Author
Yanbin Yu
Bio: Yanbin Yu is an academic researcher from Amgen. The author has contributed to research in topics: Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor & GDNF family of ligands. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 5 publications receiving 1625 citations.
Papers
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TL;DR: In this paper, the expression cloning and characterization of GDNFR-α, a novel glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked cell surface receptor for glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), was reported.
1,164 citations
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TL;DR: The receptor for glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) consists of GFRα-1 and Ret, and it is reported that neurturin can bind to either GFR α-1 or G FRα-2, a novel receptor related to GFRβ, suggesting that GFRs mediate the action of GDNF family ligands in vivo.
252 citations
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TL;DR: There are multiple mechanisms regulating the interaction between Ret and the α-receptors that mediates the effects of GDNF family trophic factors on the survival and differentiation of cells and on neuron–target interactions in the nervous system.
Abstract: Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and a related factor, neurturin, promote survival of diverse groups of neurons. Both GDNF and neurturin signal via a two-component receptor complex that consists of a ligand-binding GDNF family receptor (GFRalpha-1 or GFRalpha-2) and the receptor protein tyrosine kinase Ret. Recently, a third receptor related to GFRalpha-1 and GFRalpha-2 has also been isolated and designated GFRalpha-3. Although much is known about the interaction among GDNF family factors, Ret, and the alpha-receptors in vitro, it remains unclear about their interactions in vivo. We show here by in situ hybridization that Ret and the alpha-receptors may be colocalized in the same tissues or expressed separately in projecting and target tissues, respectively, indicating that two distinct modes of interaction between Ret and the alpha-receptors exist in vivo. First, Ret may interact with the alpha-receptors expressed in the same cells (termed interaction "in cis") in many tissues and cell populations that respond to GDNF and/or neurturin, such as the substantia nigra, dorsal root ganglia, spinal cord motoneurons, kidney, and intestine. Second, Ret may interact with the alpha-receptors localized in the target neurons (termed interaction "in trans"). In addition, we present evidence in vitro that GFRalpha-1 mediates Ret activation by GDNF in trans. These observations suggest that there are multiple mechanisms regulating the interaction between Ret and the alpha-receptors that mediates the effects of GDNF family trophic factors on the survival and differentiation of cells and on neuron-target interactions in the nervous system.
198 citations
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TL;DR: The generation and characterization of two distinct monoclonal antibodies, G‐90 and B‐1531, specific to glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and the data suggest that the NH2 terminus of GDNF is not critical for activity.
Abstract: Here we report the generation and characterization of two distinct monoclonal antibodies, G-90 and B-1531, specific to glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). ELISA results confirmed that G-90 and B-1531 both recognize GDNF. Western blots showed that G-90 recognized only the GDNF dimer, whereas B-1531 recognized both the monomer and dimer. Peptide competition ELISA (PCE) and BIAcore data suggested that G-90 and B-1531 recognize different epitopes: PCE confirmed that B-1531 binds to NH2-terminal peptides between amino acids 18 and 37, whereas G-90 does not; BIAcore data showed that B-1531 binds to the NH2 terminus of GDNF, whereas G-90 does not. G-90, in a concentration-dependent manner, completely neutralized the GDNF-induced increases of choline acetyltransferase in cultured motoneuron and of dopamine uptake and morphological differentiation in dopaminergic neuron cultures. B-1531 had no neutralizing effects. GDNF-induced Ret autophosphorylation in NGR-38 cells was completely neutralized by G-90, whereas B-1531 had a moderate effect. These data show that G-90 and B-1531 are specific antibodies to GDNF. The data also suggest that the NH2 terminus of GDNF is not critical for activity. Partial inhibition of Ret phosphorylation is insufficient to downregulate GDNF-induced biological activity.
18 citations
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TL;DR: This work has established a novel and non-radioactive bioassay system using branched DNA (bDNA) technology for detecting protein-therapeutic neutralizing antibodies in patient serum that measures the variations of target gene expression that reflect the biologic effect of the therapeutic agent and the capability of the antibodies, if present, to neutralize the therapeutics.
9 citations
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TL;DR: A global account of mechanisms involved in the induction of pain is provided, including neuronal pathways for the transmission of nociceptive information from peripheral nerve terminals to the dorsal horn, and therefrom to higher centres.
1,752 citations
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TL;DR: This paper reviews recent progress in the study of the interleukin-6 family of cytokines and gp130 and describes how the dimerization of gp130 leads to activation of associated cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases and subsequent modification of transcription factors.
Abstract: Receptors for most interleukins and cytokines that regulate immune and hematopoietic systems belong to the class I cytokine receptor family. These molecules form multichain receptor complexes in order to exhibit high-affinity binding to, and mediate biological functions of, their respective cytokines. In most cases, these functional receptor complexes share common signal transducing receptor components that are also in the class I cytokine receptor family, i.e. gp130, common beta, and common gamma molecules. Interleukin-6 and related cytokines, interleukin-11, leukemia inhibitory factor, oncostatin M, ciliary neurotrophic factor, and cardiotrophin-1 are all pleiotropic and exhibit overlapping biological functions. Functional receptor complexes for this interleukin-6 family of cytokines share gp130 as a component critical for signal transduction. Unlike cytokines sharing common beta and common gamma chains that mainly function in hematopoietic and lymphoid cell systems, the interleukin-6 family of cytokines function extensively outside these systems as well, e.g. from the cardiovascular to the nervous system, owing to ubiquitously expressed gp130. Stimulation of cells with the interleukin-6 family of cytokines triggers homo- or hetero-dimerization of gp130. Although gp130 and its dimer partners possess no intrinsic tyrosine kinase domain, the dimerization of gp130 leads to activation of associated cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases and subsequent modification of transcription factors. This paper reviews recent progress in the study of the interleukin-6 family of cytokines and gp130.
1,514 citations
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TL;DR: Isolated HSCR appears to be a non-Mendelian malformation with low, sex-dependent penetrance, and variable expression according to the length of the aganglionic segment, which stands as a model for genetic disorders with complex patterns of inheritance.
Abstract: Hirschsprung disease (HSCR, aganglionic megacolon) represents the main genetic cause of functional intestinal obstruction with an incidence of 1/5000 live births. This developmental disorder is a neurocristopathy and is characterised by the absence of the enteric ganglia along a variable length of the intestine. In the last decades, the development of surgical approaches has importantly decreased mortality and morbidity which allowed the emergence of familial cases. Isolated HSCR appears to be a non-Mendelian malformation with low, sex-dependent penetrance, and variable expression according to the length of the aganglionic segment. While all Mendelian modes of inheritance have been described in syndromic HSCR, isolated HSCR stands as a model for genetic disorders with complex patterns of inheritance. The tyrosine kinase receptor RET is the major gene with both rare coding sequence mutations and/or a frequent variant located in an enhancer element predisposing to the disease. Hitherto, 10 genes and five loci have been found to be involved in HSCR development.
1,109 citations
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TL;DR: A revised interpretation of human corneal nerve architecture is presented based on recent observations obtained by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), immunohistochemistry, and ultrastructural analyses of serial-sectionedhuman corneas.
1,010 citations
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TL;DR: It is shown that Wnt9b is expressed in the inductive epithelia and is essential for the development of mesonephric and metanephric tubules and caudal extension of the Müllerian duct, and this data implicate canonical Wnt signaling as one of the major pathways in the organization of the mammalian urogenital system.
807 citations