Yin Yao Dong

N-glycosylation is one of the most common forms of post-translational modification, and is present on most membrane and secreted proteins. It is essential to all eukaryotic life, yet we know little about the function of the vast majority of N-linked glycans. Mutations that lead to abnormalities in N-glycosylation can lead to the devastating multisystem disorder Congenital Diseases of Glycosylation (CDG) or the milder Congenital Myasthenic Syndromes (CMS), where patients mainly suffer from dysfunctional neuromuscular junctions.

The focus of my group's research is to better understand the process of N-glycosylation, and why abnormalities in this ubiquitous process can lead to the specific dysfunction in neuromuscular junctions. To achieve this, we use a multidisciplined approach combining techniques in biochemistry, structural biology, molecular biology and glycomics.