydney
- Dr Hans-Peter Stasch, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Bayer HealthCare, Wuppertal, Germany
Research background
We observed that pharmacological inhibition of IDO increases blood pressure in mice with systemic inflammation, such as experimental cerebral malaria and endotoxemia. Kynurenine, the metabolite produced by IDO from L-tryptophan, is the vasoactive compound. Kynurenine stimulates soluble guanylate cyclase and adenylate cyclase to relax pre-constricted blood vessels. Interestingly, kynurenine is able to activate heme-free soluble guanylate cyclase, suggesting that it may be active under conditions where nitric oxide looses efficacy.
We are presently confirming the role of IDO/kynurenine in the regulation of vascular tone in other experimental models of inflammation (e.g., atherosclerosis), as well as in humans (e.g., sepsis, inflammatory bowel disease). We are also investigating the possible contribution of IDO/kynurenine to the regulation of vascular tone under physiological conditions, such as in placental villi during pregnancy.
Induction of IDO in endothelial cells of renal arterioles of mice with cerebral malaria: Malaria infected, Uninfected control, Negative Control
- H Pang, Y Wen, L, N Ma＆Y Wang. The protecting role of a novel erythrocyte-derived depressing factor on blood vessels in rats. Chinese Science Bulletin 2002; 47:717-721
- Y Wang, Y Wen, L Shi, N Ma. Cardiac protective role of erythrocyte-derived depressing factor on rats and its Ca2+ mechanism. Chinese Science Bulletin 2003; 48:2710-2714
- H Pan, Y Wen, N Ma, Y Wang, L Shi. Protective role of a novel erythrocyte-derived depressing factor on blood vessels of renovascular hypertensive rats. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology 2007,34:393-398
- Y Wang, Y Wen, Y Fang, H Pang, Z Guo, L Shi and J Li. Experimental vasoprotection by a novel erythrocyte-derived depressing factor in rats with arterial calcinosis. Vascular Pharmacology, 2009;50:65-70
- BJ Wu, RG. Midwinter, K Beck, Y Wang, C Cassano, D Changsiri, JR. Gamble, R Stocker. Heme oxygenase-1 increases endothelial progenitor cells. Arterioscl Thromb Vasc Biol 2009;in press
- Y Wang, H Liu, JP Stasch, G McKenzie, PK Witting, D Changsiri, BJ Wu, HJ Ball, SR Thomas, V Kapoor, DS Celermajer, AL Mellor, JF Keaney, Jr, NH Hunt and R Stocker. Kynurenine is a novel endothelium-derived vascular relaxing factor produced during inflammation. (Submitted to Nature Medicine and under revision.)
