Helen Yin, Ph.D.

Dr. Yin’s research at UT Southwestern involves the study of the actin cytoskeleton which serves many essential functions. Actin polymerization drives membrane movements, and actin filaments assemble into a scaffold that supports the cells’ motors and signaling machinery. The scaffold is continually remodeled in proliferating cells, and is completely dismantled in apoptotic cells.

Dr. Yin is studying how phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate (PIP2), a membrane lipid, regulates the actin scaffold in proliferating and apoptotic cells. She focuses on the lipid kinases that synthesize PIP2 and the regulatory proteins that respond to PIP2. Her lab is currently pursuing the following projects:

• PIP2 regulates the actin cytoskeleton,vesicle transport, intracellular calcium signaling and apoptosis
• PI4P regulation of Golgi trafficking
• Effect of burn injury on PIP2 and PI4P homeostasis

Undergraduate	Mount Holyoke College (1970)
Graduate School	Harvard University (1976)

• Differential targeting of type II phosphatidylinositol 4 kinase alpha and beta to the Golgi and the plasma membrane
• Phosphoinositide regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and apoptosis
• Phosphoinositide regulation of the Golgi
• Role of the extracellular actin scavenging system and hypertonic resuscitation in protection against burn and oxidant injuries.

Featured Publications

Phosphatidylinositol 4 phosphate regulates targeting of clathrin adaptor AP-1 complexes to the Golgi

Wang YJ, Wang J, Sun HQ, Martinez M, Sun YX, Macia E, Kirchhausen T, Albanesi JP, Roth MG, Yin HL Cell August 2003 114(3) 299-310

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate induces actin-based movement of raft-enriched vesicles through WASP-Arp2/3

Rozelle AL, Machesky LM, Yamamoto M, Driessens MH, Insall RH, Roth MG, Luby-Phelps K, Marriott G, Hall A, Yin HL Curr Biol March 2000 10(6) 311-20

Actin filament disassembly is a sufficient final trigger for exocytosis in nonexcitable cells

Muallem S, Kwiatkowska K, Xu X, Yin HL J Cell Biol February 1995 128(4) 589-98

gCap39, a calcium ion- and polyphosphoinositide-regulated actin capping protein

Yu FX, Johnston PA, Sudhof TC, Yin HL Science December 1990 250(4986) 1413-5

Control of cytoplasmic actin gel-sol transformation by gelsolin, a calcium-dependent regulatory protein

Yin HL, Stossel TP Nature October 1979 281(5732) 583-6

Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase IIa Is Palmitoylated by Golgi-localized Palmitoyltransferases in Cholesterol-dependent Manner.

Lu D, Sun HQ, Wang H, Barylko B, Fukata Y, Fukata M, Albanesi JP, Yin HL J. Biol. Chem. 2012 Jun 287 26 21856-65

Phosphatidylinositol 4, 5 bisphosphate and the actin cytoskeleton.

Zhang L, Mao YS, Janmey PA, Yin HL Subcell. Biochem. 2012 59 177-215

Oxidative stress decreases phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate levels by deactivating phosphatidylinositol- 4-phosphate 5-kinase beta in a Syk-dependent manner.

Chen MZ, Zhu X, Sun HQ, Mao YS, Wei Y, Yamamoto M, Yin HL J. Biol. Chem. 2009 Aug 284 35 23743-53

Palmitoylation Controls the Catalytic Activity and Subcellular Distribution of Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase IIalpha

Barylko B, Mao YS, Wlodarski P, Jung G, Binns DD, Sun HQ, Yin HL, Albanesi JP J Biol Chem February 2009 [Epub ahead of print]

Essential and unique roles of PIP5K-gamma and -alpha in Fcgamma receptor-mediated phagocytosis

Mao YS, Yamaga M, Zhu X, Wei Y, Sun HQ, Wang J, Yun M, Wang Y, Di Paolo G, Bennett M, Mellman I, Abrams CS, De Camilli P, Lu CY, Yin HL J Cell Biol January 2009 184(2) 281-96

• 2000 - 2004
  Editorial Board, Journal of Biological Chemistry (0)
• 2006
  Peter and Jean D. Dehlinger Professorship in Biomedical Sciences (0)
• 2006 - 2007
  Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program, Drexel College of Medicine (0)

• 2008-Present: Director, HHMI Med Grad Mech of Disease & Transl. Sci. Track, Southwestern Graduate School (2008)