Physiology
Jiyang Cai, PhD
Associate Professor, Physiology
405-271-2226, ext. 31896
jiyang-cai@ouhsc.edu
The back of the eye has immune privilege and under physiological conditions is protected from overt inflammation and autoimmune responses. With aging and age-related degeneration of the outer retina and the retinal pigment epithelium, the initial lesions recruit and active cells from the innate and adapted immune systems. Their interactions determine the outcome as either inflammation resolution or exacerbated tissue injury. Our lab studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cell-cell interaction and cytokine-mediated signaling network during these processes
Current Funding Information
- R01 NEI/NIH EY028773
- “Choroidal T cells as novel regulators of RPE degeneration”
- (PI: Cai; 04/2018-03/2022)
- Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research
- iPSC-Derived RPE
Clinical/Research Interests:
- Mechanisms of inflammation and immune responses in the posterior eye
- Intercellular communications mediated by exosome and non-coding RNA
Select Publications:
- Go Y-M, Zhang J, Fernandes J, Litwin C, Chen R, Wensel TG, Jones DP, Cai J and Chen Y. MTOR-initiated metabolic switch and degeneration in the retinal pigment epithelium. FASEB J. 2020, 34:12502-12520
- Liang Y, Yi P, Ru W, Jie Z, Wang H, Ghanayem T, Wang X, Alamer E, Liu J, Hu H, Soong L, Cai J and Sun J. IL-22 hinders antiviral T cell responses and exacerbates ZIKV encephalitis in immunocompetent neonatal mice. J Neuroinflammation 2020, 17:249
- De Souza RG, Yu Z, Hernandez H, Trujillo-Vargas CM, Lee A, Mauk KE, Cai J, Alves MR and de Paiva C. Modulation of oxidative stress and inflammation in aged lacrimal gland. Am J Pathol. 2020, 191:294-308
- Yang B, Zhao W, Yin C, Bai Y, Wang S, Xing G, Li F, Bian J, Aschner M, Cai J, Shi H and Lu R. Acture acrylonitrile exposure inhibits endogenous H2S biosynthesis in rat brain and liver: the role of CBS/3-MPST-H2S pathway in its astrocytic toxicity. Toxicology. 2021, 451:152685
- Xu L, Wang X, Chen Y, Soong L, Chen Y, Cai J, Liang Y and Sun J. Metformin modulates T cell function and alleviates liver injury through bioenergetic regulation in viral hepatitis. Frontiers Immunol. 2021, 12:638575