Date: Aug 27, 2010
(update annually)
Vita
Ni Song
Assistant Professor
Department of Arts and Sciences
Lamar State College-Orange
410 Front Street
Orange, Texas 77630
Office Phone: 409/882-3914
E-mail address: [email protected]
Education
B.S., Biology, 2001, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Ph.D., Molecular and Developmental Biology, 2007, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.
Licensures and Certifications
Certificate of Completion of Responsible Conduct of Research Seminar Series. The University of
Texas M.D. Anderson Postdoctoral Association, 2010.
Honors and Awards
Best Question Prize at Developmental Sciences Annual Retreat, Division of Developmental
Biology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 2006.
Richard A. Akeson Fellowship Traveling Award, Richard A. Akeson Fellowship Fund, Division of
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. 2004 & 2007.
University Graduate Scholarship, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA. 2001~2002,
2002~2003, 2003~2004, 2004~2005, 2005~2006, 2006~2007.
Hubei Province Outstanding Student Award, Hubei Province Department of Education, Hubei,
China, 2001.
The First Prize in Hubei Province 2000 College Students’ outstanding Scientific Research
Achievement Contest, Hubei Province Department of Education, Hubei, China, 2000.
Outstanding Student award and People’s Scholarship, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
1998~1999, 1999~2000, 2000~2001.
Association Memberships
Member of the Society for Developmental Biology USA. 2005~2008.
Professional Experience
1999-2000: Undergraduate Research Assistant, Division of Plant Systematic and Evolutionary
Biology, College of Life Sciences Wuhan University, China. Advisor: Dr. Shuang-Quan Huang,
Participated in evolutionary studies on an Andromonoecious plant, Sagittaria Guyanensis.
2000 – 2001: Undergraduate Research Assistant, Division of Microbiology, College of Life
Sciences, Wuhan University, China. Advisor: Dr. Ping Shen; Participated cloning and expression
study on a tyrosinase-encoding gene mel from Pseudomonas maltophilia.
2001 – 2007: Graduate Research Assistant, Division of Developmental Biology and Department of
Ophthalmology, Cincinnati, Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Mentor: Dr. Richard A. Lang;
Initiated in vivo studies of a novel gene Pygopus 2 function in tissue interaction of mouse
embryonic lens development.
2009 – 2010: Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Genetics, University of Texas M.D.
Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Studied pluripotency of mouse Embryonic Stem cells
and roles of transcriptional repressor REST in tumorigenesis. Supervisor: Dr. Sadhan Majumder
2010 – current: Assistant Professor, Department of Arts and Sciences, Lamar State College –
Orange, Orange, TX. Instructing Anatomy and Physiology lecture and lab. Supervisor: Dr. Mike
McNair
Research Interests
Stem cells and cancer, teratoma and teratocarcinoma, vertebrate eye development,
Transcriptional regulation, cell signaling, microRNAs, Extracellular Matrix, mouse models.
Current Research
My current research involves the transcriptional repressor REST/NRSF (the Repressor Element1Silencing Transcription factor/Neuron-Restrictive Silencer Factor) and its role in mouse embryonic
stem cell self renewal and pluripotency. We focus on the influence of various culture conditions on
REST mediated pathway of maintaining ES cell self renewal and testing Rest Function in
maintaining ES cell pluripotency in vivo.
Teaching Experience
Instructor for Anatomy and Physiology lecture and lab, Department of Arts and Sciences, Lamar
State College – Orange, Orange, TX, 2010 to present
Provided laboratory research training for a first-year graduate student in Dr. Richard A. Lang’s lab.
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH. 2007
Co-supervised a session of the graduate course of Developmental Biology with Dr. Richard A.
Lang, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH. 2006 Autumn Quarter.
Tutor for the class of 2000 Pharmacology Major in Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China, 20002001
Professional Presentations
Invited talk: Does REST maintain self-renewal and pluripotency of mouse embryonic stem cells?
The Mouse Club of Department of Genetics at MD Anderson Cancer Center, 6/29/2010, Houston,
TX.
Poster: More Dimensions of Embryonic Stem Cell Pluripotency Regulated by REST. Annual
Retreat of Department of Genetics at MD Anderson Cancer Center, 3/26/2010, Houston, TX
Invited talk: Genetic analysis of eye development using mouse models. Huazhong University of
Science & Technology, 2009. Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Poster: Pygopus2 has a crucial, Wnt pathway-independent function in lens induction. Society of
Developmental Biology Mid-atlantic Regional Meeting, 2007. Princeton, NJ, USA.
Publications and Papers
Song N, Lang RA. Eye Development Using Mouse Genetics. (2008) Book Chapter, Animal Models
in Eye Research, Pages 120-133, Elsevier Ltd.
Song N, Schwab KR, Patterson LT, Yamaguchi T, Lin X, Potter SS, and Lang RA. Pygopus2 has a
critical, Wnt pathway-independent function in lens induction. (2007) Development 134, 1873-1885.
Schwab KR, Patterson LT, Hartman HA, Song N, Lang RA, Lin X, and Potter SS. Pygo1 and
Pygo2 roles in Wnt signaling in mammalian kidney development. (2007) BMC Biology 5, 15.
Smith AN, Miller LA, Song N, Taketo MM and Lang RA. The duality of β-catenin function: A
requirement in lens morphogenesis and signaling suppression of lens fate. (2005) Developmental
Biology 285(2): 477-89.
Gotoh N, Ito M, Yamamoto S, Yoshino I, Song N, Wang Y, Lax I, Schlessinger J, Shibuya M and
for induction of lens and retina. (2004) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (PNAS) 101: 17144-17149.
References
Richard A. Lang, PhD, Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Division of Developmental
Biology, The Children's Hospital Research Foundation, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229
James Wells, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Developmental Biology, The Children's
Hospital Research Foundation, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229
S. Steven Potter, PhD, Professor, Division of Developmental Biology, The Children's Hospital
Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229