Terry P. Yamaguchi, Ph.D.
- Center for Cancer Research
- National Cancer Institute
- Building 560, Room 21-22
- Frederick, MD 21701-1201
- 301- 846-1732
- yamagute@mail.nih.gov
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Dr. Yamaguchi studies how intercellular signals control embryonic development. His recent studies of the Wnt family of signaling molecules have provided a new understanding of how Wnts regulate the transcription of target genes to control the fate of embryonic and adult stem cells.
Dr. Yamaguchi’s lab emphasizes innovative genetic and genome-wide approaches to elucidate the gene regulatory networks that transduce Wnt signals in stem cells, and is developing new animal models of Wnt pathway-dependent intestinal tumorigenesis.
Areas of Expertise
Terry P. Yamaguchi, Ph.D.
Research
The Role of Wnts in Vertebrate Development and Cancer
Our laboratory is interested in understanding how intercellular signals control embryonic development. Wnts are powerful secreted signaling molecules that control the growth, differentiation and movement of embryonic and adult cells. Wnts exert their effects on cellular behavior, at least in part, by stimulating biochemical pathways that control gene expression. Genetic mutations in components of the Wnt signaling pathway can lead to unrestrained signaling and cancer.
It has become increasingly clear that Wnts can regulate the growth and differentiation of embryonic and adult stem cells, and that sustained Wnt signaling can promote tumorigenesis by maintaining adult stem cells.
We are currently focused on identifying and understanding the function of the target genes of Wnt signaling during early embryonic development. We are taking genetic and genome-wide approaches to transcriptionally profile embryos lacking Wnt gene function. We are particularly interested in addressing how stem cell potency and lineage determination are regulated by Wnt signals.
Our studies have led to the identification of many new genes that are implicated in the regulation of epiblast pluripotency and the formation of multipotent mesoderm progenitors. Remarkably, a screen of adult intestinal stem cells for expression of our embryonic Wnt target genes revealed several genes whose expression was common to these disparate stem cell populations. Many of these genes were also highly expressed in intestinal tumors caused by deregulated Wnt signaling.
Future studies will focus on the roles that specific Wnt target transcription factors play in the transduction of the Wnt signals that regulate embryo stem cell development and intestinal tumorigenesis.
Publications
- Bibliography Link
- View Dr. Yamaguchi's PubMed Summary.
Biography
Terry P. Yamaguchi, Ph.D.
Dr. Terry Yamaguchi received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto where, with Dr. Janet Rossant, he studied the function of FGF and VEGF signaling pathways in mouse and embryonic stem cell development. He began studying the Wnt family of signaling molecules while an International Human Frontier Science Program Fellow and Medical Research Council of Canada Fellow with Dr. Andrew P. McMahon at Harvard University. Dr. Yamaguchi joined the Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory in 2000, where he has established the Cell Signaling in Vertebrate Development Section.
Job Vacancies
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Team
News
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Alumni
| Name | Title | Current Position/Affiliation |
| Erynn McKenzie Layman, M.D. | Postbac IRTA | Physician, Internal Medicine, McGuire VA Medical Center |
| Tadasuke Tsukiyama, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Fellow | Assistant Professor, Hokkaido University, Japan |
| Arica Beisaw, Ph.D. | Summer Intern | Postdoctoral Fellow, D. Stainier Lab, Max Planck Institute, Germany |
| Kenya Lyons, MD | Postbac IRTA | Physician, Stanford University Medical School, UCSD, Family Medicine Residency |
| Jaime Bryant, M.B.A. | Animal Technician | Admin. Dir., Laboratory Animal Sciences Program, Frederick National Lab, MD |
| Rieko Ajima, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Fellow | Assistant Professor, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan |
| Masaaki Nakaya, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Fellow | Assistant Professor, Yokohama City University, Japan |
| William Dunty, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Fellow | Program Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, MD |
| Mark Kennedy, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Fellow | Staff Scientist, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Frederick, MD |
| Robert Garriock, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Fellow | NETE Senior Program Analyst, Office of Extramural Research, NIH, MD |
| Ayşegül Dogan, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Fellow | Assistant Professor, Yeditepe University, Turkey |
| Kristin Biris, B.S. | Laboratory Tech | Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, NIH, MD |
| Aldo Giaimo, B.S. | WHK SIP Student | U. Cincinnati College of Medicine |
| John Lee, B.S. | Summer Intern | UVA, School of Pharmacy, Pharmacy Resident, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD |
| Lauren Canizales | Summer Intern | Brigham Young University |
| Nikita Salker, B.S. | WHK SIP Student | UMD School of Medicine |
| Jessica Grisez, B.S. | WHK SIP Student | UMD, College Park, MD |
| Holly Mordoff | WHK SIP Student | UNCG |
| Rebecca Matthews, B.S. | Summer Intern | Research Associate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD |
| Melissa Kim, B.S. | Postbac IRTA | U. Penn Grad. School, Philadelphia, PA |
| Matthew Koury, B.S. | Postbac IRTA | Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, PA |
| Akhil Kapoor | WHK SIP Student | Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD |
| Surabhi Bhat | WHK SIP Student | UMBC, Baltimore, MD |
| Margaret Chu | WHK SIP Student | UMD, College Park, MD |
| Audrey Badjouen | WHK SIP Student | Carleton College, Northfield, MN |
| Iman Mansoor | WHK SIP Student | UMD, College Park, MD |
| Marissa Gredler | Research Fellow | Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
Gallery
Haley's Goodbye dinner- May 2025
L-R- Haley, Sara, Ryan, Moonsup, Terry, Enguun, Ravi
Haley Tran at the 2025 NIH Postbac Poster Day received the Outstanding Poster Award
Yamaguchi Lab-May 2025
Saying goodbye to Tran and Meadow, 2024-2025 WHKSIP students
L-R: Tran Ngo, Meadow Morris, Sara Thoma, Moonsup Lee, Terry Yamaguchi, Ryan Kelly, Haley Tran, Ravindra Chalamalasetty
Marissa’s goodbye dinner- Fall 2024
L-R: Terry Yamaguchi, Ravindra Chalamalasetty, Ryan Kelly, Marissa Gredler, Haley Tran, Sara Thomas
Tran Ngo, WHK HS Intern - Presenting her project at the NCI-F SIP Poster Day event, Aug. 1, 2024
Meadow Morris, WHK HS Intern - Presenting her project at the NCI-Frederick SIP Poster Day event, Aug 1, 2024
Yamaguchi Lab - December 2021
L-R: Ruby Schnirman, Ravindra Chalamalasetty, Samuel Kuo, Sarah Thomas, Terry Yamaguchi, Ryan Kelly, Nikolaos Mandalos
Yamaguchi Lab 2018-2019
Back Row (L-R): Terry Yamaguchi, Matt Koury
Front Row (L-R): Ravindra Chalamalasetty, Sara Thomas, Melissa Kim, Nikolaos Mandalos