Yi RAO

Email: yrao(at)pku(dot)edu(dot)cn；

Research Area:

1）New Neurotransmitters
It is generally assumed that most of small molecule neurotransmitters have been discovered by the 1970, and most neuropeptides by the 1980s. However, small molecule transmitters were usually assayed by their effects on peripheral tissues. It was possible that some transmitters act only on central but not peripheral target. Since 2011, the Rao lab has been using the biochemical and chemical biological approaches to search for new transmitters in the brain.

2）New Endogenous Ligands for GPCRs and Their Functions.
G protein -coupled receptors are the largest family of transmembrane receptors and account for the targets of more than 30% of currently approved prescription drugs. The endogenous ligands for a fraction of GPCRs are unknown. The Ra lab search for endogenous ligands of GPCRs, study their roles in physiological and pathological processes, and based on these, design drugs and therapeutic strategies.

3）Protein Kinases in Physiology and Pathogenesis.
Protein kinases are important molecules in signal transduction and biological regulation. They are also among the top 5 targets of currently approved drugs. The Rao takes the biochemical approach to discover kinases upstream of important proteins, study their function and use the regulator relationships to design new drugs.

4）Molecular Mechanisms of Important Physiological Processes.
The Rao lab takes genetic, molecular biological and biochemical approaches to uncover new genes and other new molecules, study their functional roles in important physiological processes.

5）Molecular Pathogenesis and Molecular Therapeutics of Important Diseases.
The Rao lab, by discovering new molecules and new functions of known molecules, assisted by artificial intelligence, try to understand molecular mechanisms of important diseases, and use knowledge thus gained, and aided by artificial intelligence, design drugs for treatment.

The Rao lab invents new technologies and tools, explores new methods for treating diseases.

Selected Publications:

1) Li HS, Chen JH, Wu W, Fagaly T, Yuan WL, Zhou L, Dupuis S, Jiang Z, Nash W, Gick C, Ornitz D, Wu JY and Rao Y (1999). Vertebrate Slit, a secreted ligand for the transmembrane protein Roundabout, is a repellent for olfactory bulb axons. Cell 96:807-818.

2) Wu W, Wong K, Chen JH, Jiang ZH, Dupuis S, Wu JY and Rao Y (1999). Directional guidance of neuronal migration in the olfactory system by the secreted protein Slit. Nature 400:331-336.

3) Wong K, Ren X-R, Huang Y-Z, Xie Y, Liu G, Saito H, Tang H, Wen L, Brady-Kalnay SM, Mei L, Wu JY, Xiong W-C and Rao Y (2001). Signal transduction in neuronal migration: roles of GTPase activating proteins and the small GTPase Cdc42 in the Slit-Robo pathway. Cell 107:209-221.

4) Jiang H, Guo W, Liang XH and Y Rao (2005). Both the establishment and the maintenance of neuronal polarity require active mechanisms: critical roles of GSK-3 and its upstream regulators. Cell 120:123-135.

5) Zhou C, Rao Y and Rao Y (2008). A subset of octopaminergic neurons are important for Drosophila aggression. Nat Neurosci 11:1059-1067.

6) Liu Y, Jiang Y, Si Y, Kim J-Y, Chen Z-F and Rao Y (2011). Molecular regulation of sexual preference revealed by genetic studies of 5-HT in the brain of male mice. Nature 472:95-99.

7) Liu WW, Liang XH, Li YN, Gong JX, Yang Z, Zhang YH, Zhang JX and Rao Y (2011). Social regulation of aggression mediated by pheromonal activation of Or65a olfactory receptor neurons in Drosophila. Nat Neurosci 7:896-902.

8) Deng BW, Li Q, Liu XX, Cao Y, Li BF, Qian YJ, Xu R, Mao RB, Zhou EX, Zhang WX, Huang J and Rao Y (2019) Chemoconnectomics: mapping chemical transmission in Drosophila. Neuron 101:876-893.

9) Liu Y, Shan L, Liu T, Li J, Chen YC, Sun CH, Yang CJ, Bian XL, Niu YY, Zhang C, Xi JZ and Rao Y (2023) Molecular and cellular mechanisms of the first social relationship: a conserved role of 5-HT from mice to monkeys, upstream of oxytocin. Neuron 111:1468-1685.

10) Yu J, Wang TV, Gao R, Li CG, Liu HJ, Yang L, Liu YX, Cui YF, Chen RP and Rao Y (2025). Calcineurin: an essential regulator of sleep revealed by biochemical, chemical biological, and genetic approaches. Cell Chem Biol 32:1-17 (bioRxiv 2023.06.19.545643).