Dr. Yang received his M.D. from Lanzhou University School of Medicine and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Sichuan University School of Medicine in China. He completed his post-doctoral training in the field of cellular signal transduction and cancer biology with Dr. Benjamin G. Neel at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Yang and his colleagues currently study bone and cartilage development and homeostasis and aim to understand how these processes are regulated by the protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and phosphatases (PTPs) under physiological and pathological conditions.
Yang Lab
| Yang W, Lefebvre V. "PTPN11 in cartilage development, adult homeostasis, and diseases." Bone Research, vol. 13, no. 1, 2025, pp. 53. |
| Lijun Wang, Huiliang Yang, Changwei Wang, Mingliang Wang, Jiahui Huang, Thedoe Nyunt, Camilo Osorio, Shi-Yong Sun, Maurizio Pacifici, Véronique Lefebvre, Douglas C. Moore, Shaomeng Wang, Wentian Yang. "SHP2 ablation mitigates osteoarthritic cartilage degeneration by promoting chondrocyte anabolism throughSOX9." vol. 38, no. 17, 2024, pp. e70013. |
| Littman J, Yang W, Olansen J, Phornphutkul C, Aaron RK. "LRP5, Bone Mass Polymorphisms and Skeletal Disorders." Genes, vol. 14, no. 10, 2023, pp. 1846. |
| Yang, Huiliang, Wang, Lijun, Shigley, Christian, Yang, Wentian. "Protein tyrosine phosphatases in skeletal development and diseases." Bone Research, vol. 10, no. 1, 2022. |
| Wang, Lijun, Moore, Douglas C., Huang, Jiahui, Wang, Yuhong, Zhao, Hu, D‐H Yue, Jerry, Jackson, Cynthia L., Quesenberry, Peter J., Cao, Weibiao, Yang, Wentian. "SHP2 regulates the development of intestinal epithelium by modifying OSTERIX + crypt stem cell self‐renewal and proliferation." The FASEB Journal, vol. 35, no. 1, 2021, pp. e21106. |
| Yang, Huiliang, Wang, Liang, Turajane, Kathleen, Wang, Lijun, Yang, Wentian. "A method for colocalizing lineage tracing reporter and RNAscope signals on skeletal tissue section." RNA, 2020, pp. rna.077958.120. |
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Wentian Yang, Nikhil Thakur.
"Cathepsin K as a marker for cartilage production, repair and regeneration." 2020.
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| Wang, Soobin, Battigelli, Alessia, Alkekhia, Dahlia, Fairman, Alexis, Antoci, Valentin, Yang, Wentian, Moore, Douglas, Shukla, Anita. "Controlled delivery of a protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, SHP099, using cyclodextrin-mediated host–guest interactions in polyelectrolyte multilayer films for cancer therapy." RSC Advances, vol. 10, no. 34, 2020, pp. 20073-20082. |
| Wentian Yang. "Iron turns to wild when the transferrin is away." Blood, vol. 136, no. 6, 2020, pp. 649-650. |
| Lijun Wang, Huiliang Yang, Jiahui Huang, Shaopeng Pei, Liyun Wang, Jian Q. Feng, Dian Jing, Hu Zhao, Henry M. Kronenberg, Douglas C. Moore and Wentian Yang. "Targeted Ptpn11 deletion in mice reveals the essential role of SHP2 in osteoblast differentiation and skeletal homeostasis." Bone Research, vol. 9, no. 1, 2020, pp. 6. |
| Li ZW, Sun B, Gong T, Guo S, Zhang J, Wang J, Sugawara A, Jiang M, Yan J, Gurary A, Zhen X, Gao B, Xiao SY, Chen W, Ma C, Zhu C, Farrar C, Chan OTM, Xin C, Winnicki A, Winnicki J, Tang M, Park R, Winnicki M, Diener K, Wang Z, Liu Q, Chu CH, Yue P, Alpert L, Hui GS, Fei P, Turkson J, Yang W, Wu G, Tao A, Ramos JW, Moisyadi S, Holcombe RF, Jia W, Birnbaumer L, Zhou X, Chu WM. "GNAI1 and GNAI3 Reduce Colitis-Associated Tumorigenesis in Mice by Blocking IL6 Signaling and Downregulating Expression of GNAI2." Gastroenterology, 2019. |
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YANG WENTIAN (US)
WANG LIJUN (US)
MOORE DOUGLAS C (US).
"Marker for gastrointestinal tumors." 2019.
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| Usami Y, Gunawardena AT, Francois NB, Otsuru S, Takano H, Hirose K, Matsuoka M, Suzuki A, Huang J, Qin L, Iwamoto M, Yang W, Toyosawa S, Enomoto-Iwamoto M. "Possible Contribution of Wnt‐Responsive Chondroprogenitors to the Postnatal Murine Growth Plate." J Bone Miner Res, 2019. |
| Niogret C, Miah SMS, Rota G, Fonta NP, Wang H, Held W, Birchmeier W, Sexl V, Yang W, Vivier E, Ho PC, Brossay L, Guarda G. "Shp-2 is critical for ERK and metabolic engagement downstream of IL-15 receptor in NK cells." Nature Communications, vol. 10, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1444. |
| Wang L, Iorio C, Yan K, Yang H, Takeshita S, Kang S, Neel BG, Yang W. "A ERK/RSK-mediated negative feedback loop regulates M-CSF-evoked PI3K/AKT activation in macrophages." The FASEB Journal, vol. 32, no. 2, 2018, pp. 875-887. |
| Wang L, Huang J, Moore DC, Song Y, Ehrlich MG, Yang W. "SHP2 regulates intramembranous ossification by modifying the TGFβ and BMP2 signaling pathway." Bone, 2018. |
| Zuo C, Wang L, Kamalesh RM, Bowen ME, Moore DC, Dooner MS, Reginato AM, Wu Q, Schorl C, Song Y, Warman ML, Neel BG, Ehrlich MG, Yang W. "SHP2 regulates skeletal cell fate by modifying SOX9 expression and transcriptional activity." Bone Research, vol. 6, 2018, pp. 12. |
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Wentian Yang, Benjamin G. Neel.
"Hedgehog pathway inhibition for cartilage tumor and metachondromatosis treatment." 2017.
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| Miah, S. M. Shahjahan, Jayasuriya, Chathuraka T., Salter, Alexander I., Reilly, Emma C., Fugere, Céline, Yang, Wentian, Chen, Qian, Brossay, Laurent. "Ptpn11 Deletion in CD4+ Cells Does Not Affect T Cell Development and Functions but Causes Cartilage Tumors in a T Cell-Independent Manner." Frontiers in Immunology, vol. 8, 2017, pp. 1326. |
| Gu S, Sayad A, Chan G, Yang W, Lu Z, Virtanen C, Van Etten RA, Neel BG. "SHP2 is required for BCR-ABL1-induced hematologic neoplasia." Leukemia, 2017. |
| Wang L, Huang J, Moore DC, Zuo C, Wu Q, Xie L, von der Mark K, Yuan X, Chen D, Warman ML, Ehrlich MG, Yang W. "SHP2 Regulates the Osteogenic Fate of Growth Plate Hypertrophic Chondrocytes." Scientific reports, vol. 7, no. 1, 2017, pp. 12699. |
| Liu, Xia, Zheng, Hong, Li, Xiaobo, Wang, Siying, Meyerson, Howard J., Yang, Wentian, Neel, Benjamin G., Qu, Cheng-Kui. "Gain-of-function mutations of Ptpn11 (Shp2) cause aberrant mitosis and increase susceptibility to DNA damage-induced malignancies." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 113, no. 4, 2016, pp. 984-989. |
| Vesprey A, Yang W. "Pit Assay to Measure the Bone Resorptive Activity of Bone Marrow-derived Osteoclasts." BIO-PROTOCOL, vol. 6, no. 12, 2016. |
| Zhou Y, Mohan A, Moore DC, Lin L, Zhou FL, Cao J, Wu Q, Qin YX, Reginato AM, Ehrlich MG, Yang W. "SHP2 regulates osteoclastogenesis by promoting preosteoclast fusion." The FASEB Journal, 2015, pp. pii: fj.14-260844. [Epub ahead of print]. |
| Yang, Wentian, Wang, Jianguo, Moore, Douglas C., Liang, Haipei, Dooner, Mark, Wu, Qian, Terek, Richard, Chen, Qian, Ehrlich, Michael G., Quesenberry, Peter J., Neel, Benjamin G. "Corrigendum: Ptpn11 deletion in a novel progenitor causes metachondromatosis by inducing hedgehog signalling." Nature, vol. 508, no. 7496, 2014, pp. 420-420. |
| Guan Y, Yang X, Yang W, Charbonneau C, Chen Q. "Mechanical activation of mammalian target of rapamycin pathway is required for cartilage development." The FASEB Journal, vol. 28, no. 10, 2014, pp. 4470-81. |
| Bowen ME, Ayturk UM, Kurek KC, Yang W, Warman ML. "SHP2 regulates chondrocyte terminal differentiation, growth plate architecture and skeletal cell fates." PLOS Genetics, 2014. |
| Bowen, Margot E., Ayturk, Ugur M., Kurek, Kyle C., Yang, Wentian, Warman, Matthew L. "SHP2 Regulates Chondrocyte Terminal Differentiation, Growth Plate Architecture and Skeletal Cell Fates." PLoS Genetics, vol. 10, no. 5, 2014, pp. e1004364. |
| Li K, Leung AW, Guo Q, Yang W, Li JY. "Shp2-dependent ERK signaling is essential for induction of Bergmann glia and foliation of the cerebellum." Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 34, no. 3, 2014, pp. 922-31. |
| Sun, X., Charbonneau, C., Wei, L., Yang, W., Chen, Q., Terek, R. M. "CXCR4-targeted therapy inhibits VEGF expression and chondrosarcoma angiogenesis and metastasis." Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, vol. 12, no. 7, 2013, pp. 1163-1170. |
| Yang W, Neel BG. "From an orphan disease to a generalized molecular mechanism: PTPN11 loss-of-function mutations in the pathogenesis of metachondromatosis." Rare diseases (Austin, Tex.), vol. 1, 2013, pp. e26657. |
| Yang W, Wang J, Moore DC, Liang H, Dooner M, Wu Q, Terek R, Chen Q, Ehrlich MG, Quesenberry PJ, Neel BG. "Ptpn11 deletion in a novel progenitor causes metachondromatosis by inducing hedgehog signalling." Nature, vol. 499, no. 7459, 2013, pp. 491-5. |
| Chan G, Cheung LS, Yang W, Milyavsky M, Sanders AD, Gu S, Hong WX, Liu AX, Wang X, Barbara M, Sharma T, Gavin J, Kutok JL, Iscove NN, Shannon KM, Dick JE, Neel BG, Braun BS. "Essential role for Ptpn11 in survival of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells." Blood, vol. 117, no. 16, 2011, pp. 4253-61. |
| Matsuo K, Delibegovic M, Matsuo I, Nagata N, Liu S, Bettaieb A, Xi Y, Araki K, Yang W, Kahn BB, Neel BG, Haj FG. "Altered glucose homeostasis in mice with liver-specific deletion of Src homology phosphatase 2." Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 285, no. 51, 2010, pp. 39750-8. |
| Banno R, Zimmer D, De Jonghe BC, Atienza M, Rak K, Yang W, Bence KK. "PTP1B and SHP2 in POMC neurons reciprocally regulate energy balance in mice." Journal of Clinical Investigation, vol. 120, no. 3, 2010, pp. 720-34. |
| Chan, G., Kalaitzidis, D., Usenko, T., Kutok, J. L., Yang, W., Mohi, M. G., Neel, B. G. "Leukemogenic Ptpn11 causes fatal myeloproliferative disorder via cell-autonomous effects on multiple stages of hematopoiesis." Blood, vol. 113, no. 18, 2009, pp. 4414-4424. |
| Kontaridis, M. I., Yang, W., Bence, K. K., Cullen, D., Wang, B., Bodyak, N., Ke, Q., Hinek, A., Kang, P. M., Liao, R., Neel, B. G. "Deletion of Ptpn11 (Shp2) in Cardiomyocytes Causes Dilated Cardiomyopathy via Effects on the Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase/Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase and RhoA Signaling Pathways." Circulation, vol. 117, no. 11, 2008, pp. 1423-1435. |
| Park-Min, Kyung-Hyun, Serbina, Natalya V., Yang, Wentian, Ma, Xiaojing, Krystal, Gerald, Neel, Benjamin G., Nutt, Stephen L., Hu, Xiaoyu, Ivashkiv, Lionel B. "FcγRIII-Dependent Inhibition of Interferon-γ Responses Mediates Suppressive Effects of Intravenous Immune Globulin." Immunity, vol. 26, no. 1, 2007, pp. 67-78. |
| Yang, Wentian, Klaman, Lori D., Chen, Binbin, Araki, Toshiyuki, Harada, Hisashi, Thomas, Sheila M., George, Elizabeth L., Neel, Benjamin G. "An Shp2/SFK/Ras/Erk Signaling Pathway Controls Trophoblast Stem Cell Survival." Developmental Cell, vol. 10, no. 3, 2006, pp. 317-327. |
| Donahue, John E., Flaherty, Stephanie L., Johanson, Conrad E., Duncan, John A., Silverberg, Gerald D., Miller, Miles C., Tavares, Rosemarie, Yang, Wentian, Wu, Qian, Sabo, Edmond, Hovanesian, Virginia, Stopa, Edward G. "RAGE, LRP-1, and amyloid-beta protein in Alzheimer’s disease." Acta Neuropathologica, vol. 112, no. 4, 2006, pp. 405-415. |
| Fornaro, M., Burch, P. M., Yang, W., Zhang, L., Hamilton, C. E., Kim, J. H., Neel, B. G., Bennett, A. M. "SHP-2 activates signaling of the nuclear factor of activated T cells to promote skeletal muscle growth." The Journal of Cell Biology, vol. 175, no. 1, 2006, pp. 87-97. |
| Yu, M., Luo, J., Yang, W., Wang, Y., Mizuki, M., Kanakura, Y., Besmer, P., Neel, B. G., Gu, H. "The Scaffolding Adapter Gab2, via Shp-2, Regulates Kit-evoked Mast Cell Proliferation by Activating the Rac/JNK Pathway." Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 281, no. 39, 2006, pp. 28615-28626. |
| Du, Z., Shen, Y., Yang, W., Mecklenbrauker, I., Neel, B. G., Ivashkiv, L. B. "Inhibition of IFN- signaling by a PKC- and protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2-dependent pathway." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 102, no. 29, 2005, pp. 10267-10272. |
| Rusanescu, Gabriel, Yang, Wentian, Bai, Ailin, Neel, Benjamin G, Feig, Larry A. "Tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 is a mediator of activity-dependent neuronal excitotoxicity." EMBO J, vol. 24, no. 2, 2005, pp. 305-314. |
| Araki, Toshiyuki, Mohi, M Golam, Ismat, Fraz A, Bronson, Roderick T, Williams, Ifor R, Kutok, Jeffery L, Yang, Wentian, Pao, Lily I, Gilliland, D Gary, Epstein, Jonathan A, Neel, Benjamin G. "Mouse model of Noonan syndrome reveals cell type– and gene dosage–dependent effects of Ptpn11 mutation." Nature Medicine, vol. 10, no. 8, 2004, pp. 849-857. |
| Zhang, Si Qing, Yang, Wentian, Kontaridis, Maria I., Bivona, Trever G., Wen, Gengyun, Araki, Toshiyuki, Luo, Jincai, Thompson, Julie A., Schraven, Burkhart L., Philips, Mark R., Neel, Benjamin G. "Shp2 Regulates Src Family Kinase Activity and Ras/Erk Activation by Controlling Csk Recruitment." Molecular Cell, vol. 13, no. 3, 2004, pp. 341-355. |
Dr. Yang and his colleagues study bone and cartilage development and homeostasis and aim to understand how these processes are regulated by the protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and phosphatases (PTPs) under physiological and pathological conditions. The goal of their studies is to translate knowledge gained from the basic sciences into the development of better therapeutics and regenerative and preventive means to combat skeletal disorders. They approach this by focusing on human skeletal diseases using genetically modified mice and their cellular derivatives as in vivo and in vitro models. Other research strategies employed include biochemical, biological, and histological analysis of affected tissues/cells and bioinformatics to gain novel insights into the precise role of interested PTK and PTP.
NIH/NIDDK R01-DK138630-01 Yang (PI) 08/15/2024 – 08/14/2028 Title: "SHP2 Regulation of the Bone Marrow Stroma and Hematopoietic Crosstalk" . The goal of this project is to determine how SHP2 modulates the proliferation, differentiation, survival, and function of the Osterix+ bone marrow stroma and how SHP2 deficiency in the BMS affects osteogenesis, adipogenesis, vasculogenesis, and hematopoiesis.
NIH/NIDDK R56DK134223-01 Yang (PI) 10/01/2022 – 9/31/2024 "Role of OSTERIX in the regulation of hematopoiesis." The major goal of this project is to determine how the zinc finger transcription factor, OSTERIX, regulates the biology of hematopoietic stem cells and blood homeostasis.
NIH/NIAMS R21 AR081642-01 Yang (PI) 09/01/22 – 08/31/24 "Application of SHP2 PROTAC to Mitigate Articular Cartilage Degeneration." The goal of this proposal is to explore the translational potential of SHP2D26, the first proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) for the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2, in articular cartilage anti-degeneration and regeneration, and to elucidate the mechanism by which SHP2 modulates the anabolism of AC cells.
NIH/NIAMS 1R21AR079195 Yang (PI) 9/28/21-8/31/23 “Role of GI OSTERIX in Gut and Bone Biology” The major goal of this project is to study how the zinc finger TF OSTERIX in the gastrointestinal epithelium modulates the biology of osteoblasts and bone mineral homeostasis.
NIH/NIAMS RO1AR066746 Yang (PI) 09/15-08/23 "Role of PTPN11 in Cartilage Stem Cells and Tumorigenesis" The major goal of this study is to understand the biology of Ctsk+ cartilage stem cells and the regulatory role of PTPN11 in cartilage.
NIH/NIGMS 1P20 RR025179 7/09-7/14 "Stem Cell Biology: New Directions in Clinical and Basic Research" Project III (PI: Yang): SHP2 in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Property Maintenance. The major goal of this project is to understand how Shp2 regulates hematopoietic and cartilage stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.
NIH R21AR057156 Yang (PI) 10/09-9/12 "SHP2 in Osteoclastogenesis and Bone Remodeling" The major goal of this project is to understand the biological and biochemical role of Shp2 in osteoclast development and function.
Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF) Yang (PI) 07/14-06/16 The Ethelmae Haldan Grant for Innovative Science in Osteoarthritis: "Role of Cathepsin K+ Chondroid Progenitors in Articular Cartilage Anti-degeneration" The goal of this study is to determine the role of Ctsk+ chondroprogenitors in maintaining articular cartilage homeostasis.
Brown University Alpert Medical School Dean's Award Yang (PI) 07/15-06/16 "Targeting the SHP2 Signaling Pathway to Ameliorate Bone Mineral Loss" The goal of this project is to understand how SHP2 regulates genome-wide expression of osteoclastogenic genes and whether SHP2 pathway inhibition ameliorates osteoclast-mediated bone resorption.
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | PhD | Sichuan University |
| 1990 | MSc | Lanzhou University |
| 1985 | MD | Lanzhou University |
| Postdoctoral Scientist | Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, cancer biology | 2000- | Boston, MA |
| Postdoctoral Associate | Cleveland Clinic Foundation Lerner Research Institute, cancer biology | 1998- | |
| Postdoctoral Fellow | Cleveland Clinic Foundation Lerner Research Institute, cancer biology | 1995- | |
| Resident | National Institute of Endemic Diseases, internal medicine | 1985-1987 | Lanzhou, Gansu, China |
Fellow of International Orthopaedic Research (FIOR)
American Society of Hematology since 1996
Orthopaedic Research Society since 2007
American Society of Bone and Mineral Research 2009
International Society of Microvesicle Research 2010
International Chinese Musculoskeletal Research Society 2007
International Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies 2021
Primary graduate program affiliation:
BioMed/Pathobiology/Cancer Biology
BioMed/Biotech Graduate
BioMed/Center for Biology and Aging
Primary undergraduate program affiliation:
BioMed/biology
