University of California-San Diego · BiologyZou AxonLab
Yimin Zou · La Jolla, California
Research Focus
Yimin Zou's research lab focuses on understanding how axons and dendrites grow and connect to form neural circuits. They study the Wnt signaling pathway, which plays a critical role in guiding these growth processes, especially after spinal cord injuries. By uncovering the mechanisms of axon guidance, the lab aims to contribute to repairing nervous system functions lost due to injury or neurodegenerative diseases.
Wnt Signalingaxon guidanceneural circuitsspinal cord injuryplanar cell polarityaxon regenerationsynapse formationneurodevelopment
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate how planar cell polarity components create asymmetric signaling for growth cone guidance.
AIM 02Examine interactions between Wnt/PCP, canonical Wnt, and Shh pathways in axon guidance.
AIM 03Assess the role of Wnt/PCP signaling in promoting recovery following spinal cord injuries.
Skills the Lab Values
CRISPRcell culturemouse modelsDrosophila geneticsimmunofluorescenceaxon tracingWestern blotRNA sequencinganimal behavior assays
Output against the department
Publications117bottom 42% of dept.599th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations6.6kbottom 47% of dept.552nd of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.