Lab of Molecular Metabolic Medicine

Education

1990.9~1994.6    B.Sc.   Department of Plant Pathology, National Taiwan University

1994.9~1996.6    M.S.    Department of Biochemistry, National Cheng Kung University

2000.8~2005.8    Ph.D.  Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

   Integrative Vascular Biology Program

   University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Positions and Employment

2005.9~2006.8    Postdoctoral Research Associate

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

2006.8~2011.7     Assistant Professor

Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Cheng Kung University

2011.8~2016.7     Associate Professor

Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Cheng Kung University

2017.8~2020.7    Director

Laboratory Animal Center, National Cheng Kung University

2021.9~2022.8   Visiting Scholar

Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, USA

2016.8~ present    Professor

Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Cheng Kung University

2016.8~present    Adjunct Professor

Department of Physiology, National Cheng Kung University

Academic and Professional Honors

1995    Scholarship from the Cheng Kung Cultural Foundation

1996    The honorary member of the Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society

2002    American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship (2002~04) (0215270U)

2002    Research Presentation Award, Annual Research Symposium of Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Pathology, UNC-

                         Chapel Hill

2003    National Institutes of Health Scholarship Award, Keystone Symposia (1 R13 DK063898-01)

2004    National Institutes of Health Scholarship Award, Keystone Symposia (1 R13 DK067025-01)

2009    Young Investigator Research Award in Basic Medicine, NCKU

2010    Research Award in Basic Medicine from the CHENG-HSING Medical Foundation

2010    Distinguished Research Award in Basic Medicine, NCKU

2012    Research Award in Basic Medicine from the CHENG-HSING Medical Foundation

2015    Research Award from NCKU Hospital

2016    Research Award from NHRI

2016    Research Award in Basic Medicine from the CHENG-HSING Medical Foundation

2017    Research Award from NCKU Hospital

2017    Research Award in Basic Medicine from the CHENG-HSING Medical Foundation

2021    Fulbright-Formosa Plastics Group Scholarship

2021    Research Award in Basic Medicine from the CHENG-HSING Medical Foundation

2022    Research Award in Basic Medicine from the CHENG-HSING Medical Foundation

2023    Research Award in Basic Medicine from the CHENG-HSING Medical Foundation

Publications (2004~ ; selected)

1.    LH Kuo, PJ Tsai, MJ Jiang, YL Chuang, L Yu, KT Lai, and YS Tsai*. Toll-like receptor 2 deficiency improves insulin sensitivity and hepatic insulin signalling in the mouse. Diabetologia. 54, 168~179, 2011. (IF=6.671, Endocrinology & Metabolism 13/128=10.2%)

2.     HF Jheng, PJ Tsai, SM Guo, LH Kuo, CS Chang, IJ Su, and YS Tsai*. Mitochondrial fission contributes to mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Mol Cell Biol. 32, 309-319, 2012. (IF= 3.813, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 85/293=29% )

3.    YP Hung, NY Lee, HC Chang, CJ Wu, CM Chang, PL Chen, HJ Lin, YH Wu, PJ Tsai, SH Lin, YS Tsai*, and WC Ko*. Effects of PPARγ and RBP4 gene variants on metabolic syndrome in HIV-infected patients with anti-retroviral therapy. PLoS ONE 7, e49102, 2012. (IF= 2.766, Multidisciplinary Sciences 15/64=23.4% )

4.     JY Chen, PJ Tsai, HC Tai, RL Tsai, YT Chang, MC Wang, YW Chiou, ML Yeh, MJ Tang, YH Li, WC Tsai, LJ Lin, HL Wu, and YS Tsai*. Increased Aortic Stiffness and Attenuated Lysyl Oxidase Activity in Obesity. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 33, 839-846, 2013. (IF= 6.086, Peripheral Vascular Disease 5/65=7.7% )

5.    CS Chang, PJ Tsai, JM Sung, JY Chen, LC Ho, K Pandya, N Maeda, and YS Tsai*. Diuretics Prevent Thiazolidinedione-induced Cardiac Hypertrophy without Compromising Insulin-sensitizing Effects in Mice. Am J Pathol . 184, 442-453, 2014. ( IF=4.069, Pathology 13/79=16.5% )

6.    Cheong MW, Kuo LH, Cheng YN, Tsai PJ, Ho LC, Tai HC, Chiu WT, Chen SH, Lu PJ, Shan YS, Chuang LM, Tsai YS*. Loss of Egr-1 Sensitizes Pancreatic β-cells to Palmitate-induced ER Stress and Apoptosis. J Mol Med. 93, 807~818, 2015. (IF=4.938, Medicine, Research & Experimental 20/133=15.0% )

7.    HF Jheng, SH Huang, HM Kuo, MW Hughes, and YS Tsai*. Molecular insight and pharmacological approaches targeting mitochondrial dynamics in skeletal muscle during obesity. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1350, 82~94, 2015. (IF=4.277, Multidisciplinary Sciences 10/64=15.6% )

8.   HF Jheng, PJ Tsai, YL Chuang, YT Sheng, TA Tai, WC Chen, CK Chou, LC Ho, MJ Tang, KT Lai, JM Sung*, and YS Tsai*. Albumin Stimulates Renal Tubular Inflammation through a HSP70-TLR4 Axis in Early Diabetic Nephropathy. Dis Model Mech. 8, 1311~1321, 2015. (IF=4.398, Pathology 11/79=13.9% )

9.   LC Ho, JM Sung, YT Shen, HF Jheng, SH Chen, PJ Tsai, and YS Tsai*. Egr-1 deficiency protects from renal inflammation and fibrosis. J Mol Med. 94, 933~942, 2016. (IF=4.599, Genetics & Heredity 48/176=27.2%)

10.   HC Tai, PJ Tsai, JY Chen, CH Lai, KC Wang, SH Teng, SC Lin, A Chang, MJ Jiang, YH Li, HL Wu, N Maeda, and YS Tsai*. PPARγ level contributes to structural integrity and component production of elastic fibers in the aorta. Hypertension. 67, 1298-1308, 2016. (IF=10.190, Peripheral Vascular Disease 3/65=4.6%)

11.   YH Liu, YS Tsai*,SC Lin, NS Liao, MS Jan, CT Liang, SW Hsu, N Maeda, and PJ Tsai*. Quantitative PPARγ expression affects the balance between tolerance and immunity. Sci Rep. 6, 26646, 2016. (IF=4.380, Multidisciplinary Sciences 17/72=23.6%)

12.   CS Chang, YJ Lu, HH Chang, SH Hsu, PH Kuo, CC Shieh, WJ Yao, MC Hsu, KC Young, WY Lin, KC Huang, CH Wu*, YS Tsai*. Role of Adiponectin Gene Variants, Adipokines and Hydrometry-based Percent Body Fat in Metabolically Healthy and Abnormal Obesity. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2018 Jan - Feb;12(1S1):49-61 (IF=2.288, Nutrition & Dietetics 71/106=66.9%)

13.   SY Leu, LH Kuo, WT Weng, IC Lien, CC Yang, TT Hsieh, YN Cheng, PH Chien, LC Ho, SH Chen, YS Shan, YW Chen, PC Chen, PJ Tsai, JM Sung, and YS Tsai*. Loss of EGR-1 uncouples the compensatory responses of pancreatic beta-cells. Theranostics. 10(9): 4233~4249, 2020. (IF=11.556, Medicine, Research & Experimental 9/140=6.4%)

14.  CC Yang, DC Lin, YN Chang, CH Wu, CS Chang, KT Lee, PJ Tsai, and YS Tsai*. Inhibitory effect of PPARγ on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Theranostics. 2021; 11(5): 2424-2441. (IF=11.556, Medicine, Research & Experimental 9/140=6.4%)

15. JY Chen, YP Wu, CY Li, HF Jheng, LZ Kao, IC Lien, WT Weng, HC Tai, YW Chiou, MJ Tang, PJ Tsai, YS Tsai*. PPARγ activation improves the microenvironment of perivascular adipose tissue and attenuates aortic stiffening in obesity. J Biomed Sci. 2021 Mar 29;28(1):22. (IF=8.410, Medicine, Research & Experimental 15/140=10.7%)

16. A Huang, YS Lin, LZ Kao, YW Chiou, HH Lin, CH Wu, CS Chang, KT Lee, YY Hsueh, PJ Tsai, MJ Tang, YS Tsai*. Inflammation-induced macrophage LOX exacerbates adipose tissue stiffening and metabolic dysfunction in obesity. Clinical and Translational Medicine. 2021 Sep;11(9):e543. (IF=11.492, Medicine, Research & Experimental 10/140=7.1%)

17. CC Hsu#, YS Tsai#, HK Lin. UHRF1: a novel metabolic guardian restricting AMPK activity. Cell Research. 2022 Jan;32(1):3-4. (# equal contribution) (IF=25.617, Cell Biology 8/195=4.1%)

18. YS Chang, SY Hou, SS Yu, SY Tsai, YY Chen, LJ Hsu, PJ Tsai, HK Lin, CH Lin*, and YS Tsai*. Postnatal dexamethasone therapy impairs brown adipose tissue thermogenesis and autophagy flux in neonatal rat pups. Theranostics. 2022 Jul 25;12(13):5803-5819. (IF=11.556, Medicine, Research & Experimental 9/140=6.4%)

19. Tsai PJ#, Lai YH#, Manne RK#, Tsai YS#, Sarbassov D, Lin HK. Akt: a key transducer in cancer. J Biomed Sci. 2022 Oct 1;29(1):76. (# equal contribution) (IF=12.771, Medicine, Research & Experimental 11/139=7.9%)

20. Lai YH, Wu TC, Tsai BY, Hung YP, Lin HJ, Tsai YS*, Ko WC*, Tsai PJ*. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ as the gatekeeper of tight junction in Clostridioides difficile infection. Front Microbiol. 2022 Nov 11;13:986457. (IF=6.064, Microbiology 34/137=24.8%) 

21. Chang CS, Yu SS, Ho LC, Chao SH, Chou TY, Shao AN, Kao LZ, Chang CY, Chen YH, Wu MS, Tsai PJ, Maeda N, Tsai YS*. Inguinal Fat Compensates Whole Body Metabolic Functionality in Partially Lipodystrophic Mice with Reduced PPARγ Expression. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 15;24(4):3904. (IF=6.208, Chemistry, Multidisciplinary 50/179=27.9%)

22. Leu SY, Tsang YL, Ho LC, Yang CC, Shao AN, Chang CY, Lin HK, Tsai PJ, Sung JM, Tsai YS*. NLRP3 inflammasome activation, metabolic danger signals, and protein binding partners. J Endocrinol. 2023 Feb 1:JOE-22-0184. (IF=4.669, Endocrinology & Metabolism 57/146=39%) 

23. Chen T, Xu ZG, Luo J, Manne RK, Wang Z, Hsu CC, Pan BS, Cai Z, Tsai PJ, Tsai YS, Chen ZZ, Li HY, Lin HK. NSUN2 is a glucose sensor suppressing cGAS/STING to maintain tumorigenesis and immunotherapy resistance. Cell Metabolism. 2023 Oct 3;35(10):1782-

1798.e8. (IF=27.7, Cell Biology 3/186=1.6%)

24. Ho LC, Chen YH, Wu TY, Kao LZ, Hung SY, Liou HH, Chen PC, Tsai PJ, Lin HK, Lee YC, Wang HH, Tsai YS*. Phosphate burden induces vascular calcification through a NLRP3- caspase-1-mediated pyroptotic pathway. Life Sci. 2023 Nov 1;332:122123. (IF=5.1,

Pharmacology, Pharmacy 44/352=12.5%)

25. Liu KH, Chang WH, Lai EC, Tsai PC, Hsu B, Yang YH, Lin WR, Huang TS, Su FY, Chiang JH, Li CY, Tsai YS*, Sung JM*. Ambient temperature and the occurrence of intradialytic hypotension in patients receiving hemodialysis. Clin Kidney J. 2023 Dec 21;17(1):sfad304.

(IF=4.6, Urology & Nephrology 15/133=11.28%)

26. Lee H, Liu KH, Yang YH, Liao JD, Lin BS, Wu ZZ, Chang AC, Tseng CC, Wang MC, Tsai YS. Advances in uremic toxin detection and monitoring in the management of chronic kidney disease progression to end-stage renal disease. Analyst 2024 May 13;149(10):2784-2795.

(IF=3.6, Chemistry, Analytical 30/106=28.3%)

27. CJ Liu, KT Ho, HS Huang, ZH Lu, Miyuki HC Hsieh, YS Chang, WH Wang, Edward CC Lai * , YS Tsai * . Sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor prevents nephrolithiasis in non-diabetes by restoring impaired autophagic flux. EBioMedicine 2025 Apr:114:105668. (IF=10.8, Medicine, Research & Experimental 13/195=6.67%)

28. TT Hsieh, YC Ku, CJ Chen, CH Kuo, BI Chang, CH Yu, YH Li, PJ Tsai, SW Lin, HL Wu * , CY Luo * , YS Tsai * . CD248 deficiency promotes angiotensin II-induced aortic lesion by attenuating receptor stability in smooth muscle cells. Clin Transl Med. 2025

May;15(5):e70352. (IF=6.8, Oncology 47/326=14.42%)

29. SC Chien, CY Chen, HW Tsai, YJ Lin, SC Shiesh, PN Cheng, HC Chiu, YC Chiu, YH Lin, MS Wu, MJ Zheng, KC Young, YS Tsai * . Enhanced Nuclear Localization of Small Heterodimer Partner In Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis. JHEP Reports 2025 Oct. 8(1):101616. (IF=7.5, Gastroenterology and Hepatology 15/148=10.1%)

(* corresponding author)

Editorial Board

PLoS ONE (2011~present)

International Journal of Diabetes Research (2016~present)

Frontiers of Cell and Developmental Biology (2016~present)