Zhang Yonglian

Biography

ZHANG Yonglian is a Professor Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. Research Areas: epididymis functional genomics; sperm maturation; androgen; antimicrobial peptide; sperm motility, sperm capacitation, in vivo gene tageting by RNAi, microRNAs in epididymis, non-coding RNA, human epididymis cDNA library, DNA methylation in epididymis. Research Interests: Epididymis is composed of a long tubule which linked testes and vas deferens, which is essential for sperm maturation, protection and storage. Sperm came from testes is not fully differentiated. By passing through the long tubule of epididymis, sperm gains its motility, capacitation and fertilization abilities by interacting with epididymal secretory proteins and undergoing a series of modification in the epididymal lumen. Searching for these epididymis-specific genes and their roles in sperm maturation will be of help not only in understanding the molecular mechanisms of sperm maturation, but also providing new insights for personalized diagnosis and treatment of infertility and male contraceptive drugs design. A large number of epididymis-specific genes were cloned in our lab in the past decades, their characterizations, functions and participations in sperm motility, capacitation and fertility have been investigated by using molecular, biochemical and genetic approaches. Recently, we are starting to study the roles of non-coding RNA sequences in sperm maturation by in vitro and in vivo approaches. Meantime, we pay much attention to translational medicine. Now, there are three main fields undergoing in our lab: 1. The roles of epididymis-specific genes in sperm maturation by using molecular, cellular approaches and genetic tools, including RNAi, conditional knock out or knock in; 2. Participations of non-coding RNAs in epididymis and infertility diseases and underlying mechanisms by using in vitro and in vivo approaches; Epigenetic regulation on epididymal gene expression and its potential roles in sperm maturation;

Research Interest

Epididymis is composed of a long tubule which linked testes and vas deferens, which is essential for sperm maturation, protection and storage. Sperm came from testes is not fully differentiated. By passing through the long tubule of epididymis, sperm gains its motility, capacitation and fertilization abilities by interacting with epididymal secretory proteins and undergoing a series of modification in the epididymal lumen. Searching for these epididymis-specific genes and their roles in sperm maturation will be of help not only in understanding the molecular mechanisms of sperm maturation, but also providing new insights for personalized diagnosis and treatment of infertility and male contraceptive drugs design. A large number of epididymis-specific genes were cloned in our lab in the past decades, their characterizations, functions and participations in sperm motility, capacitation and fertility have been investigated by using molecular, biochemical and genetic approaches. Recently, we are starting to study the roles of non-coding RNA sequences in sperm maturation by in vitro and in vivo approaches. Meantime, we pay much attention to translational medicine. Now, there are three main fields undergoing in our lab: 1. The roles of epididymis-specific genes in sperm maturation by using molecular, cellular approaches and genetic tools, including RNAi, conditional knock out or knock in; 2. Participations of non-coding RNAs in epididymis and infertility diseases and underlying mechanisms by using in vitro and in vivo approaches; Epigenetic regulation on epididymal gene expression and its potential roles in sperm maturation.