Dayoung Oh, Ph.D.

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

Originally from South Korea, Dr. Oh holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Chonnam National University, where she also earned a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in molecular endocrinology. She the completed her postdoctoral training at Korea University in the laboratory of Jae Young Seong, M.D., and then the University of California - San Diego in the laboratory of Jerrold Olefsky, M.D.

She joined the UT Southwestern Faculty in 2016.

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 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.

Her investigations have resulted in numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, and she has presented her findings at scientific conferences throughout the United States and around the world. In addition, she holds five patents in the U.S. and South Korea.

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.

Dr. Oh is active in several professional societies, including the Endocrine Society, the American Heart Association, Women in Endocrinology, and the American Diabetes Association.

Graduate School

Chonnam National University (2005), Molecular Biology

• Chronic Inflammation
• Development of Novel Therapeutic Targets to Treat Type 2 Diabetes
• G Protein-coupled Receptors
• Insulin Resistance
• Type 2 Diabetes

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

Increased adipocyte O2 consumption triggers HIF-1a, causing inflammation and insulin resistance in obesity.

Lee YS, Kim JW, Osborne O, Oh DY, Sasik R, Schenk S, Chen A, Chung H, Murphy A, Watkins SM, Quehenberger O, Johnson RS, Olefsky JM Cell 2014 Jun 157 6 1339-52

NCoR repression of LXRs restricts macrophage biosynthesis of insulin-sensitizing omega 3 fatty acids.

Li P, Spann NJ, Kaikkonen MU, Lu M, Oh DY, Fox JN, Bandyopadhyay G, Talukdar S, Xu J, Lagakos WS, Patsouris D, Armando A, Quehenberger O, Dennis EA, Watkins SM, Auwerx J, Glass CK, Olefsky JM Cell 2013 Sep 155 1 200-14

Adipocyte NCoR knockout decreases PPAR? phosphorylation and enhances PPAR? activity and insulin sensitivity.

Li P, Fan W, Xu J, Lu M, Yamamoto H, Auwerx J, Sears DD, Talukdar S, Oh D, Chen A, Bandyopadhyay G, Scadeng M, Ofrecio JM, Nalbandian S, Olefsky JM Cell 2011 Nov 147 4 815-26

Identification of farnesyl pyrophosphate and N-arachidonylglycine as endogenous ligands for GPR92.

Oh DY, Yoon JM, Moon MJ, Hwang JI, Choe H, Lee JY, Kim JI, Kim S, Rhim H, O'Dell DK, Walker JM, Na HS, Lee MG, Kwon HB, Kim K, Seong JY J. Biol. Chem. 2008 Jul 283 30 21054-64

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

• American Diabetes Association
• American Heart Association
• Endocrine Society
• Women in Endocrinology