KING-WAI YAU
Degrees:
A.B. in physics, Princeton University; University Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa
Ph.D. in neurobiology, Harvard University
1971
1975
Positions:
Research Fellow, Neurobiology, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
1976 - 79
Research Fellow, Physiological Laboratory, Cambridge, England
1979 - 80
Assistant/Associate Professor, Physiology & Biophysics, UTMB Galveston 1980 - 85
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
1986 - 04
Professor, Neuroscience and Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins Sch. of Med.
1986-
Honors:
Rank Prize in Optoelectronics, Rank Prize Funds, United Kingdom
1980
Distinguished Faculty Research Award, UTMB Galveston
1986
MERIT Award, National Eye Institute, NIH
1992 - 02
Friedenwald Award, Assoc. Research Vision & Ophthalmology (ARVO)
1993
Alcon Award in Vision Research (twice and maximum number)
1994, 2005
Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Elected 1995
Magnes Prize, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
1996
Teacher of the Year, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
2004
Ruth and Milton Steinbach Award, Klingenstein Foundation
2004
Balazs Prize, International Society for Eye Research (ISER)
2006
António Champalimaud Vision Award, Portugal (Inaugural Research Award)
2008
Member, National Academy of Sciences, USA
Elected 2010
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Yau, K.-W., Lamb, T.D. and Baylor, D.A. (1977). Light-induced fluctuations in the membrane current
of single toad rod outer segments. Nature 269, 78-80.
Yau, K.-W., Matthews, G. and Baylor, D.A. (1979). Thermal activation of the visual transduction
mechanism in retinal rods. Nature 279, 785-786.
McNaughton, P.A., Yau, K.-W. and Lamb, T.D. (1980). Spread of activation and desensitization in rod
outer segments. Nature 283, 85-87.
Yau, K.-W., McNaughton, P.A. and Hodgkin, A.L. (1981). The effect of ions on the light-sensitive
current in retinal rods. Nature 292, 502-505.
Yau, K.-W. and Nakatani, K. (1984). Cation selectivity of the light-sensitive conductance in toad rods.
Nature 309, 352-354.
Yau, K.-W. and Nakatani, K. (1984). Electrogenic Na-Ca exchange in retinal rod outer segment. Nature
311, 661-663.
Yau, K.-W. and Nakatani, K. (1985). Light-induced reduction in cytoplasmic free Ca in retinal rod outer
segment. Nature 313, 579-582.
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Haynes, L. and Yau, K.-W. (1985). Cyclic GMP-sensitive conductance in fish cone outer segment
membrane. Nature 317, 61-64.
Yau, K.-W. and Nakatani, K. (1985). Light-suppressible, cGMP-sensitive conductance in the plasma
membrane of an isolated, dialyzed rod outer segment. Nature 317, 252-255.
Haynes, L., Kay, A.R. and Yau, K.-W. (1986). Single cGMP-activated channel activity in excised
patches of rod outer segment membrane. Nature 321, 66-70.
Nakatani, K. and Yau, K.-W. (1988). Calcium and light adaptation in retinal rods and cones. Nature 334,
69-71.
Yau, K.-W. and Baylor, D.A. (1989). Cyclic GMP-activated conductance of retinal photoreceptor cells.
Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 12, 289-327.
Tamura, T., Nakatani, K. and Yau, K.-W. (1989). Light adaptation in cat retinal rods. Science 245, 755758.
Dhallan, R.S., Yau, K.-W., Schrader, K.A. and Reed, R.R. (1990). Primary structure and functional
expression of a cyclic nucleotide-activated channel from olfactory neurons. Nature 347, 184-187.
Peng, Y.-W., Sharp, A.H., Snyder, S.H. and Yau, K.-W. (1991). Localization of the inositol 1,4,5trisphosphate receptor in the vertebrate retina. Neuron 6, 525-531.
Peng, Y.-W., Robishaw, J.D., Levine, M.A. and Yau, K.-W. (1992). Retinal rods and cones have distinct
G-protein  and  subunits. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 10882-10886.
Chen, T.-Y., Peng, Y.-W., Dhallan, R.S., Ahamed, B., Reed, R.R. and Yau, K.-W. (1993). A new
subunit of the cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel in retinal rods. Nature 362, 764-767.
Kurahashi, T. and Yau, K.-W. (1993). Co-existence of cationic and chloride components in the odorantinduced current of vertebrate olfactory receptor cells. Nature 363, 71-74.
Huang, R.-C., Peng, Y.-W., and Yau, K.-W. (1993). Zinc modulation of a transient potassium current
and histochemical localization of the metal in neurons of suprachiasmatic nucleus. Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA 90, 11806-11810.
Kurahashi, T. and Yau, K.-W. (1994). An unusual chloride current in olfactory transduction. Current
Biology 4, 256-258.
Yau, K.-W. (1994). Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels: an expanding new family of ion channels. Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91, 3481-3483.
Chen, T.-Y. and Yau, K.-W. (1994). Direct modulation by Ca2+-calmodulin of cyclic nucleotideactivated channel of rat olfactory receptor neurons. Nature 368, 545-548.
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Liu, M.-Y., Chen, T.-Y., Ahamed, B., Li, J. and Yau, K.-W. (1994). Calcium-calmodulin modulation of
the olfactory cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel. Science 266, 1348-1354.
Dryja, T.P., Finn, J.T., Peng, Y.-W., McGee, T.L., Berson, E.L. and Yau, K.-W. (1995). Mutations in
the gene encoding the -subunit of the rod cGMP-gated channel in autosomal recessive retinitis
pigmentosa. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 92, 10177-10181.
Finn, J.T., Grunwald, M.E. and Yau, K.-W. (1996). Cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels: an extended
family with diverse functions. Annu. Rev. Physiol. 58, 395-426.
Peng, Y.-W., Rhee, S.G., Yu, W.-P., Ho, Y.-K., Schoen, T.S., Chader, G. J. and Yau, K.-W. (1997).
Identification of components of a phosphoinositide signaling pathway in retinal rod outer
segments. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 1995-2000.
Finn, J.T., Solessio, E. and Yau, K.-W. (1997). A cGMP-gated channel in depolarizing photoreceptors
of the lizard parietal eye. Nature 385, 815-819.
Xiong, W.H., Solessio, E.C. and Yau, K.-W. (1998). An unusual cGMP pathway underlying
depolarizing light response of the vertebrate parietal-eye photoreceptor. Nature Neurosci. 1, 359365.
Krautwurst, D., Yau, K.-W. and Reed, R.R. (1998). Identification of ligands for olfactory receptors by
functional expression of a receptor library. Cell 95, 917-926.
Grunwald, M.E., Zhong, H., Lai, J. and Yau, K.-W. (1999). Molecular determinants of the modulation
of cyclic-nucleotide-activated channels by calmodulin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 1344413449.
Munger, S.D., Lane, A.P., Zhong, H., Leinders-Zufall, T., Yau, K.-W., Zufall, F. and Reed, R.R. (2001).
Central role of the CNGA4 channel subunit in Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent odor adaptation.
Science 294, 2172-2175.
Bradley, J., Frings, S., Yau, K.-W. and Reed, R.R. (2001). Nomenclature for ion channel subunits.
Science 294, 2095-2096.
Hattar, S., Liao, H.-W., Takao, M., Berson, D.M. and Yau, K.-W. (2002). Melanopsin-containing retinal
ganglion cells: architecture, projections and intrinsic photosensitivity. Science 295, 1065-1070.
Sun, H., Tsunenari, T., Yau, K.-W. and Nathans, J. (2002). Bestrophin, the protein product of the
vitelliform macular dystrophy gene, defines a new family of chloride channels. Proc. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA 99, 4008-4013.
Zhong, H., Molday, L.L., Molday, R.S. and Yau, K.-W. (2002). The heteromeric cyclic nucleotide-gated
channel adopts a 3A:1B stoichiometry. Nature 420, 193-198.
Lucas, R.J., Hattar, S., Takao, M., Berson, D.M., Foster, R.G. and Yau, K.-W. (2003). Diminished
pupillary light reflex at high irradiances in melanopsin-knockout mice. Science 299, 245-247.
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Zhong, H., Lai, J. and Yau, K.-W. (2003). Selective heteromeric assembly of cyclic nucleotide-gated
channels. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 5509-5513.
Hattar, S., Lucas, R.J., Mrosovsky, N., Thompson, S., Douglas, R.H., Hankins, M.W., Lem, J., Biel, M.,
Hofmann, F., Foster, R.G. and Yau, K.-W. (2003). Melanopsin and rod-cone photoreceptive
systems account for all major accessory visual functions in mice. Nature 424, 76-81.
Kefalov, V., Fu, Y., Marsh-Armstrong, N. and Yau, K.-W. (2003). Role of visual pigment properties in
rod and cone phototransduction. Nature 425, 526-531.
Dacey, D.M., Liao, H.-W., Peterson, B.B., Robinson, F.R., Smith, V.C., Pokorny, J., Yau, K.-W. and
Gamlin, P.D. (2005). Melanopsin-expressing ganglion cells in primate retina signal color and
irradiance and project to the LGN. Nature 433, 749-754.
Kefalov, V.J., Estevez, M.E., Kono, M., Goletz, P.W., Crouch, R.K., Cornwall, M.C. and Yau, K.-W.
(2005). Breaking the covalent bond – a pigment property contributing to desensitization in cones.
Neuron 46, 879-890.
Bhandawat, V., Reisert, J. and Yau, K.-W. (2005). Elementary response of olfactory receptor neurons to
odorants. Science 308, 1931-1934.
Fu, Y., Zhong, H., Wang, M.H., Luo, D., Liao, H.-W., Maeda, H., Hattar, S., Frishman, L.J. and Yau,
K.-W. (2005). Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells detect light with a vitamin Abased photopigment that is most likely melanopsin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102, 1033910344.
Su, C.-Y., Luo, D., Terakita, A., Shichida, Y., Liao, H.-W., Kazmi, M.A., Sakmar, T.P. and Yau, K.-W.
(2006). Parietal-eye phototransduction components and their potential evolutionary implications.
Science 311, 1617-1621.
Luo, D.-G., Xue, T. and Yau, K.-W. (2008). How vision begins: An odyssey. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
USA 105, 9855-9862.
Fu, Y., Kefalov, V., Luo, D.-G., Xue, T. and Yau, K.-W. (2008). Quantal noise from human red cone
pigment. Nature Neurosci. 11, 565-571.
Yau, K.-W. and Hardie, R.C. (2009). Phototransduction motifs and variations. Cell 139, 246-264.
Do, M.T.H., Shin, S.H., Xue, T., Zhong, H., Liao, H.-W., Bergles, D.E. and Yau, K.-W. (2009). Photon
capture and signaling by melanopsin retinal ganglion cells. Nature 457, 281-287.
Cheng, N., Tsunenari, T. and Yau, K.-W. (2009). Intrinsic light sensitivity of retinal horizontal cells of
teleosts. Nature 460, 899-903.
Do, M.T. and Yau, K.-W. (2010). Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. Physiol. Rev. 90,
1547-1581.
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Bhandawat, V., Reisert, J. and Yau, K.-W. (2010). Signaling by olfactory receptor neurons near
threshold. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107, 18682-18687.
Ben-Chaim, Y., Cheng, M. and Yau, K.-W. (2011). Unitary response of mouse olfactory receptor
neurons. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108, 822-827.
Luo, D.-G., Yue, W.W.S., Ala-Laurila, P. and Yau, K.-W. (2011). Activation of visual pigments by light
and heat. Science 332, 1307-1312.
Xue, T., Do, M.T.H., Riccio, A., Jiang, Z., Hsieh, J., Wang, H.C., Merbs, S.L., Welsbie, D.S., Yoshioka,
T., Weissgerber, P., Stolz, S., Flockerzi, V., Freichel, M., Simon, M.I., Clapham, D.E. and Yau,
K.-W. (2011). Melanopsin signaling in mammalian iris and retina. Nature. 479, 67-73.
Pearson, R.A., Barber, A.C., Rizzi, M., Hippert, C., Xue, T., West, E.L., Duran, Y., Smith, A.J., Chuang,
J.Z., Azam, S.A., Luhmann, U.F.O., Benucci, A., Sung, C.H., Bainbridge, J.W., Carandini, M.,
Yau, K.-W., Sowden, J.C. and Ali, R.R. (2012). Restoration of vision following transplantation
of photoreceptors. Nature 479, 67-73.
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