Lin Gan, Ph.D.

Lin Gan, Ph.D.

Contact Information

University of Rochester Medical Center
School of Medicine and Dentistry
601 Elmwood Ave, Box 659
Rochester, NY 14642

Office: (585) 273-1510
Lab: (585) 273-1513
Fax: (585) 276-2432

Research Bio

The mammalian retina and inner ear are two of the most common places of genetic diseases that cause blindness and deafness due to the degeneration of retinal and inner ear neurons. In order to understand the disease processes, it is very crucial to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms regulating the normal development and maintenance of these neurons at the molecular level. My research is centered on identifying genes required for neuron differentiation and survival, investigating the genetic pathways involved in these processes, and developing therapies for blindness and deafness via gene therapy and stem cell replacement.

I am currently investigating the roles of three classes of transcription factors (TFs), the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH), POU-homeodomain (POU-HD), and LIM-domain TFs, in the formation and maintenance of mouse retina and inner ear. Using homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells to mutate these TF genes, I have shown that these TFs function in a cascade to regulate the differentiation of neuronal progenitor cells into specific types of neurons and to regulate the maturation and survival of post-differentiation neurons.

Awards & Honors

Research to Prevent Blindness Senior Scientific Investigator Award | Research to Prevent Blindness 2011 - 2011
NIH (RO1 DC008856) Function of LIM-domain Transcriptional Regulators in Inner Ear Development. | NIH/NIDCD 2008 - 2013
NIH RO1 (1R01DC009250), Sensory Organ Formation in the Inner Ear | NIH/NIDCD (Co-PI) 2008 - 2013
NEI (RO1 EY015551), Brn3b Transcription Factors in Retinal Development | NIH/NEI 2004 - 2010
NEI (2 RO1 EY013426), "Function of Math5 in Retinal Development." | NIH/NEI 2001 - 2011
Rosanne H. Silbermann Fellow | Silbermann Foundation 1999 - 2003
CUSBEA (China-United States Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Examination and Administration) Program Scholarship | Ministry of Education | China 1985

Recent Journal Articles

Showing the 5 most recent journal articles. 67 available »

2013 May 6
Jiang Y, Ding Q, Xie X, Libby R, Lefebvre V, Gan L. "Transcription factors SOX4 and SOX11 function redundantly to regulate the development of mouse retinal ganglion cells." The Journal of biological chemistry. 2013 May 6; Epub 2013 May 06.
2013 Feb
Luo XJ, Huang L, Li M, Gan L. "Protein-protein interaction analysis reveals common molecular processes/pathways that contribute to risk of schizophrenia." Schizophrenia research. 2013 Feb 0; 143(2-3):390-2. Epub 2012 Dec 29.
2013
Luo, X., Deng, M., Xie, X., Huang, L., Wang, H., Jiang, L., Liang, G., Hu, F., Tieu, R., Chen, R., and Gan, L. "GATA3 controls the specification of prosensory domain and neuronal survival in the mouse cochlea." Hum. Mol. Genet.. 2013; (in press).
2012 Aug
Harder JM, Ding Q, Fernandes KA, Cherry JD, Gan L, Libby RT. "BCL2L1 (BCL-X) promotes survival of adult and developing retinal ganglion cells." Molecular and cellular neurosciences. 2012 Aug 0; 51(1-2):53-9. Epub 2012 Jul 24.
2012 Jul 12
Wu H, Lu Y, Shen C, Patel N, Gan L, Xiong WC, Mei L. "Distinct roles of muscle and motoneuron LRP4 in neuromuscular junction formation." Neuron. 2012 Jul 12; 75(1):94-107.

Current Appointments

Dean's Professorship - Department of Ophthalmology (SMD)
Professor - Department of Ophthalmology (SMD) - Primary
Professor - Department of Center for Visual Science A&S (RC)
Professor - Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy (SMD)

Education

PhD | Biochemistry, All Other | U Tex-Houstn Grad Sch Biomd Sc1992
BS | Biochemistry, All Other | China - Non-Medical School1985

Post-Doctoral Training & Residency

Postdoctoral Fellow (with William Klein, Ph.D.), Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Univ. of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 1994