About
Guoping Feng is the Poitras Professor of Neuroscience in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the Director of Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research. He is also the Director of Model Systems and Neurobiology at the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Dr. Feng’s research is devoted to understanding molecular mechanisms regulating neuron-neuron communications in the brain and how defects in neuronal communication contribute to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Using genetically engineered animal models, Dr. Feng’s laboratory combines cutting-edge technologies and multidisciplinary approaches to unravel the neurobiological mechanisms of autism, OCD, depression and schizophrenia. Recently, his lab has been focusing on translating breakthrough discoveries into novel therapeutics.
Dr. Feng has won numerous awards for his scientific achievements including Beckman Young Investigator Award, Gill Young Investigator Award, McKnight Neuroscience of Brain Disorders Award, McKnight Technology Innovation Award, and Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Feng studied medicine at Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China. He obtained his PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo and postdoctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining the faculty at MIT, he was a faculty member in the Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine.
Research
Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptic and Circuitry Development and Psychiatric Disorders
Synapses are fundamental units of neuronal connectivity in the brain. It is at these specialized cell junctions that neurons communicate with one another. Many neuroscientists now look to the synapse for principles of learning and memory, for processes underlying behavior, and for pathological mechanisms of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Our long-term goal is to understand the mechanisms regulating the development and function of synapses and to probe the roles of synaptic and circuitry dysfunction in certain abnormal behaviors and their relevance to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. There are currently three major aspects of research in the lab.
First, we are interested in the molecular mechanisms regulating the assembly and function of the postsynaptic complex. Although hundreds of proteins have been identified at the postsynaptic complex, little is known about the functions of many of these proteins at synapses. Using genetic approaches in mice we are dissecting the roles of some key synaptic proteins in the assembly, maintenance and plasticity of the postsynaptic complex.
The second aspect of our research is focused on using genetic approaches in mice and marmosets to dissect the molecular, cellular and circuitry basis of behaviors. We are particularly interested in how changes in synaptic and circuitry function may lead to abnormal behaviors related to ASD, OCD, depression and schizophrenia. We apply a variety of cell-type-specific functional manipulations such as CRISPR, optogenetics and chemogenetics to elucidate the molecules, the types of neurons, and the circuits involved in generating specific normal and abnormal behaviors.
The third line of research in the lab is to translate breakthrough discoveries into therapeutics for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. We are developing cutting-edge gene therapy approaches for monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders and identifying circuit-based, cell-type-specific therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders.
Teaching
9.013J Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Core I 9.013J Molecular and cellular neuroscience core II
Publications
Krienen FM, Levandowski KM, Zaniewski H, Del Rosario RCH, Schroeder ME, Goldman M, Wienisch M, Lutservitz A, Beja-Glasser VF, Chen C, Zhang Q, Chan KY, Li KX, Sharma J, McCormack D, Shin TW, Harrahill A, Nyase E, Mudhar G, Mauermann A, Wysoker A, Nemesh J, Kashin S, Vergara J, Chelini G, Dimidschstein J, Berretta S, Deverman BE, Boyden E, McCarroll SA, Feng G. (2023) A marmoset brain cell census reveals regional specialization of cellular identities. Sci Adv. 9(41):eadk3986.
Zhang Y, Roy DS, Zhu Y, Chen Y, Aida T, Hou Y, Shen C, Lea NE, Schroeder ME, Skaggs KM, Sullivan HA, Fischer KB, Callaway EM, Wickersham IR, Dai J, Li XM, Lu Z, Feng G (2022). Targeting thalamic circuits rescues motor and mood deficits in PD mice. Nature 607:321-329.
Wilde JJ, Aida T, del Rosario RCH, Kaiser T, Qi P, Wienisch M, Zhang Q, Colvin S, Feng G. (2021) Efficient Homozygous Gene Conversion in Embryos via RAD51-Enhanced Interhomolog Repair. Cell 184:3267-3280.e18.
Li Y, Lopez-Huerta VG, Adiconis X, Levandowski K, Choi S, Simmons SK, Arias-Garcia MA, Guo B, Yao AY, Blosser TR, Wimmer RD, Aida T, Atamian A, Naik T, Sun X, Bi D, Malhotra D, Hession CC, Shema R, Gomes M, Li T, Hwang E, Krol A, Kowalczyk M, Peça J, Pan G, Halassa MM, Levin JZ, Fu Z, Feng G (2020) Distinct subnetworks of the thalamic reticular nucleus. Nature 583:819-824.
Zhou Y, Sharma J, Ke Q, Landman R, Yuan J, Chen H, Hayden DS, Fisher III JW, Jiang M, Menegas W, Aida T, Yan T, Zou Y, Xu D, Shivangi Parmar S, Hyman JB, Fanucci-Kiss A, Meisner O, Wang D, Huang Y, Li Y, Bai Y, Ji W, Lai X, Li W, Huang L, Lu Z, Wang L, Anteraper SA, Sur M, Zhang F, Zhou H, Xiang AP, Desimone R, Feng G and Yang S (2019) Autistic-like behaviors and atypical connectivity in SHANK3 mutant macaques. Nature, 570:326-331
Wells MF, Wimmer RD, Schmitt LI, Feng G, and Halassa MM. (2016) Thalamic reticular impairment underlies attention deficit in Ptchd1Y/- mice. Nature 532:58-63.
Mei Y, Monteiro P, Zhou Y, Kim J-A, Gao X, Fu Z and Feng G. (2016) Adult Restoration of Shank3 Expression Rescues Selective Autistic-Like Phenotypes. Nature 530:481-4.
Peca J, Feliciano C, Ting JT, Wang W, Wells MF, Venkatraman TY, Lascola CD, Fu Z and Feng G. (2011) Shank3 mutant mice display autistic-like behaviours and striatal dysfunction. Nature 472:437-42.
Welch, JM., Lu, J., Rodriguiz, RM., Trotta, NC., Peca, J., Ding, J-D., Feliciano, C., Chen, M., Adams, JP., Luo, J., Dudek, SM., Weinberg, RJ., Calakos, N., Wetsel, WC., and Feng, G. (2007) Cortico-striatal synaptic defects and OCD-like behaviors in SAPAP3 mutant mice. Nature 448:894-900.