Molecular signaling mechanisms controlling epidermal and hair follicle development, maintenance, and aging.
Research interests include:
hair follicle formation and hair loss, primary cilia, hedgehog signaling, proteoglycans, and intracellular trafficking.
Representative Publications
Choi YJ, Hwang S, Lee C, Zeng H, Chen X, Jo U, Kim H, Liu A, Park D, Wallingford JB, Chen J (2025). Identification of conserved residues essential for the ciliogenic functions of WDPCP. Dis Model Mech 18:dmm052149.
Liu Y, Chen X, Choi YJ, Yang N, Song Z, Snedecor ER, Liang W, Leung EL, Zhang L, Qin C, Chen J (2021). GORAB promotes embryonic lung maturation through antagonizing AKT phosphorylation, versican expression and mesenchymal cell migration. FASEB J 34:4918-4933.
Choi YJ, Laclef C, Yang N, Andreu-Cervera A, Lewis J, Mao X, Li L, Snedecor ER, Takemaru KI, Qin C, Schneider-Maunoury S, Shroyer KR, Hannun YA, Koch PJ, Clark RA, Payne AS, Kowalczyk AP, Chen J (2019). RPGRIP1L is required for stabilizing epidermal keratinocyte adhesion through regulating desmoglein endocytosis. PLOS Genet 15:e1007914.
Yang N, Leung EL, Liu C, Li L, Eguether T, Jun Yao XJ, Jones EC, Norris DA, Liu A, Clark RA, Roop DR, Pazour GJ, Shroyer KR, Chen J (2017). INTU is essential for oncogenic Hh signaling through regulating primary cilia formation in basal cell carcinoma. Oncogene 36:4997-5005.
Liu Y, Snedecor ER, Zhang X, Xu Y, Huang L, Jones EC, Zhang L, Clark RA, Roop DR, Qin C and Chen J (2016). Correction of hair shaft defects through allele-specific silencing of mutant Krt75. J Invest Dermatol 136:45-51.
Yang N, Li L, Eguether T, Sundberg JP, Pazour GJ and Chen J (2015). Intraflagellar transport 27 (IFT27) is essential for Hedgehog signaling but dispensable for ciliogenesis during hair follicle morphogenesis. Development 142:2194-202.
Snedecor ER, Sung C, Moncayo A, Rothstein BE, Mockler DC, Tonnesen MG, Jones EC, Fujita M, Clark RA, Shroyer KR and Chen J (2015). Loss of primary cilia in melanoma cells is likely independent of proliferation and cell cycle progression. J Invest Dermatol 135:1456-8.
Dai D, Li L, Guevara E, Zeng H, Huebner A, Claypool D, Liu A and Chen J (2013). Intu regulates cell fate-specific differentiation of keratinocytes through the primary cilia. Cell Death Differ 20:130-138.