jiyang-cai
Jiyang Cai, PhD
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX, USA
Phone: (409) 772-3167
Email: jicai@utmb.edu

Education

Degree Year Field of Study Institution and Location
Ph.D 1994-1999   Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Biography

Jiyang Cai received his Ph.D. from Emory University where he majored in Molecular Therapeutics and Toxicology. He did his postdoctoral training at Yale Cancer Center with Dr. Alan Sartorelli. Prior to joining the UTMB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in 2012, he worked as an assistant professor at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute in Nashville, TN. As an independent investigator, Dr. Cai has published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers and has been awarded a number of grants from the National Institutes of Health and various private foundations.

Dr. Cai's research program is on mechanisms of aging and age-related degeneration in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The RPE is a single layer of epithelial cells lined between the neurosensory retina and choriocapillaris. It is part of the blood-retina barrier and is highly active in visual cycle-related metabolic functions. Degeneration of the RPE with aging is an initiating event in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and oxidative stress is considered as a major environmental risk factor of AMD.


Research Interest

Basic and translational research on age-related macular degeneration


Scientific Activities

Positions and Honors
2013 Faculty Scholarship Award, UTMB Ophthalmology
2005 Sybil Harrington Award, from Research to Prevent Blindness
2000 - 2002 Postdoctoral fellowship, from American Institute of Cancer Research
1999 ASBMB Graduate Student Travel Award
1998    Emory University Internationalization Fund

Publications

  1. Yang J, Liu X, Bhalla K, Kim CN, Ibrado AM, Cai J, Peng TI, Jones DP, Wang X.  Prevention of apoptosis by Bcl-2: release of cytochrome c from mitochondria blocked.  Science 1997; 275:1129-1132.
  2. Cai J, Jones DP.  Superoxide in apoptosis: mitochondrial generation triggered by cytochrome c loss.  J Biol Chem. 1998; 273:11401-11404.
  3. Samal A, Cai J, Zhivotovsky B, Jones DP, Orrenius S.  Presence of a pre-apoptotic complex of pro-caspase-3, Hsp 60 and Hsp 10 in the mitochondrial fraction of Jurkat cells.  EMBO J. 1999; 18:2040-2048.
  4. Nelson KC, Carlson J, Newman ML, Sternberg P Jr, Jones DP, Kavanagh TJ, Diaz D, Cai J, Wu M.  Effect of dietary inducer dimethylfumarate on glutathione in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1999; 40:1927-1935.
  5. Cai J, Wu M, Nelson K, Sternberg P Jr, Jones DP  Oxidant induced apoptosis in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1999; 40:959-966.
  6. Kirlin WG, Cai J, Delong MJ, Pattern EJ, Jones DP.  Cancer preventive phase 2 enzyme inducers activate cell death in HT 29 colon carcinoma cells.  J Nutri. 1999; 129:1827-1835.
  7. Jiang S, Cai J, Wallace DC, Jones DP.  Cytochrome c-mediated apoptosis in cells lacking mitochondrial DNA: signaling pathway involving release and caspase 3 activation is conserved.  J Biol Chem. 1999;274:29905-29911.
  8. Kirlin WG, Cai J, Thompson SA, Diaz D, Kavanagh TJ, Jones DP.  Glutathione Redox Potential during Differentiation and Enzyme Induction.  Free RadicBiol Med. 2000; 27:1208-1218.
  9. Jones DP, Carlson JL, Mody VC, Cai J, Lynn MJ, Sternberg P Jr.  Redox state of glutathione in human plasma.  Free RadicBiol Med. 2000; 28:625-635.
  10. Cai J, Wallace DC, Zhivotosky B, Jones DP.  Separation of cytochrome c-dependent caspase activation from thiol-disulfide redox change in cells lacking mitochondrial DNA.  Free RadicBiol Med. 2000;29:334-342.
  11. Chen Y, Cai J, Anders MW, Stevens J, Jones DP.  Role of mitochondrial dysfunction in S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (DCVC)-induced apoptosis.  ToxicolApplPharmacol. 2001; 170:172-180.
  12. Chen Y, Cai J, Murphey TJ, Jones DP.  Overexpressed human mitochondrial thioredoxin confers resistance to oxidant-induced apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells.  J Biol Chem. 2002; 277:33242-33246.
  13. Nelson KC, Armstrong JS, Moriarty S, Cai J, Wu MH, Sternberg P Jr, Jones DP.  Oltipraz, a cancer chemopreventive agent, protects retinal pigment epithelial cells from oxidative damage.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2002; 43:3550-3554.
  14. Cai J, Chen Y, Seth S, Frukawa S, Compans RW, Jones DP.  Inhibition of influenza infection by glutathione.  Free RadicBiol Med. 2003; 34:928-936.
  15. Kokoszka JE, Waymire KG, Levy SE, Sligh JE, Cai J, Jones DP, MacGregor GR, Wallace DC.  ANTs are not essential elements of the mitochondrial PT pore, but are required for its regulation.  Nature 2004;427:461-465.
  16. Cai J, Chen Y, Murphy TJ, Jones DP, Sartorelli AC.  Role of caspase activation in butyrate-induced terminal differentiation in HT 29 clon carcinoma cells.  Arch BiochemBiophys. 2004; 424:119-127.
  17. Adams BK, Cai J, Armstrong J, Herold M, Snyder JP, Liotta DC, Jones DP, Shoji M.  EF24, a novel synthetic curcumin analog, induces apoptosis in cancer cells via a redox-dependent mechanism.  Anticancer Drug 2005; 16:263-275.
  18. Jiang S, Moriarty-Craige SE, Orr M, Cai J, Sternberg P Jr, Jones DP.  Oxidant-induced apoptosis in human retinal pigment epithelial cells: dependence on extracellular redox state.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2005; 46:1054-1061.
  19. Ha N, Chen Y, Cai J, Sternberg P Jr.  Increased Glutathione Synthesis through an ARE-Nrf2 Dependent Pathway by Zinc in the RPE: Implication for Protection against Oxidative Stress.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006; 47:2709-2715.
  20. Chen Y, Kirlin WG, Jones DP, Sartorelli AC, Cai J.  Overexpression of heat shock factor 1 inhibits butyrate-induced differentiation in colon cancer cells.  Cell Stress Chaperones. 2006; 11:199-207.
  21. Chen Y, Yu M, Greenamyre JT, Jones DP, Cai J.  Protection against oxidant-induced apoptosis by mitochondrial thioredoxin in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.  ToxicolApplPharmacol. 2006;216:256-262.
  22. Chen Y, Jones DP, Cai J.  Redox regulation of oxidant-induced cell death, the role of mitochondrial thioredoxin.  FEBS Lett. 2006; 580:6596-6602.
  23. Jiang G, Tidwell K, McLaughlin BA, Cai J, Gupta RC, Milatovic D, Nass R, Aschner M.  Neurotoxic potential of depleted uranium-effects in primary cortical neuron cultures and in Caenorhabditis elegans.  Toxicol Sci. 2007;99:553-565.
  24. Jiang S, Moriarty-Craige SE, Lynn M, Li C, Cai J, Jones DP, Sternberg P.  Association of plasma soluble Fas ligand with aging and age-related macular degeneration.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008; 49:1345-1349.
  25. Rezaei KA., Chen Y, Cai J, Sternberg P.  Zip2, a zinc transporter protein, modulates Nrf2-dependent antioxidant functions in the RPE.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008; 49:1665-1670.
  26. Wang L, Chen Y, Sternberg P, Cai J.  Essential Roles of the PI3 kinase/Akt pathway in Regulating Nrf2-dependent Antioxidant Functions in the RPE.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008; 49:1671-1678.
  27. Chen Y, Sternberg P, Cai J.  Characterization of a Bcl-XL interacting protein, FKBP8 and its splicing variant in human RPE cells.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008; 49:1721-1727.
  28. Chen Y, Go YM, Jones DP, Cai J.  Increased mitochondrial thioredoxin potentiate N-ethylmaleimide-induced cytotoxicity.  Chem Res Toxicol. 2008; 21:1205-1210.
  29. He M, Cai J, Go YM, Johnson JM, Martin WD, Hansen JM, Jones DP.  Identification of thioredoxin-2 as a regulator of the mitochondrial permeability transition.  Toxicol Sci. 2008; 105:44-50.
  30. Wang L, Jiang HY, Aschner M, Cai J.  Nrf2-dependent antioxidant system and methylmercury toxicity in astrocytes.  Toxicol Sci. 2009;107:135-143.
  31. Chen J, Wang L, Chen Y, Sternberg P, Cai J.  Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase pathway controls 4-hydryoxy-2-nonenal-induced oxidative injury in the RPE.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009;50:936-942.
  32. Ni M, Li X, Yin Z, Jiang H, Sidoryk-Wgrzynowicz M, Milatovic D, Cai J and Aschner M.  Methylmercury induces acute oxidative stress, altering Nrf2 protein level in primary microglial cells.  Toxicol Sci.  2010;116:590-603.
  33. Chen Y, Wang J, Cai J and Sternberg P.  Altered mTOR Signaling in Senescent Retinal Pigment Epithelium.  Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2010; 51:5314-5319.
  34. Rezaei KA, Toma HS, Cai J, Penn JS, Sternberg P and Kim SJ.  Reduced choroidal neovascular membrane formation in cyclooxygenase-2 null mice.  Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2011;52:701-707.
  35. Stankowski JN, Zeiger SL, Cohen EL, DeFranco DB, Cai J and McLaughlin BM.  C-terminus of HSC70 interacting protein increases following stroke and impairs survival against acute oxidative stress.  Antioxidant Redox Signaling 2011; 14:1787-1801.
  36. Zhao ZY, Chen Y, Wang J, Sternberg P, Freeman ML, Grossniklaus HE and Cai J.  Age-related retinopathy in Nrf2-deficient mice.  PLoS One 2011;6:e19456
  37. Brantley MA, Osborn MP, Sanders BJ, Rezaei KA, Lu P, Li C, Milne GL, Cai J and Sternberg P.  Plasma biomarkers of oxidative stress and genetic variants in age-related macular degeneration.  Am J Ophthalmol 2012;153:460-467.
  38. Brantley MA, Osborn MP, Sanders BJ, Rezaei KA, Lu P, Li C, Milne GL, Cai J and Sternberg P.  The short term effects of antioxidant and zinc supplements on oxidative stress biomarker levels in plasma: a pilot investigation.  Am J Ophthalmol 2012; 153:1104-1109.
  39. Jiang T, Chang Q, Zhao Z, Yan S, Wang L, Cai J and Xu G.  Melatonin-mediated cytoprotection against hyperglycemic injury in Muller cells.  PLoS One 2012; 7:e50661.
  40. Han W, Li H, Cai J, Gleaves LA, Polosukhin W, Segal BH, Yull FE and Blackwell TS. NADPH oxidase limits lipopolysaccharide-induced lung inflammation and injury in mice through reduction-oxidation regulation of NFkB activity. J. Immunol. 2013;190,4786-4794
  41. Zhao Z, Xu P, Jie Z, Zuo Y, Yu B, Soong L, Sun J, Chen Y and Cai J.   T cells as a major source of IL-17 production during age-dependent RPE degeneration. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2014;55:6580-6589
  42. Yu B, Xu P, Zhao Z, Cai J, Sternberg P and Chen Y.  Subcellular distribution and activity of mechanistic target of rapamycin in aged retinal pigment epithelium. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2014;55:8638-8650
  43. Fang Y, Guo C, Zhang P, Zhao W, Wang S, Xing G, Shi H, Lu J, Peng W, Feng Y, Cai J, Aschner M and Lu R.  Role of autophagy in methylmercury-induced neurotoxicity in rat primary astrocytes. Arch. Toxicol. 2014;12:1-13
  44. Jiang T, Chang Q, Cai J, Fan J, Zhang X, Xu G.  Protective effects of melatonin on retinal inflammation and oxidative stress in experimental diabetic retinopathy.  Oxidative Med Cell Longevity 2016;3528274

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