Yingjun Cui, PhD
Associate Research Scientist (Infectious Diseases)Cards
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Featured Publications
Cytoskeleton‐associated gelsolin responds to the midgut distention process in saline meal‐fed Aedes aegypti and affects arbovirus dissemination from the midgut
Cui Y, Megawati D, Lin J, Rehard D, Grant D, Liu P, Jurkevich A, Reid W, Mooney B, Franz A. Cytoskeleton‐associated gelsolin responds to the midgut distention process in saline meal‐fed Aedes aegypti and affects arbovirus dissemination from the midgut. The FASEB Journal 2024, 38: e23764. PMID: 39042395, PMCID: PMC11268798, DOI: 10.1096/fj.202302684rr.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsApoptotic signalingHost factorsInduction of apoptosisIncreased induction of apoptosisBlood meal ingestionDifferentially expressed proteinsActin filamentsCytoskeleton modulationTime course analysisSecondary tissuesBasal laminaStable knockoutTissue distentionAedes aegyptiMosquito linesFunctional studiesVertebrate hostsSynthesized virionsMosquito midgutMidgut escape barrierCourse analysisGelsolinSurrounding basal laminaMidgutMidgut tissueHeterogeneity of midgut cells and their differential responses to blood meal ingestion by the mosquito, Aedes aegypti
Cui Y, Franz AWE. Heterogeneity of midgut cells and their differential responses to blood meal ingestion by the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Insect Biochemistry And Molecular Biology 2020, 127: 103496. PMID: 33188922, PMCID: PMC7739889, DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103496.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsIntestinal stem cellsBlood meal ingestionMosquito midgutSingle-nucleus RNA sequencingCell type clustersCell typesVisceral muscle cellsNutrient absorptionCell type compositionHuman pathogenic parasitesNumerous mosquito speciesEC-like cellsBlood meal digestionEnteroendocrine cellsAedes aegyptiBlood-feeding behaviorMeal ingestionCellular homeostasisCellular diversityGenetic compatibilityHematophagous insectsFemale midgutTranscriptional profilesBlood digestionRNA sequencingJuvenile hormone regulates Aedes aegypti Krüppel homolog 1 through a conserved E box motif
Cui Y, Sui Y, Xu J, Zhu F, Palli SR. Juvenile hormone regulates Aedes aegypti Krüppel homolog 1 through a conserved E box motif. Insect Biochemistry And Molecular Biology 2014, 52: 23-32. PMID: 24931431, PMCID: PMC4143451, DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2014.05.009.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsE-box motifAaKr-h1Aag-2Juvenile hormoneJH inductionBox motifCanonical E-box motifKrüppel homolog 1 geneMolecular mechanismsBasic helix-loop-helix domainJH response elementLoop-helix domainHelix-loop-helix domainKrüppel homolog 1JH IIICDNA ends (RACE) methodHomolog 1 geneJH actionJH regulationHelix domainRNAi studiesRapid amplificationPhysiological processesReporter assaysCritical nucleotides
2025
CCL17 Influences Borrelia burgdorferi Infection in the Heart
Tang X, Yu Q, Cui Y, Hart T, Rivas-Giorgi F, Calloway K, Mohapatra A, Fikrig E. CCL17 Influences Borrelia burgdorferi Infection in the Heart. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2025, jiaf011. PMID: 39777514, DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaf011.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSerum levels of proinflammatory cytokinesLevels of proinflammatory cytokinesVector-borne pathogensB. burgdorferiReduce pathogen loadImmune alterationsMacrophage infiltrationProinflammatory cytokinesCCL17B. burgdorferi infectionIxodes ticksPathogen loadControl animalsChemokinesBorrelia burgdorferiInfectious diseasesInfectionDiverse illnessesKnockoutLyme diseaseDisease
2024
A safe insect-based chikungunya fever vaccine affords rapid and durable protection in cynomolgus macaques
Adam A, Woolsey C, Lu H, Plante K, Wallace S, Rodriguez L, Shinde D, Cui Y, Franz A, Thangamani S, Comer J, Weaver S, Wang T. A safe insect-based chikungunya fever vaccine affords rapid and durable protection in cynomolgus macaques. Npj Vaccines 2024, 9: 251. PMID: 39702442, PMCID: PMC11659317, DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-01047-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMemory B cellsCynomolgus macaquesB cellsDose vaccinationAntigen presenting cell activationReceptor signalingCHIK feverNK cell responsesRobust type I interferonT cell responsesT cell immunityMultiple innate immune pathwaysToll-like receptor signalingWild-typeDose-dependent mannerSkin hypersensitivity reactionsType I interferonInnate immune signalingInnate immune pathwaysT cellsMechanisms of host protectionCHIKV infectionCell activationHypersensitivity reactionsAntibody responseDual roles for a tick protein disulfide isomerase during the life cycle of the Lyme disease agent
Tang X, Cui Y, Namarra U, Tian X, Rivas-Giorgi F, Fikrig E. Dual roles for a tick protein disulfide isomerase during the life cycle of the Lyme disease agent. MBio 2024, 15: e01754-24. PMID: 39470213, PMCID: PMC11633212, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01754-24.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchProtein disulfide isomeraseLyme disease agentDisulfide isomeraseBlood-feeding vectorsExtracellular pathogensGene expressionInvasion of host cellsThiol-disulfide oxidoreductasesDisease agentsGroup of enzymesStages of bacterial infectionVirulence factorsLife cycleChaperone activityMammalian hostsHost cellsBlood-feeding ticksIsomeraseMicrobial infectionsColonized ticksPathogensDiverse infectionsMicrobial invasionInfection of miceVector-borne diseasesSalp14 epitope-based mRNA vaccination induces early recognition of a tick bite
Cui Y, Cibichakravarthy B, Tang X, Alameh M, Dwivedi G, Weissman D, Fikrig E. Salp14 epitope-based mRNA vaccination induces early recognition of a tick bite. Vaccine 2024, 42: 126304. PMID: 39236403, PMCID: PMC11416896, DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126304.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTick bite siteGuinea pigsMRNA-LNPMRNA vaccinesBite siteImmunized guinea pigsTiters of IgGIxodes scapularis ticksDevelopment of erythemaLipid nanoparticlesSkin of guinea pigsI. scapularisTicksErythemaHistamine activityPigsTick bitesCarboxyl terminusRepeated exposureExposure of animalsAmino acidsSalivary proteinsVaccineMRNAGuineaZika virus exists in enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells of the Aedes aegypti midgut
Chen T, Raduwan H, Marín-López A, Cui Y, Fikrig E. Zika virus exists in enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells of the Aedes aegypti midgut. IScience 2024, 27: 110353. PMID: 39055935, PMCID: PMC11269924, DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110353.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAedes aegypti midgutEnteroendocrine cellsSingle-cell RNA sequencingIntestinal stem cellsVirus infectionPathogen interactionsExpressed genesRNA sequencingCopy numberTranscriptomic changesFunctional studiesInfected cellsZika virus infectionEnteroendocrineBlood digestionRNA copy numberCellular levelCell processesGenesMidgutPotential targetCell clustersCellsEnterocytesViral infectionAn atlas of human vector-borne microbe interactions reveals pathogenicity mechanisms
Hart T, Sonnert N, Tang X, Chaurasia R, Allen P, Hunt J, Read C, Johnson E, Arora G, Dai Y, Cui Y, Chuang Y, Yu Q, Rahman M, Mendes M, Rolandelli A, Singh P, Tripathi A, Ben Mamoun C, Caimano M, Radolf J, Lin Y, Fingerle V, Margos G, Pal U, Johnson R, Pedra J, Azad A, Salje J, Dimopoulos G, Vinetz J, Carlyon J, Palm N, Fikrig E, Ring A. An atlas of human vector-borne microbe interactions reveals pathogenicity mechanisms. Cell 2024, 187: 4113-4127.e13. PMID: 38876107, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.05.023.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCell invasionHost-microbe interactionsArthropod-borne pathogensHost sensingMicrobe interactionsTranscriptional regulationLyme disease spirocheteMicrobial interactionsExtracellular proteinsMicrobial pathogenesisEpidermal growth factorTissue colonizationEnvironmental cuesBacterial selectivityIntracellular pathogensPutative interactionsNext-generation therapeuticsPathogensFunctional investigationsInteractomeVector-borne diseasesImmune evasionPathogenic mechanismsStrainUnmet medical needA cell atlas of the adult female Aedes aegypti midgut revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing
Wang S, Huang Y, Wang F, Han Q, Ren N, Wang X, Cui Y, Yuan Z, Xia H. A cell atlas of the adult female Aedes aegypti midgut revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing. Scientific Data 2024, 11: 587. PMID: 38839790, PMCID: PMC11153528, DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03432-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSingle-cell RNA sequencingFat body cellsRNA sequencingSingle-cell levelHemocyte cellsEnteroendocrine cellsVisceral musclesSingle-nucleus resolutionTranscriptome of AeMosquito midgutAedes aegypti midgutMidgut transcriptomeBlood meal digestionCell atlasCardia cellsArbovirus infectionMeal digestionNutrient absorptionMidgut cellsMidgutBody cellsCell clustersPrimary vectorSequenceCells
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