Yi-Ling Lin

Yi-Ling Lin
Photo of Dr. Yi-Ling Lin

Principal Investigator:

Yi-Ling Lin, D.D.S., D.M.SC.

About

Our lab currently focuses on two aspects of cancer research.

  1. Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and exert a profound influence over the immunologic state of the neoplastic tissue. During tumor bone invasion, macrophages also are recruited as osteoclast precursors and differentiate to osteoclasts onto the tumor-bone interface. Our lab uses a bone invasion mouse model to investigate the immune landscape in the tumor microenvironment during SCC bone invading.
  2. Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes 70% of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States. While the molecular mechanism and the stepwise progression of HPV-related cervical cancer have been well studied, oropharyngeal HPV carcinogenesis remains to be unraveled. Our lab has established a series of keratinocyte cell lines that can form varying degrees of malignancy in the syngenetic mice. These mice will be used as premalignant and malignant animal models to study the biology of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer.

Current Projects and Grants

  1. To understand the impact of tumor bone invasion on tumor immune environment.
  2. To generate premalignant and malignant animal models for HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer.

Publications

  • Lu SY, Li M, Lin YL. Mitf induction by RANKL is critical for osteoclastogenesis. Molecular biology of the cell. 2010;21(10):1763-71. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2869381/
  • Lu SY, Wan HC, Li M, Lin YL. Subcellular localization of Mitf in monocytic cells. Histochem Cell Biol. 2010;133(6):651-8.
  • Li M, Saghafi N, Freymiller E, Basile JR, Lin YL. Metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma of the oral cavity in a human immunodeficiency virus-positive patient and the detection of Merkel cell polyomavirus. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2013;115(
  • Lu SY, Li M, Lin YL. Mitf regulates osteoclastogenesis by modulating NFATc1 activity. Exp Cell Res. 2014;328(1):32-43.
  • Yoon JH, Li M, Basile JR, Lin YL. Computer-assisted analysis of immunohistological parameters in oral giant cell granulomas. Oral Dis. 2019;25(3):796-802.

Lab Members

Collaborators

List of collaborators within and outside of UCLA:
UCLA collaborators: Dr. Flavia Pirih, Dr. Mo Kang, Dr. Ichiro Nishimura

Outside collaborators:
Dr. John Basile, Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland
Dr. Eva McGhee, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science,

List of Lab Members:
Mengtao Li, Adjunct Assistant Professor

Opportunities

We focus on pathological and immunological changes related to head and neck cancers. We use a variety of approaches for the studies, including molecular biology, virology, immunology, histology, and animal models.  The lab opens to trainees of all levels.

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