Profile:

Professor Yalin Wu received his B.S. degree in biochemical engineering from Nanjing University of Technology in 2002, and completed his Ph.D from Zhejiang University in chemistry. When he graduated in the spring of 2007, he first began postdoctoral work in the lab of Prof. Koji Nakanishi at the Chemistry Department of Columbia University, and later moved to Janet R. Sparrow's lab as a postdoctoral research scientist at the Ophthalmology Department of Columbia University Medical Center. He returned to mainland China in 2011 when he became a special-term professor (Principal Investigator, Ph.D. Supervisor) at the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University. In 2012, he also was invited to be an adjunct professor at the Eye Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University. In September 2015, he joined Xiamen University School of Medicine as a full professor of ophthalmic sciences.

Selected Publications:
（link to PubMed for all publications）

1. Yang B, Yang K, Xi R, Chen Y, Han J, Li S, Chen J, and Wu Y*. Activation of GSDME by all-trans-retinal increases sensitivity to photoreceptor ferroptosis. Int. J. Biol. Sci. 2025, 21(15), 7029-7042.

2. Shen X, Chen Y, He B, Xi R, Chen J, and Wu Y*. Ferrostatin-1, a ferroptosis inhibitor, mitigates all-trans-retinal-induced retinal pigment epithelium degeneration in mice. J. Transl. Med. 2025, 23(1), 1103.

3. Yang B, Yang K, Xi R, Li S, Chen J, and Wu Y*. Long-term senolytic therapy with Dasatinib and Quercetin alleviates lipofuscin-dependent retinal degeneration in mice. Redox Biol. 2025, 85, 103716.

4. Yang B, Yang K, Chen Y, Li Q, Chen J, Li S*, and Wu Y*. Exposure of A2E to blue light promotes ferroptosis in the retinal pigment epithelium. Cell. Mol. Biol. Lett. 2025, 30(1), 22.

5. Tao L, He D, Chen Y, Yang K, He B, Cai P, Cai B, Liao C, Liu Z, Li S, Chen J, and Wu Y*. Transferrin ameliorates retinal degeneration by mediating the dimerization of all-trans-retinal. J. Biol. Chem. 2025, 301(1), 108054.

6. Yang B, Yang K, Xi R, Li S, Chen J, and Wu Y*. Inhibition of JNK signaling attenuates photoreceptor ferroptosis caused by all-trans-retinal. Free Radic. Biol. Med. 2025, 227, 179-189.

7. He D, Tao L, Cai B, Chen X, Wang Y, Li S, Liao C, Chen Y, Chen J, Liu Z*, and Wu Y*. eIF2α incites photoreceptor cell and retina damage by all-trans-retinal. J. Biol. Chem. 2023, 299(5), 104686.

8. Chen C, Yang K, He D, Yang B, Tao L, Chen J, and Wu Y*. Induction of ferroptosis by HO-1 contributes to retinal degeneration in mice with defective clearance of all-trans-retinal. Free Radic. Biol. Med. 2023, 194, 245-254.

9. Cai B, Liao C, He D, Chen J, Han J, Lu J, Qin K, Liang W, Wu X, Liu Z, and Wu Y*. Gasdermin E mediates photoreceptor damage by all-trans-retinal in the mouse retina. J. Biol. Chem. 2022, 298(2), 101553.

10. Chen C, Chen J, Wang Y, Liu Z, and Wu Y*. Ferroptosis drives photoreceptor degeneration in mice with defects in all-trans-retinal clearance. J. Biol. Chem. 2021, 296, 100187.

11. Liao C, Cai B, Feng Y, Chen J, Wu YP, Zhuang J, Liu Z, and Wu Y*. Activation of JNK signaling promotes all-trans-retinal-induced photoreceptor apoptosis in mice. J. Biol. Chem. 2020, 295(20), 6958-6971.

12. Liao Y^#, Zhang H^#, He D, Wang Y, Cai B, Chen J, Ma J, Liu Z, and Wu Y*. Retinal pigment epithelium cell death is associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation by all-trans retinal. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2019, 60(8), 3034-3045.

13. Gao Z, Liao Y, Chen C, Liao C, He D, Chen J, Ma J, Liu Z, and Wu Y*. Conversion of all-trans-retinal into all-trans-retinal dimer reflects an alternative metabolic/antidotal pathway of all-trans-retinal in the retina. J. Biol. Chem. 2018, 293(37), 14507-14519.

14. Zhao J, Liao Y, Chen J, Dong X, Gao Z, Zhang H, Wu X, Liu Z, and Wu Y*. Aberrant buildup of all-trans-retinal dimer, a non-pyridinium bisretinoid lipofuscin fluorophore, contributes to the degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2017, 58(2), 1063-1075.

15. Liu X, Chen J, Liu Z, Li J, Yao K*, and Wu Y*. Potential therapeutic agents against retinal diseases caused by aberrant metabolism of retinoids. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2016, 57(3), 1017-1030.

16. Li J, Cai X, Xia Q, Yao K, Chen J, Zhang Y, Naranmandura H, Liu X, and Wu Y*. Involvement of endoplasmic reticulum stress in all-trans-retinal induced retinal pigment epithelium degeneration. Toxicol. Sci. 2015, 143(1), 196-208.

17. Zhao J, Yao K, Jin Q, Jiang K, Chen J, Liu Z, Li J, and Wu Y*. Preparative and biosynthetic insights into pdA2E and isopdA2E, retinal-derived fluorophores of retinal pigment epithelial lipofuscin. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2014, 55(12), 8241-8250.

18. Wu Y*, Jin Q, Yao K, Zhao J, Chen J, Wu X, Gan L, Li J, Song X, Liu X, and Cai X. Retinal metabolism in humans induces the formation of an unprecedented lipofuscin fluorophore 'pdA2E'. Biochem. J. 2014, 460(3), 343-352.

19. Li J, Yao K, Yu X, Dong X, Gan L, Luo C, and Wu Y*. Identification of a novel lipofuscin pigment (iisoA2E) in retina and its effects in the retinal pigment epithelial cells. J. Biol. Chem. 2013, 288(50), 35671-35682.

20. Wu Y, Yanase E, Feng X, Siegel M, and Sparrow JR*. Structural characterization of bisretinoid A2E photocleavage products and implications for age-related macular degeneration. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2010, 107(16), 7275-7280.

Awards:

1. Xiamen Science and Technology Progress Award (2024, First Completer)

2. Fujian Provincial Natural Science Award (2023, First Completer)

3. Chinese Ophthalmological Society Award (2018, Individual Award)