Yi-Hsuan Chang

Program: Molecular Cell Biology

Current advisor: Sid Puram, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: National Taiwan University, 2016

Enrollment year: 2019

Research summary
Genome-wide screening for the transcription factor SNAIL2 binding sites in HNSCC cell lines

In the previous single cell transcriptome analysis, the transcription factor (TF) SNAIL2 has been identified to be the only epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) TF expressed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) from the patients, implicating the tumors may show a partial-EMT (p-EMT) program. Therefore, we would like to further investigate the downstream targets of SNAIL2 which may contribute to the p-EMT phenotype.

In this rotation, we will utilize the "calling card" method to identify the SNAIL2 binding sites across the genome in several HNSCC cell lines showing varied EMT state. In short, the SNAIL2-directed transposase would insert the transposon near the SNAIL2-binding sites. We could then map the transposon insertion position at the genome-wide scale by next generation sequencing. We hope to identify the positions that show significantly different levels for SNAIL2-binding among the cell lines. The findings may help us dissect the underlying mechanism leading to p-EMT in HNSCC tumors.

Graduate publications
Slivicki RA, Earnest T, Chang YH, Pareta R, Casey E, Li JN, Tooley J, Abiraman K, Vachez YM, Wolf DK, Sackey JT, Kumar Pitchai D, Moore T, Gereau RW 4th, Copits BA, Kravitz AV, Creed MC. 2023 Oral oxycodone self-administration leads to features of opioid misuse in male and female mice. Addict Biol, 28(1):e13253. PMCID: