Affiliations
Associate Member, Monell Chemical Senses Center
Education
Ph.D., Molecular Biology; Yale University
Research Summary
Chemosensory disorders substantially impact the quality of life. Impairment of taste and smell contributes to malnutrition, cachexia, and depression in affected patients. Chemosensory loss, particularly olfactory loss, is an early symptom of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. The mechanisms of chemosensory disorders remain largely unknown and there is a lack of specific and effective treatment for these disorders. The primary focus of our laboratory is to identify molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying chemosensory disorders. Our recent research also investigates how damaged chemosensory structures regenerate. Moreover, our lab is actively pursuing the bidirectional interactions between chemosensory signaling and immune regulation in oral and extra-oral tissues.
Keywords
neuroimmunology, inflammation, taste and smell disorders, aging, taste progenitor and stem cells, regeneration
Representative Publications
Feng, S.; Achoute, L.; Margolskee, R.F.; Jiang, P.; Wang, H. (2020) Lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory cytokine expression in taste organoids. Chemical Senses 45: 187-194.
Du, Y.; Liu, Q.; Luo, X.; Zhao, D.; Xue, J.; Feng, P.; Margolskee, R.F.; Wang, H.; Huang, L. (2018) Effect of taste signaling protein abolishment on gut inflammation in an inflammatory bowel disease model. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 141. doi: 10.3791/58668.
Feng, P.; Chai, J.; Yi, H.; Redding, K.; Margolskee, R.F.; Huang, L.; Wang, H. (2018) Aggravated gut inflammation in mice lacking the taste signaling protein α-gustducin. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 71, 23-27.
Li, X.; Huang, L.; Wang, N.; Yi. H.; Wang, H. (2018) Sulfur dioxide exposure enhances Th2 inflammatory responses via activating STAT6 pathway in asthmatic mice. Toxicology Letters, 285, 43-50.
Wang, H.; Jaen, C.; Yoshikawa, K.; Haneoka, J.; Saito, N.; Nakamura, J.; Adappa, N.D.; Cohen, N.A.; Dalton, P. (2018) Cytokine profile in human olfactory cleft mucus and associated changes in olfactory function. bioRxiv 332395 [Preprint]. Posted May 28, 2018. Available from doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/332395.
Yoshikawa, K.; Wang, H.; Jaen, C.; Haneoka, M.; Saito, N.; Nakamura, J.; Adappa, N.D.; Cohen, N.A.; Dalton, P. (2018) The human olfactory cleft mucus proteome and its age-related changes. Scientific Reports, 8, 17170.
Feng, P.; Jotaki, M.; Kim, A.; Chai, J.; Simon, N.; Zhou, M.; Bachmanov, A.; Huang, L.; Wang, H. (2015) Regulation of bitter taste responses by tumor necrosis factor. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 49: 32-421.
Feng, P.; Chai, J.; Zhou, M.; Simon, N.; Huang, L.; Wang, H. (2014) Interleukin-10 is produced by a specific subset of taste receptor cells and critical for maintaining structural integrity of mouse taste buds. Journal of Neuroscience. 34: 2689-2701.
