SPEAKERS
Miao-Chih Tsai
AFFILIATION:
Cell Press, Cambridge, MA
POSITION TITLE:
Senior Editor of Molecular Cell
EDUCATION/TRAINING:
PH.D. (GENETICS) UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, CAMBRIDGE, UK.
Advisor: Dr. Julie Ahringer
Project: Investigation of early embryonic cell polarity in C. elegans 2002 – 2006
M.S. (BIOLOGY) NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY, TAIPEI, TAIWAN.
Advisor: Dr. Yi-Chun Wu
Project: Genetic and molecular analysis of ced-12 in C. elegans programmed
cell death 1998 – 2000
B.S. (BIOLOGY) NATIONAL TAIWAN NORMAL UNIVERSITY, TAIPEI, TAIWAN. 1992 – 1996
HONORS:
NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00) ($682,479; awarded 2011-
2016 but declined due to career transition).
Susan G. Komen Postdoctoral Fellowship ($180,000) 2009 – 2012
Taiwan National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship ($40,000) 2009 – 2010
Stanford University Dean's Fellowship ($40,000) 2008 – 2009
University of Cambridge Overseas Trust Scholarship 2002 – 2005
Corpus Christi College (University of Cambridge) Research Scholarship 2002 – 2005
Master of Science with Honors, National Taiwan University 2000
Dr. Da-Qui Chei Memorial Scholarship 1998 – 2000
Taiwanese Government Undergraduate Scholarship 1992 – 1996
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH: STANFORD UNIVERSITY / HHMI, STANFORD, USA.
ADVISOR: DR. HOWARD Y. CHANG
• Characterized the function of long noncoding RNAs and provided the first
proof of the scaffolding of chromatin modifiers as a mechanistic model for
this novel group of biological molecules.
• Discovered chromatin modifier genome-wide occupation sites by using
bioinformatic analysis of microarray and sequencing data.
• Studied the in vivo function of long noncoding RNAs using mouse genetic
models and embryonic stem cells.
• Identified RNA-protein interacting motifs by developing a new method for
RNA-protein immunoprecipitation. 2007 – 2011
Doctoral Research: University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Advisor: Dr. Julie Ahringer
• Performed genome-wide RNAi video recording screens in C. elegans to
search for genes involved in embryonic development.
• Solved a highly controversial question in the polarity field by demonstrating
the essential role of microtubules in the establishment of early C. elegans
embryonic polarity.
• Characterized a novel polarity gene, chp-1, and demonstrated its function in
the CDC37/HSP90 pathway. 2002 – 2006
Research Assistant: Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
Advisor: Dr. Yi-Ping Hsueh
• Studied the biochemical function of the NF1-associated protein complex in
mammalian neuronal development.
• Imaged neuronal migration in live rat brain tissues. 2000 – 2001
Master’s Research: National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Advisor: Dr. Yi-Chun Wu
• Analyzed the genetic and molecular function of the ced-12 gene in C.
elegans and discovered its role in cell death.
• Identified a novel engulfment and cell migration complex, CED-12/ELMO,
by characterizing CED-12 interacting proteins. 1998-2000
PUBLICATIONS:
Peer-Reviewed Research Papers:
1) Li L, Liu B, Wapinski OL, Tsai MC, Qu K, Zhang J, Carlson JC, Lin M, Fang F, Gupta RA, Helms JA,
Chang HY (2013) Targeted disruption of Hotair leads to homeotic transformation and gene
derepression. Cell Reports 5, 3-12
2) Marro S, Pang ZP, Yang N, Tsai MC, Qu K, Chang HY, Südhof TC, Wernig M. (2011) Direct lineage
conversion of terminally differentiated hepatocytes to functional neurons. Cell Stem Cell 9, 374-82.
3) Tsai MC, Manor, O., Wan, Y., Mosammaparast, N., Wang, J.K., Lan, F., Shi, Y., Segal, E., and
Chang, H.Y. (2010). Long noncoding RNA as modular scaffold of histone modification complexes.
Science 329, 689-693.
4) Gupta RA, Shah N, Wang KC, Kim J, Horlings HM, Wong DJ, Tsai MC, Hung T, Argani P, Rinn JL, et
al. (2010). Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR reprograms chromatin state to promote cancer metastasis.
Nature 464, 1071-1076.
5) Wang JK, Tsai MC, Poulin G, Adler AS, Chen S, Liu H, Shi Y, and Chang HY. (2010). The histone
demethylase UTX enables RB-dependent cell fate control. Genes Dev 24, 327-332.
6) Tsai MC, and Ahringer J. (2007). Microtubules are involved in anterior-posterior axis formation in C.
elegans embryos. J Cell Biol 179, 397-402.
7) Malone CJ, Misner L, Le Bot N, Tsai MC, Campbell JM, Ahringer J, and White JG. (2003). The C.
elegans hook protein, ZYG-12, mediates the essential attachment between the centrosome and
nucleus. Cell 115, 825-836.
8) Le Bot N, Tsai MC, Andrews RK, and Ahringer J. (2003). TAC-1, a regulator of microtubule length in
the C. elegans embryo. Curr Biol 13, 1499-1505.
9) Wu, YC, Tsai MC, Cheng LC, Chou CJ, and Weng NY (2001). C. elegans CED-12 acts in the
conserved crkII/DOCK180/Rac pathway to control cell migration and cell corpse engulfment. Dev Cell
1, 491-502.
Invited Reviews:
10) Chen F, Evans A, Gaskell E, Pham J, Tsai MC. (2011) Regulatory RNA: the new age. Mol Cell. 43,
851-2.
11) Spitale RC, Tsai MC, Chang HY. (2011) RNA templating the epigenome: long noncoding RNAs as
molecular scaffolds. Epigenetics. 6, 539-43.
12) Tsai MC, Spitale RC, Chang HY. (2011). Long intergenic non-coding RNAs - New links in cancer
progression. Cancer Research.71, 3-7.
13) Tsai MC, Wang JK, and Chang HY. (2010). Tumor suppression by the histone demethylase UTX. Cell Cycle 9, 2043-2044.