Song Yi, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Scholar
Department of Biology
The University of Iowa
314 Biology Building East
Iowa City, IA 52242
Tel.: 319-335-1116 E-mail: song-yi@uiowa.edu
EDUCATION
? Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA Aug.2003-Jul.2009
Dissertation: A unique relationship between switching, mating and biofilm formation in the
human pathogen Candida albicans
Advisor: Dr. David R. Soll (Roy J. Carver/Emil Witschi Professor; Director of W.M. Keck
Dynamic Image Analysis Facility and Director of Developmental Studies
Hybridoma Bank, DSHB)
? B.S. in Biological Sciences at Peking University, Beijing, China Sep.1999-Jul.2003
Thesis: Plasticity of neuropeptide Y in the central nervous system of ground squirrel
(Citellus dauricus) during hibernation
Advisor: Dr. Long-Chuan Yu (Vice Director of State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and
Membrane Biotechnology, China)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2009- Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Department of Biology, the University of Iowa, Iowa
City, IA
? Investigating the targets of the transcription factor Tec1 by ChIP-chip analysis in
yeast.
2003-2009 Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, the University of
Iowa,Iowa City, IA
? Established a transcription factor misexpression library to explore unique regulators
in biofilm development.
? Proficient in molecular biology, including Southern, Northern and Western blot,
SDS-PAGE, RT-PCR, FACS, microarray analysis, and transfection of cells by
electroporation.
? Familiar with bioinformatic programs, hierarchical clustering dendrograms, and
phosphorylation and ubiquitination analyses.
? Proficient in imaging techniques, including DIC and fluorescence microscopy,
confocal and multi-photon microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. 2001-2003 Research Assistant, State Key Lab of Biomembrane and Membrane Bioengineering,
Beijing, China
? Performed independent neuroscience thesis projects in rats and ground squirrels.
? Proficient in neural cell culture, immunohistochemistry, rat dissection and
cryo-sectioning, antibody generation and purification, ELISA, and behavioral
pharmacology.
Song Yi, Ph.D. (Updated Sep., 2009)
PUBLICATIONS
Research Articles:
1. Sahni, N., Yi, S., Daniels, K.J., Srikantha, T., Soll, D.R. (2009). Genes selectively up-regulated
by pheromone in white cells are involved in biofilm formation in Candida albicans. PLoS
Pathog. In press.
2. Yi, S., Sahni, N., Pujol, C., Daniels, K.J., Srikantha, T., Ma, N., Soll, D.R. (2009). A Candida
albicans-specific region of the α-pheromone receptor plays a selective role in the white cell
pheromone response. Mol. Microbiol. 71, 925-947.
3. Huang, G., Yi, S., Sahni, N., Daniels, K.J., Srikantha, T., Pujol, C., Soll, D.R. (2009).
N-acetylglucosamine induces white to opaque switching through the cAMP pathway in Candida
albicans. PLoS Biol. submitted.
4. Sahni, N., Yi, S., Soll, D.R. (2009). The white cell response to pheromone is a general
characteristic of Candida albicans strains. Eukaryot. Cell 8, 251-256.
5. Huang, G., Srikantha, T., Sahni, N., Yi, S., Soll, D.R. (2009). CO2 regulates white-opaque
switching in Candida albicans. Curr. Biol. 19, 330-334.
? Highlighted in a dispatch: Yeast mating: putting some fizz into fungal sex? Curr. Biol. 19,
R258-60.
6. Yi, S., Sahni, N., Daniels, K.J., Pujol, C., Srikantha, T., Soll, D.R. (2008). The same receptor, G
protein, and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway activate different downstream regulators
in the alternative white and opaque pheromone responses of Candida albicans. Mol. Biol. Cell
19, 957-970.
? Highlighted in “InCytes from MBC - ASCB Newsletter”. Vol. 18, #11.
7. Srikantha, T., Daniels, K.J., Wu, W., Lockhart, S.R., Yi, S., Sahni, N., Soll, D.R. (2008). Dark
brown is the more virulent of the switch phenotypes of Candida glabrata. Microbiology 154,
3309-3318.
8. Wessels, D., Srikantha, T., Yi, S., Kuhl, S., Aravind, L., Soll, D.R. (2006). The Shwachman-
Bodian-Diamond syndrome gene encodes an RNA-binding protein that localizes to the
pseudopod of Dictyostelium amoebae during chemotaxis. J.Cell Sci. 119, 370-379.
? Highlighted in a “Research Highlights” section in the journal Nature, 26 Jan 2006, 439,
372-373.
9. Srikantha, T., Borneman, A.R., Daniels, K.J., Pujol, C., Wu, W., Seringhaus, M.R., Gerstein, M.,
Yi, S., Snyder, M., Soll, D.R. (2006). TOS9 regulates white-opaque switching in Candida
albicans. Eukaryot. Cell 5, 1674-1687.
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Song Yi, Ph.D. (Updated Sep., 2009)
Research Manuscripts in Preparation:
1. Sahni, N.*, Yi, S.*, Huang, G., Daniels, K.J., Soll, D.R. (2009). Identification of a critical
transcription regulator in the signaling circuitry of white cell pheromone response in Candida
albicans. *, these two authors contributed equally. In preparation for PLoS Biol.
2. Yi, S., Sahni, N., Srikantha, T., Daniels, K.J., Soll, D.R. (2009). Phosphorylation and
ubiquitination of Far1 plays a critical role in the regulation of opaque pheromone response in
Candida albicans. In preparation for Mol. Biol. Cell.
Seminar Presentations:
1. Song Yi. A unique relationship between switching, mating and biofilm formation in the human
pathogen Candida albicans. Special Ph.D. seminar, the University of Iowa, Iowa, 2009. 2. Song Yi. Identification and characterization of signaling circuitry for novel white pheromone
response in the human pathogen Candida albicans. James F. Jakobsen Graduate Forum, Iowa,
2008.
3. Song Yi. From fungal biofilm to human tissue: a pheromone-signalling perspective. Graduate
Student Steering Committee (GSSC) conference, the University of Iowa, Iowa, 2008.
4. Song Yi. The alternative white and opaque responses to pheromone in the human pathogen
rdCandida albicans. 3 Annual Biology Retreat, Davenport, Iowa, 2008.
Poster Presentations:
1. Song Yi, Nidhi Sahni, Karla J. Daniels, Claude Pujol, Thyagarajan Srikantha and David R. Soll.
Pheromone responses in alternative cell types of the human pathogen Candida albicans and its
evolutionary significance. First international conference on the evolution of sex &
recombination by the Roy J. Carver Center for Comparative Genomics, Iowa City, Iowa, 2009. 2. Nidhi Sahni, Song Yi, Karla J. Daniels, Thyagarajan Srikantha, Claude Pujol and David R. Soll.
A pheromone response pathway in mating-incompetent cells that facilitates mating by
competent cells evolved from the mating pathway. First international conference on the
evolution of sex & recombination by the Roy J. Carver Center for Comparative Genomics,
Iowa City, Iowa, 2009.
3. Song Yi, Nidhi Sahni, Claude Pujol, Karla J. Daniels, Thyagarajan Srikantha, Ning Ma and
David R. Soll. A Candida albicans-specific region of the ;-pheromone receptor plays a
selective role in the white cell pheromone response: a regulatory configuration in cellular
rddifferentiation. 3 Annual Biology Retreat, Davenport, Iowa, 2008.
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Song Yi, Ph.D. (Updated Sep., 2009)
4. Song Yi, Nidhi Sahni, Thyagarajan Srikantha and David R. Soll. Identification of transcription
regulators in the MAPK-mediated white pheromone response pathway in Candida albicans.
thAmerican Society of Microbiology (ASM) 9 conference, New Jersey, 2008.
5. Nidhi Sahni, Song Yi, Thyagarajan Srikantha, Karla J. Daniels and David R. Soll. The cell
surface hydrophobicity gene CSH1 is regulated by the pheromone response pathway and plays
a role in the unique white cell pheromone response of Candida albicans. American Society of
thMicrobiology (ASM) 9 conference, New Jersey, 2008.
6. Song Yi, Nidhi Sahni, Claude Pujol, Karla J. Daniels, Thyagarajan Srikantha, Ning Ma and
David R. Soll. A Candida albicans-specific region of the intracellular loop I of the
;-pheromone receptor plays a role in white-specific, but not opaque-specific, pheromone thresponse. American Society of Microbiology (ASM) 9 conference, New Jersey, 2008.
7. Guanghua Huang, Thyagarajan Srikantha, Song Yi, Nidhi Sahni, Claude Pujol, Karla J. Daniels
and David R. Soll. A potential phosphorylation site for an A-type kinase in the Tos9p (Wor1p)
thprotein is important for opaque cell formation. American Society of Microbiology (ASM) 9
conference, New Jersey, 2008.
8. Song Yi, Nidhi Sahni, Karla J. Daniels, Claude Pujol, Thyagarajan Srikantha and David R. Soll.
Different downstream regulators of the same signal, receptor, heterotrimeric G protein and
MAP kinase pathway elicit different pheromone responses in white and opaque Candida
ndalbicans. 2 Annual Biology Retreat, Dubuque, Iowa, 2007.
9. Song Yi, Wei Wu, Karla J. Daniels and David R. Soll. Candida albicans in humans: Benign
commensal yeast becomes potential lethal pathogen. Distinguished Alumni Forum, University
of Iowa, Iowa, 2007.
10. Song Yi, Thyagarajan Srikantha, Deborah Wessels, Vesna Stepanovic, Jeremy Geiger and
David R. Soll. Using Candida albicans as a model for elucidating the molecular basis of
Shwachman- Diamond Syndrome, a human autosomal recessive disease that affects cell
thpolarity. American Society of Microbiology (ASM) 7 conference, Texas, 2004.
11. Song Yi. Investigating the molecular basis of the human Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome
using a fungal model. James F. Jakobsen Graduate Forum, Iowa, 2004.
EDITORIAL SERVICE
2009 Reviewer for the journal Cellular Microbiology
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
? Research Mentor
Biology Honors Student Anita Cheruvillil (Fall 2009)
Graduate Student Jeffery Ross (Summer 2009)
? Instructor
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Song Yi, Ph.D. (Updated Sep., 2009)
Honors Primetime Workshop (143:020) (Fall 2009) ? Invited Lecturer
Basic Biology of Human Disease (2:192) (Spring 2009) ? Teaching Assistant
Bioinformatics (2:170) (Fall 2007)
Cell Biology Laboratory: Bioimaging and Biotechnology (2:133) (Fall 2006)
Principles of Biology I (2:010) (Fall 2005)
Human Biology (2:021) (Fall 2004)
HONORS AND AWARDS
2003-2009 Graduate Assistantship and Tuition Scholarship, the University of Iowa
rd2008 Excellent Scientific Speaker Award, 3 Annual Biology Retreat, the University of Iowa
nd2007 Best Poster Presentation Award, 2 Annual Biology Retreat, the University of Iowa
2002 “May Fourth” Fellowship for Academic Excellence, Peking University, China
2002 National Honor for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Beijing, China
2001-2003 University Tuition Scholarship, Peking University, China
MEMBERSHIP IN SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES
Member of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
SOCIAL AND ORGANIZITIONAL ACTIVITIES
2009 Co-organizer, Raymond Fong Special Seminar (hosting renowned cancer biologist, Dr.
Robert Weinberg), the University of Iowa
2004-2005 Graduate Representative, Department of Biological Sciences, the University of Iowa 2004-2006 President, Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), the University of Iowa 2002 Advisor, Internet-based interactive training platform for higher education, Beijing,
China
2000-2001 Student Supervisor, Student Union and Service Center, Peking University, China
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Song Yi, Ph.D. (Updated Sep., 2009)
REFERENCES
David R. Soll, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Biology
The University of Iowa
302 BBE
Iowa City, IA 52242
Tel.: 319-335-1111
E-mail: david-soll@uiowa.edu
Jim Lin, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biology and Program of Genetics
The University of Iowa
340 BBE
Iowa City, IA 52242
Tel.: 319-335-1075
E-mail: jim-lin@uiowa.edu
Chun-Fang Wu, Ph.D.
Professor, Neuroscience Program and Department of Biology
The University of Iowa
239 BB
Iowa City, IA 52242
Tel.: 319-335-1091
E-mail: chun-fang-wu@uiowa.edu
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