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Research Overview

  1. Autism and neurodevelopmental genetics: The Yu lab conducts genome-wide and world-wide searches to find the genes that are responsible for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other neurodevelopmental conditions. We have had a particular emphasis on biallelic/recessive mutations (i.e., impacting both copies of a gene) in ASD, and have uncovered a striking enrichment of biallelic gene disruptions in affected individuals, especially in girls. 
  2. Rare diseases and translational genomic medicine: We are passionate about finding ways to bring genomic tools to the bedside to help care for patients with genetic disorders. These projects range from the deployment of genome sequencing in the neonatal intensive care unit to the design and delivery of genome-guided therapeutics for sick children.

Research Background

Dr. Yu completed his undergraduate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology at Harvard College, his M.D. and Ph.D. degree (in Neuroscience) from the University of California at San Francisco, clinical neurology training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a fellowship in neurodevelopmental genetics at MGH and Boston Children’s Hospital. He joined the faculty in the Division of Genetics and Genomics as Instructor in 2010 and Assistant Professor in 2013.

Selected Publications

  1. Jamuar SS, Schmitz-Abe K, D'Gama AM, Drottar M, Chan WM, Peeva M, Servattalab S, Lam AN, Delgado MR, Clegg NJ, Zayed ZA, Dogar MA, Alorainy IA, Jamea AA, Abu-Amero K, Griebel M, Ward W, Lein ES, Markianos K, Barkovich AJ, Robson CD, Grant PE, Bosley TM, Engle EC, Walsh CA, Yu TW. Biallelic mutations in human DCC cause developmental split-brain syndrome. Nat Genet. 2017 Feb 27; PubMed PMID: 28250456.

  2. Berg JS, Agrawal PB, Bailey DB Jr, Beggs AH, Brenner SE, Brower AM, Cakici JA, Ceyhan-Birsoy O, Chan K, Chen F, Currier RJ, Dukhovny D, Green RC, Harris-Wai J, Holm IA, Iglesias B, Joseph G, Kingsmore SF, Koenig BA, Kwok PY, Lantos J, Leeder SJ, Lewis MA, McGuire AL, Milko LV, Mooney SD, Parad RB, Pereira S, Petrikin J, Powell BC, Powell CM, Puck JM, Rehm HL, Risch N, Roche M, Shieh JT, Veeraraghavan N, Watson MS, Willig L, Yu TW, Urv T, Wise AL. Newborn Sequencing in Genomic Medicine and Public Health. Pediatrics. 2017 Feb;139(2)PubMed PMID: 28096516; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5260149.

  3. Jayaraman D, Kodani A, Gonzalez DM, Mancias JD, Mochida GH, Vagnoni C, Johnson J, Krogan N, Harper JW, Reiter JF, Yu TW, Bae BI, Walsh CA. Microcephaly Proteins Wdr62 and Aspm Define a Mother Centriole Complex Regulating Centriole Biogenesis, Apical Complex, and Cell Fate. Neuron. 2016 Nov 23;92(4):813-828. PubMed PMID: 27974163; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5199216.

  4. Jamuar SS, Lam AT, Kircher M, D'Gama AM, Wang J, Barry BJ, Zhang X, Hill RS, Partlow JN, Rozzo A, Servattalab S, Mehta BK, Topcu M, Amrom D, Andermann E, Dan B, Parrini E, Guerrini R, Scheffer IE, Berkovic SF, Leventer RJ, Shen Y, Wu BL, Barkovich AJ, Sahin M, Chang BS, Bamshad M, Nickerson DA, Shendure J, Poduri A, Yu TW, Walsh CA. Somatic mutations in cerebral cortical malformations. N Engl J Med. 2014 Aug 21;371(8):733-43. PubMed PMID: 25140959; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4274952.

  5. De Rubeis S, He X, Goldberg AP, Poultney CS, Samocha K, Cicek AE, Kou Y, Liu L, Fromer M, Walker S, Singh T, Klei L, Kosmicki J, Shih-Chen F, Aleksic B, Biscaldi M, Bolton PF, Brownfeld JM, Cai J, Campbell NG, Carracedo A, Chahrour MH, Chiocchetti AG, Coon H, Crawford EL, Curran SR, Dawson G, Duketis E, Fernandez BA, Gallagher L, Geller E, Guter SJ, Hill RS, Ionita-Laza J, Jimenz Gonzalez P, Kilpinen H, Klauck SM, Kolevzon A, Lee I, Lei I, Lei J, Lehtimäki T, Lin CF, Ma'ayan A, Marshall CR, McInnes AL, Neale B, Owen MJ, Ozaki N, Parellada M, Parr JR, Purcell S, Puura K, Rajagopalan D, Rehnström K, Reichenberg A, Sabo A, Sachse M, Sanders SJ, Schafer C, Schulte-Rüther M, Skuse D, Stevens C, Szatmari P, Tammimies K, Valladares O, Voran A, Li-San W, Weiss LA, Willsey AJ, Yu TW, Yuen RK, Cook EH, Freitag CM, Gill M, Hultman CM, Lehner T, Palotie A, Schellenberg GD, Sklar P, State MW, Sutcliffe JS, Walsh CA, Scherer SW, Zwick ME, Barett JC, Cutler DJ, Roeder K, Devlin B, Daly MJ, Buxbaum JD. Synaptic, transcriptional and chromatin genes disrupted in autism. Nature. 2014 Nov 13;515(7526):209-15. PubMed PMID: 25363760; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4402723.

  6. Yu TW, Berry-Kravis E. Autism and fragile X syndrome. Semin Neurol. 2014 Jul;34(3):258-65. PubMed PMID: 25192504.

  7. Yu TW, Chahrour MH, Coulter ME, Jiralerspong S, Okamura-Ikeda K, Ataman B, Schmitz-Abe K, Harmin DA, Adli M, Malik AN, D'Gama AM, Lim ET, Sanders SJ, Mochida GH, Partlow JN, Sunu CM, Felie JM, Rodriguez J, Nasir RH, Ware J, Joseph RM, Hill RS, Kwan BY, Al-Saffar M, Mukaddes NM, Hashmi A, Balkhy S, Gascon GG, Hisama FM, LeClair E, Poduri A, Oner O, Al-Saad S, Al-Awadi SA, Bastaki L, Ben-Omran T, Teebi AS, Al-Gazali L, Eapen V, Stevens CR, Rappaport L, Gabriel SB, Markianos K, State MW, Greenberg ME, Taniguchi H, Braverman NE, Morrow EM, Walsh CA. Using whole-exome sequencing to identify inherited causes of autism. Neuron. 2013 Jan 23;77(2):259-73. PubMed PMID: 23352163; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3694430.

  8. Chahrour MH, Yu TW, Lim ET, Ataman B, Coulter ME, Hill RS, Stevens CR, Schubert CR; ARRA Autism Sequencing Collaboration, Greenberg ME, Gabriel SB, Walsh CA. Whole-exome sequencing and homozygosity analysis implicate depolarization-regulated neuronal genes in autism. PLoS Genet. 2012;8(4):e1002635.

  9. Yu TW, Mochida GH, Tischfield DJ, Sgaier SK, Flores-Sarnat L, Sergi CM, Topçu M, McDonald MT, Barry BJ, Felie JM, Sunu C, Dobyns WB, Folkerth RD, Barkovich AJ, Walsh CA. Mutations in WDR62, encoding a centrosome-associated protein, cause microcephaly with simplified gyri and abnormal cortical architecture. Nat Genet. 2010 Nov;42(11):1015-2

  10. Chang C, Yu TW, Bargmann CI, Tessier-Lavigne M. Inhibition of netrin-mediated axon attraction by a receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase. Science. 2004 Jul 2;305(5680):103-6. PubMed PMID: 15232111.

  11. Gitai Z, Yu TW, Lundquist EA, Tessier-Lavigne M, Bargmann CI. The netrin receptor UNC-40/DCC stimulates axon attraction and outgrowth through enabled and, in parallel, Rac and UNC-115/AbLIM. Neuron. 2003 Jan 9;37(1):53-65. PubMed PMID:  12526772.

  12. Yu TW, Hao JC, Lim W, Tessier-Lavigne M, Bargmann CI. Shared receptors in axon guidance: SAX-3/Robo signals via UNC-34/Enabled and a Netrin-independent UNC-40/DCC function. Nat Neurosci. 2002 Nov;5(11):1147-54. PubMed PMID: 12379860.

  13. Hao JC, Yu TW, Fujisawa K, Culotti JG, Gengyo-Ando K, Mitani S, Moulder G, Barstead R, Tessier-Lavigne M, Bargmann CI. C. elegans slit acts in midline, dorsal-ventral, and anterior-posterior guidance via the SAX-3/Robo receptor. Neuron. 2001 Oct 11;32(1):25-38. PubMed PMID: 11604136.

  14. Parent JM, Yu TW, Leibowitz RT, Geschwind DH, Sloviter RS, Lowenstein DH. Dentate granule cell neurogenesis is increased by seizures and contributes to aberrant network reorganization in the adult rat hippocampus. J Neurosci. 1997 May 15;17(10):3727-38. PubMed PMID: 9133393.

Publications