Education
1991-1994
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Harvard University
Advisor: Dr. Douglas A. Melton
1985-1991
Ph. D. in Neuroscience
University of California, San Francisco
Advisors: Drs. Lily Y. and Yuh-Nung Jan
1983-1985
Graduate Student in Neuropharmacology
Department of Neurobiology
Shanghai Medical University
Advisor: Dr. A. Z. Zhang
1978-1983
Medical Student
Jiangxi Medical College
Professional Experience
Elsa Swanson Professor of Neurology, Northwestern Univ Sch Med 2006-2007
Director of Research, Feinberg Clinical Neuroscience Research Institute 2006-2007
Professor of Neurology Northwestern Univ Feinberg Sch Med 2004-2006
Deputy Director, Institute of Neuroscience, Northwestern University 2004-2006
Chicago, IL, USA
Assistant, Associate, Professor of Neurobiology 1994-2004
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO, USA
Adjunct Appointments
Adjunct Professor 2022-
Department of Chemical Biology
School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering
Peking University
Adjunct Professor 2021-
School of Pharmacy
Peking University Health Sciences Center
Senior Investigator and Deputy Director for Academic Affairs, 2004-2009
National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing
Adjunct Professor of Neurology, Northwestern Univ Sch Med 2007-2012
Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry, Hong Kong Univ Sci & Tech 2008-2011
Co-Director 2002-2005
Shanghai Institute of Advanced Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Editorial Activities
Editorial Board, Genetics 2020-
Editorial Board, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 2018-
Editorial Board, Neuroscience 2017-
Editorial Board, Developmental Neurobiology 2016-2017
Reviews Editor, Frontier in Neural Circuits 2008-
Editorial Board, Developmental Biology 2006-2021
Editorial Board, Developmental Brain Research 2002-2005
Editorial Board, Journal of Neuroscience 2001-2006
Editorial Board, NeuroSignals 2001-2008
Editorial Board, Faculty of 1000 2001-2006
Editorial Board, Neuroscience Research 2000-2006
Teaching
2008 to the present:
Concepts and Approaches in Biology , Course-master, Spring for Biology Undergraduate Students, Fall for Biology Graduate Students and Non-Biology Undergraduate Students
Past Teaching Responsibilities
Lecturer Neural Development Washington University 1995, 1996
Co-coursemaster Neural Development Washington University 1997-1999
Co-coursemaster Molekoolz Washington University 1996, 1997, 1999
Lecturer Developmental Biology Washington University 1997
Lecturer Cellular Neurobiology Washington University 1999-2004
Coursemaster Mol. Dev. Neurobiol. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) 1997
Coursemaster Mol. Cell Biol. Chinese Academy of Sciences 2000-2002
Lecturer Mol. Cell Biol. CAS and Tsinghua University 2003
Lecturer Developmental Genetics Peking University 1998
Lecturer Mol. Cell. Neurobiol. Hong Kong Univ. Sci. Tech. 2002, 2003, 2004
Lecturer Neurobiology Institute of Neuroscience, CAS 2002-2003
Coursemaster Dev Neurobiology Northwestern University 2005
1）New Neurotransmitters
It is generally assumed that most of small molecule neurotransmitters have been discovered by the 1970, and most neuropeptides by the 1980s. However, small molecule transmitters were usually assayed by their effects on peripheral tissues. It was possible that some transmitters act only on central but not peripheral target. Since 2011, the Rao lab has been using the biochemical and chemical biological approaches to search for new transmitters in the brain.
2）New Endogenous Ligands for GPCRs and Their Functions.
G protein -coupled receptors are the largest family of transmembrane receptors and account for the targets of more than 30% of currently approved prescription drugs. The endogenous ligands for a fraction of GPCRs are unknown. The Ra lab search for endogenous ligands of GPCRs, study their roles in physiological and pathological processes, and based on these, design drugs and therapeutic strategies.
3）Protein Kinases in Physiology and Pathogenesis.
Protein kinases are important molecules in signal transduction and biological regulation. They are also among the top 5 targets of currently approved drugs. The Rao takes the biochemical approach to discover kinases upstream of important proteins, study their function and use the regulator relationships to design new drugs.
4）Molecular Mechanisms of Important Physiological Processes.
The Rao lab takes genetic, molecular biological and biochemical approaches to uncover new genes and other new molecules, study their functional roles in important physiological processes.
5）Molecular Pathogenesis and Molecular Therapeutics of Important Diseases.
The Rao lab, by discovering new molecules and new functions of known molecules, assisted by artificial intelligence, try to understand molecular mechanisms of important diseases, and use knowledge thus gained, and aided by artificial intelligence, design drugs for treatment.
The Rao lab invents new technologies and tools, explores new methods for treating diseases.
1) Rao Y, Jan LY, and Jan YN (1990). Similarity of the product of the Drosophila neurogenic gene big brain to transmembrane channel proteins. Nature 345:163-167.
2) Li HS, Tierney C, Wen L, Wu JY and Rao Y (1997). A single morphogenetic field gives rise to two retina primordia under the influence of the prechordal mesoderm. Development 124:603-615.
3) Li HS, Chen JH, Wu W, Fagaly T, Yuan WL, Zhou L, Dupuis S, Jiang Z, Nash W, Gick C, Ornitz D, Wu JY and Rao Y (1999). Vertebrate Slit, a secreted ligand for the transmembrane protein Roundabout, is a repellent for olfactory bulb axons. Cell 96:807-818.
4) Wu W, Wong K, Chen JH, Jiang ZH, Dupuis S, Wu JY and Rao Y (1999). Directional guidance of neuronal migration in the olfactory system by the secreted protein Slit. Nature 400:331-336.
5) Zhu Y, Li HS, Zhou L, Wu JY and Rao Y (1999). Cellular and molecular guidance of GABAergic neuronal migration from an extra-cortical origin to the neocortex. Neuron 23: 473-485.
6) Wu JY, Feng L, Park H-T, Havlioglu N, Wen L, Tang H, Bacon KB, Jiang Z, Zhang X-C and Rao Y (2001). The neuronal repellent Slit inhibits leukocyte chemotaxis induced by chemotactic factors. Nature 410:948-952.
7) Wong K, Ren X-R, Huang Y-Z, Xie Y, Liu G, Saito H, Tang H, Wen L, Brady-Kalnay SM, Mei L, Wu JY, Xiong W-C and Rao Y (2001). Signal transduction in neuronal migration: roles of GTPase activating proteins and the small GTPase Cdc42 in the Slit-Robo pathway. Cell 107:209-221.
8) Zhu Y, Yu T, Zhang X-C, Nagasawa T, Wu JY and Rao Y (2002). Role of the chemokine SDF-1 as the meningeal attractant for embryonic cerebellar neurons. Nat Neurosci. 5:719-720.
9) Ward M, McCann C, DeWulf M, Wu JY and Rao Y (2003). Distinguishing between directional guidance and motility regulation in neuronal migration. J Neurosci 23:5170-5177.
10) Ward ME, Wu JY and Rao Y (2004). Visualization of spatially and temporally regulated N-WASP activity during cytoskeletal reorganization in living cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci 101:970-974.
11) Liu G, Beggs H, Jürgensen C, Park HT, Tang H, Gorski J, Jones KR, Reichardt LF, Wu JY and Rao Y (2004). Netrin requires the focal adhesion kinase and the Src family kinases to induce axon outgrowth and to attract axons. Nat Neurosci 7:1222-1232.
12) Jiang H, Guo W, Liang XH and Y Rao (2005). Both the establishment and the maintenance of neuronal polarity require active mechanisms: critical roles of GSK-3beta and its upstream regulators. Cell 120:123-135.
13) Li X, Gao X, Liu G, Xiong W, Wu J and Rao Y (2008). Netrin signal transduction and the guanine nucleotide exchange factor DOCK180 in attractive signaling. Nat Neurosci 11:28-35.
14) Zhou C, Rao Y and Rao Y (2008). A subset of octopaminergic neurons are important for Drosophila aggression. Nat Neurosci 11:1059-1067.
15) Liu Y, Jiang Y, Si Y, Kim J-Y, Chen Z-F and Rao Y (2011). Molecular regulation of sexual preference revealed by genetic studies of 5-HT in the brain of male mice. Nature 472:95-99.
16) Liu WW, Liang XH, Li YN, Gong JX, Yang Z, Zhang YH, Zhang JX and Rao Y (2011). Social regulation of aggression mediated by pheromonal activation of Or65a olfactory receptor neurons in Drosophila. Nat Neurosci 7:896-902.
17) Zhang SS, Liu Y and Rao Y (2013). Serotonin signaling in the brain of adult female mice is required for sexual preference. Proc Natl Acad Sci 110:9968-9973.
18) Qian YJ, Cao Y, Deng BW, Yang G, Li J, Xu R, Zhang D, Huang J and Rao Y (2017). Sleep homeostasis regulated by 5HT2b receptor in a small subset of neurons in the dorsal fan-shaped body of Drosophila. eLife 6:e26519.
19) Chen BQ, Zhu ZJ, Na R, Fang W, Zhou SB, Zhou Q, Lei H, Huang AL, Chen TM, Ni DS, Gu YP, Liu JN, Fang F and Rao Y (2018). Genomic analysis of visual cognition: perceptual switching and top-down control. J Neurosci 38:9668-9678.
20) Deng BW, Li Q, Liu XX, Cao Y, Li BF, Qian YJ, Xu R, Mao RB, Zhou EX, Zhang WX, Huang J and Rao Y (2019) Chemoconnectomics: mapping chemical transmission in Drosophila. Neuron 101:876-893.
21) Dai XHM, Zhou EX, Yang W, WX Zhang and Rao Y (2019) D-Serine promotes sleep through the NMDA receptor in Drosophila melanogaster. Nat Comm 10:1986.
22) Liu ZY, Jiang LF, Li CY, Li CG, Yang JQ, Yu JJ, Mao RB and Rao Y (2022). LKB1 is physiologically required for sleep from Drosophila melanogaster to Mus musculus. Genetics 221: iyac082.
23) Bian XL, Zhu JM, XB, Liang WJ, Yu SH and Rao Y (2022). Suggestion of creatine as a new neurotransmitter by approaches ranging from chemical analysis and biochemistry to electrophysiology. bioRxiv 2022.12.22.521565 (eLife 12:RP89317).
24) Liu Y, Shan L, Liu T, Li J, Chen YC, Sun CH, Yang CJ, Bian XL, Niu YY, Zhang C, Xi JZ and Rao Y (2023) Molecular and cellular mechanisms of the first social relationship: a conserved role of 5-HT from mice to monkeys, upstream of oxytocin. Neuron 111:1468-1685.
25) Jia X, Zhu J, Bian X, Liu S, Yu S, Liang W, Jiang L, Mao R and Rao Y (2023) Importance of glutamine in synaptic vesicles revealed by functional studies of SLC6A17 and its mutations pathogenic for intellectual disability. eLife 12:RP86972 (bioRxiv 2022.10.25.513688).
26) Li Y, Li CG, Liu YX, Yu JJ, Yang JQ, Cui YF, Wang TV, Li CY, Jiang LF, Song ML and Rao Y (2023). Sleep need, the key regulator of sleep homeostasis, is both indicated and controlled by phosphorylation of threonine 221 in salt inducible kinase 3. Genetics 224:iyad136 (bioRxiv 2021.11.06.467421).
27) Zi ZT and Rao Y (2024). Discoveries of GPR39 as an evolutionarily conserved receptor for bile acids and of its involvement in biliary acute pancreatitis. Sci Adv 10:eadj0146.
28) Sun Y, Men W, Fang W, Zhou E, Yang W, Li Z, Zheng H-F and Rao Y (2024). Human genetics of face recognition: discocovery of MCTP2 mutations in humans with face blindness (congenital prosopagnosia). Genetics 227:iyae047 (medRxiv 2021.09.27.21263237).
29) Yu J, Wang TV, Gao R, Li CG, Liu HJ, Yang L, Liu YX, Cui YF, Chen RP and Rao Y (2025). Calcineurin: an essential regulator of sleep revealed by biochemical, chemical biological, and genetic approaches.Cell Chem Biol 32:1-17 (bioRxiv 2023.06.19.545643).
30) Liu YX, Li Y, Yu TH, Wang TV, Cui YF, Zhu C, Jia XB, Li CG, Shen YX, Wang Z, Liu SC, Huang J and Rao Y (2026). Discovery of MARK2 as a physiological kinase for PER2 in the mammalian clock. Cell Chem Biol 33:379-395.
