Soo Jung Yang, PhD
Background Information
Soo Jung Yang, PhD, is from Seoul, South Korea. She received her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from Seoul National University. She did her post-doctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley and then worked as a Senior Scientific Researcher at the biotechnology company Genentech. She joined the lab of Jane Buckner, MD, at BRI in 2017 as a Staff Scientist and was promoted to Research Assistant Member in the Center for Translational Research in 2022.
Area of Research
Dr. Yang works on regulatory T cells (Tregs), which are known to help protect against autoimmune disease. Her research explores engineered Tregs, exploring new research questions and approaches to treat autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. In addition, she is interested in understanding the biology of Tregs, how they work how they are unique from other T cells, and how we can improve their function.
Featured Publications
Yang SJ, Singh AK, Tappen T, Honaker Y, Whitman F, Linsley PS, Cerosaletti K, Mauk K, Xiang Y, Smith J, Sommer K, Khan I, Rawlings DJ, Buckner JH. Islet-specific engineered Treg exhibit robust antigen-specific and bystander immune suppression in type 1 diabetes models. (in preparation)
Keum S, Yang SJ, Park E, Kang T, Choi JH, Jeong J, Hwang YE, Kim JW, Park D, Rhee S. Beta-Pix-dynamin 2 complex promotes colorectal cancer progression by facilitating membrane dynamics. Cell Oncol (Dordr). 2021 Dec;44(6):1287-1305. Doi: 10.1007/s13402-021-00637-6. PMID: 34582006 | PMC8648671
Honaker Y, Hubbard N, Xiang Y, Fisher L, Hagin D, Sommer K, Song Y, Yang SJ, Lopez C, Tappen T, Dam EM, Khan I, Hale M, Buckner JH, Scharenberg AM, Torgerson TR, Rawlings DJ. Gene editing to induce FOXP3 expression in human CD4+ T cells leads to a stable regulatory phenotype and function. Sci Transl Med. 2020 Jun 3;12(546):eaay6422. Doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay6422. PMID: 32493794
Zhang J , Yang SJ , Gonzalez F , Yang J , Zhang Y , He M , Shastri N , Murthy N . A peptide-based fluorescent probe images ERAAP activity in cells and in high throughput assays. Chem Commun (Camb). 2018 Jun 26;54(52):7215-7218. Doi: 10.1039/c7cc09598h. PMID: 29897370 | PMC6092045
Guan J, Yang SJ, Gonzalez F, Yin Y, Shastri N. Antigen Processing in the Endoplasmic Reticulum Is Monitored by Semi-Invariant αβ TCRs Specific for a Conserved Peptide-Qa-1b MHC Class Ib Ligand. J Immunol. 2017 Mar 1;198(5):2017-2027. Doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1600764. PMID: 28108559 | PMC5321846
Grover HS, Chu HH, Kelly FD, Yang SJ, Reese ML, Blanchard N, Gonzalez F, Chan SW, Boothroyd JC, Shastri N, Robey EA. Impact of regulated secretion on antiparasitic CD8 T cell responses. Cell Rep. 2014 Jun 12;7(5):1716-1728. Doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.04.031. PMID: 24857659 | PMC4057976
Park CS, Lee G, Yang SJ, Ahn S, Kim KY, Shin H, Kim MG. Differential lineage specification of thymic epithelial cells from bipotent precursors revealed by TSCOT promoter activities. Genes Immun. 2013 Sep;14(6):401-6. Doi: 10.1038/gene.2013.30. PMID: 23719032
Lee SJ, Yang SJ, Kim DH, Pak JH, Lee KH, Choi KH, Park D, Rhee S. Interaction of microtubules and actin with the N-terminus of βPix-b(L) directs cellular pinocytosis. Mol Cell Biochem. 2011 May;351(1-2):207-15. Doi: 10.1007/s11010-011-0728-2. PMID: 21249427
Lee D, Lee HS, Yang SJ, Jeong H, Kim DY, Lee SD, Oh JW, Park D, Kim MG. PRSS14/Epithin is induced in macrophages by the IFN-γ/JAK/STAT pathway and mediates transendothelial migration. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2011 Feb 25;405(4):644-50. Doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.01.084. PMID: 21295011
Kim C, Lee HS, Lee D, Lee SD, Cho EG, Yang SJ, Kim SB, Park D, Kim MG. Epithin/PRSS14 proteolytically regulates angiopoietin receptor Tie2 during transendothelial migration. Blood. 2011 Jan 27;117(4):1415-24. Doi: 10.1182/blood-2010-03-275289. PMID: 21097670
Ahn S, Lee G, Yang SJ, Lee D, Lee S, Shin HS, Kim MC, Lee KN, Palmer DC, Theoret MR, Jenkinson EJ, Anderson G, Restifo NP, Kim MG. TSCOT+ thymic epithelial cell-mediated sensitive CD4 tolerance by direct presentation. PLoS Biol. 2008 Aug 5;6(8):e191. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060191. PMID: 18684012 | PMC2494558
Yang SJ, Ahn S, Park CS, Holmes KL, Westrup J, Chang CH, Kim MG. The quantitative assessment of MHC II on thymic epithelium: implications in cortical thymocyte development. Int Immunol. 2006 May;18(5):729-39. Doi: 10.1093/intimm/dxl010. PMID: 16569676
Yang SJ, Ahn S, Park CS, Choi S, Kim MG. Identifying subpopulations of thymic epithelial cells by flow cytometry using a new specific thymic epithelial marker, Ly110. J Immunol Methods. 2005 Feb;297(1-2):265-70. Doi: 10.1016/j.jim.2004.12.021. PMID: 15777949
Rhee S, Yang SJ, Lee SJ, Park D. betaPix-b(L), a novel isoform of betaPix, is generated by alternative translation. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2004 May 28;318(2):415-21. Doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.04.039. PMID: 15120616