Yuanyuan Wu

I studied at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences for my Ph.D. degree from 09/2015 to 06/2021 and started postdoctoral fellow training in Department of Immunology at UConn Health on 07/2022.

My career goal is to become an independent investigator in the immunology field. Although my Ph.D. research is focused on botany (Wu, Life, 2020), I gained great interest in biomedical science during my undergraduate and graduate studies. Before I started my postdoc training, I was a full-time investigator at Shanghai Biotecan Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. in China from 08/2021 to 06/2022. We established prediction models for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) risk based on clinical and laboratory factors, and I published a paper as a co-corresponding author (Li P, Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2022). I started my postdoctoral research work at UConn Health under the supervision of Dr. Zhichao Fan. My primary projects are the mechanism of beta2 integrin activation and clustering in neutrophil adhesion and trafficking and how the signaling pathway alterations contribute to human cardiovascular diseases.

My current study focuses on the roles of kindlin-3 in neutrophil beta2 integrin clustering, which contributes to leukocyte adhesion and cardiovascular inflammation. In my preliminary data using super-resolution stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), I found that kindlin-3 but not talin-1 is required for beta2 integrin clustering on neutrophils during GPCR-triggered integrin inside-out signaling. This challenged the paradigm in the field because peers in the field believed both talin and kindlin are critical for integrin clustering. Besides, we hypothesized that kindlin-3 regulates beta2 integrin clustering through binding to PIP3 lipids or homodimerization. We are carrying on working in kindlin-3 KO mice and human cell lines. this research also has potential to inform new targets for cardiovascular inflammatory disease treatment. We have completed the manuscript based on current results and prepared for submission. I received the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Trainee Abstract Award and was invited to present part of this work at the 2023 AAI annual meeting. I also submitted my proposal to apply for the postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association.

Moreover, I completed a COVID-19 manuscript and submitted it to Clinical Immunology (under review). I also have a collaboration with Luis Franco’s lab at NIH/NIAMS and study the glucocorticoid mechanism on human neutrophil arrest.

1. Wu Y, Wen L, Ley K, Fan Z. Distinct roles of kindlin-3 and talin-1 in neutrophil beta2 integrin clustering. The Journal of Immunology. 210(1_Supplement) (2023) 79.01-79.01. PMCID: N/A.

2. Li P, Liu F, Zhao M, Xu S, Li P, Cao J, Tian D, Tan Y, Zheng L, Cao X, Pan Y, Tang H, Wu Y*, Sun Y*. Prediction models constructed for Hashimoto's thyroiditis risk based on clinical and laboratory factors. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Aug 8;13:886953. PMCID: PMC9393718 (*corresponding authors).

3. Wu Y, Xie J, Wang L, Zheng H. Circumnutation and growth of inflorescence stems of Arabidopsis thaliana in response to microgravity under different photoperiod conditions. Life. 2020 Mar 18;10(3):26. PMCID: PMC7151594.

• Date of Birth: 12/1991
• Gender: Female
• Nationality: China
• Marital Status: Single