
WANG Yejun
Alumni, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
mbiwye@nus.edu.sg
Level 10 T-Lab
National University of Singapore
5A Engineering Drive 1
Singapore 117411
What are podosomes?
What are podosomes? Podosomes are actin-rich, adhesive structures that are present at the ventral surface of cells of the monocytic myeloid lineage, stimulated endothelial cells [1] and cultured Src-transformed cancer cells. These structures are [...]
What are the functions of podosomes?
What are the functions of podosomes? Both focal adhesions and podosomes are intimately involved in cell motility, with podosomes specifically implicated in cell invasion. Invasiveness is achieved through the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) [...]
What is the first step in podosome assembly?
What is the first step in podosome assembly? Podosome initiation and assembly is highly regulated, both spatially and temporally. Dendritic cells best exemplify the temporal regulation of podosome formation. Following activation by an antigen [...]
What are stress fibers?
What are stress fibers? Stress fibers are higher order cytoskeletal structures composed of cross-linked actin filament bundles, and in many cases, myosin motor proteins, that span a length of 1-2 micrometers [1]. At least [...]
What is the function of stress fibers?
What is the function of stress fibers? Stress fibers are contractile in nature. By exerting and maintaining tension on the underlying substratum, they form a key element of the mechanotransduction apparatus that links the [...]
What mechanisms drive cytoskeleton extension within podosomes?
What mechanisms drive cytoskeleton extension within podosomes? Interactions between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell surface integrins leads to podosome formation. The initiating signal is transduced through mechanosensing integrins to the cytoskeleton, upon which [...]
Wang Yejun
Alumni
I decided to switch into the world of biology after I received my BS in chemistry from Zhejiang University. With the interest in things happening inside nucleus, I joined Prof. Shiva’s lab as a graduate student, to study the role of external mechanical signals on gene regulation in eukaryotic cells. During my first one and a half years I developed a method to visualize active transcription sites on open chromatin spreads using super-resolution microscopy. Presently I’m studying the role of cell geometric constraints on 3D organization of chromosomes by using multiple techniques such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), confocal imaging, and super-resolution imaging.
Recent Publications
- Wang Y, Li X, Xia R, Wan Y, Lu J, Zhao Z, Zhang W, Wang Q, Saunders TE, and Yin J. Hedgehog-driven adaxial cell constriction patterns slow muscle fate and somite boundary remodeling in the presomitic mesoderm. Cell Rep 2026; 45(5):117319. [PMID: 42065961]
- Yang J, Guan Z, Zeng D, Qin Y, Zhao C, Wang S, Wu Q, Wang Q, Li H, Wu J, Huang H, Wang Y, Wu E, Thalmann NM, Lim CT, Wong TY, Jia W, Li H, Fregni F, and Sheng B. Extended reality in clinical neurology: From interdisciplinary innovations to clinical practice. Cell Rep Med 2026;:102696. [PMID: 41903546]
- Yang B, Li B, Zhu Y, Zhao M, Cheng Y, Zhao X, En-Jie DT, Wang Y, Zhang M, Tang X, Jin S, Sun Y, Zhang X, Xue B, Yan J, Wu G, Lin Z, Luo M, Yu H, Zhang L, Chen X, and Ni Q. Rational design of rigid mRNA folding architecture to enhance intracellular processing and protein production. Nat Nanotechnol 2026;. [PMID: 41772191]
- Liu X, Liu J, Wang Y, Yao M, Baker KB, Klapholz B, Brown NH, Goult BT, and Yan J. The mechanical response of vinculin. Sci Adv 2025; 11(44):eady6949. [PMID: 41171905]
- Wang Y, Zhang Y, Yu M, Xiu P, Jia Y, Chen H, Le S, Qian J, and Yan J. Salt-bridge mediated cooperativity and mechanical stabilization of tandem spectrin repeats. Nanoscale Horiz 2025;. [PMID: 40492359]
- Wang W, Huang Z, Wang Y, Li H, and Kanchanawong P. Vortex Interference Enables Optimal 3D Interferometric Nanoscopy. Phys Rev Lett 2025; 134(7):073802. [PMID: 40053988]
- Wang Y, Wang Y, Zhu Y, Yu P, Zhou F, Zhang A, Gu Y, Jin R, Li J, Zheng F, Yu A, Ye D, Xu Y, Liu Y, Saw TB, Hu G, Lim CT, and Yu F. Angiomotin cleavage promotes leader formation and collective cell migration. Dev Cell 2024;. [PMID: 39389053]
- Zhang Y, Du J, Liu X, Shang F, Deng Y, Ye J, Wang Y, Yan J, Chen H, Yu M, and Le S. Multi-domain interaction mediated strength-building in human α-actinin dimers unveiled by direct single-molecule quantification. Nat Commun 2024; 15(1):6151. [PMID: 39034324]
- Morales-Camilo N, Liu J, Ramírez MJ, Canales-Salgado P, Alegría JJ, Liu X, Ong HT, Barrera NP, Fierro A, Toyama Y, Goult BT, Wang Y, Meng Y, Nishimura R, Fong-Ngern K, Low CSL, Kanchanawong P, Yan J, Ravasio A, and Bertocchi C. Alternative molecular mechanisms for force transmission at adherens junctions via β-catenin-vinculin interaction. Nat Commun 2024; 15(1):5608. [PMID: 38969637]
- Zhang X, Ruan L, Wang H, Zhu J, Li T, Sun G, Dong Y, Wang Y, Berreby G, Shay A, Chen R, Ramachandran S, Dawson VL, Dawson TM, and Li R. Enhancing mitochondrial proteolysis alleviates alpha-synuclein-mediated cellular toxicity. NPJ Parkinsons Dis 2024; 10(1):120. [PMID: 38906862]

