Dayoung Oh, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile

Biography

Dayoung Oh, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of the Touchstone Diabetes Center.

Originally from South Korea, Dr. Oh holds a doctoral degree in molecular endocrinology. She completed her postdoctoral training at the University of California-San Diego in the laboratory of Jerrold Olefsky, M.D.

Dr. Oh's research has focused on the diverse signaling pathways of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ligand identification for orphan GPCRs using a high throughput system. As a result, she has developed a particular interest in the role of GPCRs in the fields of obesity, inflammation, and type 2 diabetes. Her group has had a sharp focus on the role of the omega-3 fatty acid receptor, GPR120 in macrophage-mediated chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. Her major focus is the molecular mechanism and signal transduction of GPCRs including GPR120 in various metabolic syndromes. She uses various biochemical and physiological approaches, including using GPCR KO animals (global and tissue-specific), molecular biology, nucleic acid/protein biochemistry, and eukaryotic cell-based studies. Her long-term goal is not only to elucidate how GPCRs work in regulating metabolism but also to identify new avenues for developing therapeutics to treat metabolic syndrome.

At UT Southwestern, Dr. Oh teaches in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and has served on qualifying exam committees and the curriculum committee for the Molecular Metabolism and Metabolic Diseases Program.

Education

Graduate School: Chonnam National University (2005), Molecular Biology

Research Interest

Chronic Inflammation
Development of Novel Therapeutic Targets to Treat Metabolic Syndrome
G Protein-Coupled Receptors
Insulin Resistance
Metabolic syndrome
Type 2 Diabetes

Publications

Featured Publications

Characterization of distinct subpopulations of hepatic macrophages in HFD/obese mice.: Morinaga H, Mayoral R, Heinrichsdorff J, Osborn O, Franck N, Hah N, Walenta E, Bandyopadhyay G, Pessentheiner AR, Chi TJ, Chung H, Bogner-Strauss JG, Evans RM, Olefsky JM, Oh DY Diabetes 2015 Apr 64 4 1120-30
LTB4 promotes insulin resistance in obese mice by acting on macrophages, hepatocytes and myocytes.: Li P, Oh DY, Bandyopadhyay G, Lagakos WS, Talukdar S, Osborn O, Johnson A, Chung H, Mayoral R, Maris M, Ofrecio JM, Taguchi S, Lu M, Olefsky JM Nat. Med. 2015 Mar 21 3 239-47
A Gpr120-selective agonist improves insulin resistance and chronic inflammation in obese mice.: Oh DY, Walenta E, Akiyama TE, Lagakos WS, Lackey D, Pessentheiner AR, Sasik R, Hah N, Chi TJ, Cox JM, Powels MA, Di Salvo J, Sinz C, Watkins SM, Armando AM, Chung H, Evans RM, Quehenberger O, McNelis J, Bogner-Strauss JG, Olefsky JM Nat. Med. 2014 Aug 20 8 942-7
Neutrophils mediate insulin resistance in mice fed a high-fat diet through secreted elastase.: Talukdar S, Oh da Y, Bandyopadhyay G, Li D, Xu J, McNelis J, Lu M, Li P, Yan Q, Zhu Y, Ofrecio J, Lin M, Brenner MB, Olefsky JM Nat. Med. 2012 Sep 18 9 1407-12
Increased macrophage migration into adipose tissue in obese mice.: Oh DY, Morinaga H, Talukdar S, Bae EJ, Olefsky JM Diabetes 2012 Feb 61 2 346-54
GPR120 is an omega-3 fatty acid receptor mediating potent anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing effects.: Oh DY, Talukdar S, Bae EJ, Imamura T, Morinaga H, Fan W, Li P, Lu WJ, Watkins SM, Olefsky JM Cell 2010 Sep 142 5 687-98
GPR84-mediated signal transduction effects metabolic function by promoting brown adipocyte activity.: Sun X, An YA, Paschoal VA, De Souza CO, Wang MY, Vishvanath L, Bueno LM, Cobb AS, Nieto Carrion JA, Ibe ME, Li C, Kidd HA, Chen S, Li W, Gupta RK, Oh DY, J Clin Invest 2023 Oct
Hepatic sialic acid synthesis modulates glucose homeostasis in both liver and skeletal muscle.: Peng J, Yu L, Huang L, Paschoal VA, Chu H, de Souza CO, Varre JV, Oh DY, Kohler JJ, Xiao X, Xu L, Holland WL, Shaul PW, Mineo C, Mol Metab 2023 Sep 101812
Adipose tissue macrophages exert systemic metabolic control by manipulating local iron concentrations.: Joffin N, Gliniak CM, Funcke JB, Paschoal VA, Crewe C, Chen S, Gordillo R, Kusminski CM, Oh DY, Geldenhuys WJ, Scherer PE, Nat Metab 2022 Nov 4 11 1474-1494
GPR92 activation in islet macrophages controls ? cell function in a diet-induced obesity model.: de Souza CO, Paschoal VA, Sun XN, Vishvanath L, Zhang Q, Shao M, Onodera T, Chen S, Joffin N, Bueno LM, Gupta RK, Oh DY, J Clin Invest 2022 Sep

Honors & Awards

Young Investigator Award
Women in Endocrinology (2015)
AHA Scientist Development Grant
American Heart Association (2014-2018)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

American Aging Association (2024)
American Diabetes Association (2016)
American Heart Association (2014)
American Physiological Society (2024)
Endocrine Society (2010)
Women in Endocrinology (2014)