Dr. Nguyen

Affiliations

Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS.

Education

Professional Experience

Patents and Invention Disclosures

Teaching courses:

Undergraduates: LSM2191 and LSM4216

Graduates: MDG5102 and MDG5214

Research Interests

Lipids play vital roles in health and diseases. Dr. Nguyen has significant contributions to the field of lipid transport by discovery of the functions of Mfsd2a as the first lipid transporter in brain during his postdoc training. This breakthrough discovery explains the long sought for mechanism by which the essential lipid DHA enters human brains and unravels for the first time that plasma-derived lysolipids, namely LPCs, are essential for normal human brain growth and functions. Recently, Dr. Nguyen lab cloned out Mfsd2b as a sphingosine-1-phosphate transporter. This work has been published in Nature. The major research focuses in our lab are mechanistic characterizations of novel nutritionally regulated genes that involve in lipid, nutrient transport and metabolism. In his lab latest discovery, they cloned out Mfsd7c (also called Flvcr2) as a transporter required for the CNS blood vessel growth and development. This work was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI).

His lab employs gene-knockout mouse models as well as molecular cell biology, biochemistry, lipidomics, and metabolite analysis techniques to mechanistically unravel the physiological and molecular functions of these novel proteins. The ultimate goals are to translate these discoveries into therapeutic applications to treat metabolic diseases such as vascular related diseases (heart attack, stroke), obesity and improve health. Researchers working in his lab are expected to gain knowledge and skills in protein and lipid biochemistry, cell culture assays as well as the physiological characterizations of knockout mice.

Research projects are available for graduate and undergraduate students. Candidates interested in joining our laboratory please directly contact Dr. Long Nguyen at bchnnl@nus.edu.sg

Selected Publications

1. *Uyen Thanh Nha Le, *Toan Q. Nguyen, Pazhanichamy Kalailingam, Yen Thi Kim Nguyen, Viresh Krishnan Sukumar, Clarissa Kai Hui Tan, Farhana Tukijan, Ludovic Couty, Zafrul Hasan, Ilaria Del Gaudio, Markus Wenk, Amaury Cazenave-Gassiot,  Eric Camerer, #Long N. Nguyen. Mfsd2b and Spns2 coordinate to provide S1P for development and protection from pathological conditions.  Cell Reports. Aug 2022. #Corresponding author.
2. *Madhuvanthi Chandrakanthan, *Toan Quoc Nguyen1, *Zafrul Hasan, Sneha Muralidharan, Thiet Minh Vu, Aaron Wei Liang Li, Uyen Thanh Nha Le, Hoa Thi Thuy Ha, Sangha Baik, Sock Hwee Tan, Juat Chin Foo, Markus R. Wenk, Amaury Cazenave-Gassiot, Federico Torta, Wei Yi Ong, Mark Yan Yee Chan, #Long N. Nguyen. Deletion of Mfsd2b impairs thrombotic functions of platelets. Nature Communications. In press. #Corresponding author.
3. *Toan Q. Nguyen, *Thiet Minh Vu, *Farhana Tukijan, Sneha Muralidharan, Juat Chin Foo, Jasmine Fei Li Chin, Zafrul Hasan, Federico Torta, #Long N. Nguyen (2020). Erythrocytes efficiently utilize exogenous sphingosine for S1P synthesis and export via Mfsd2b. J Biol Chem.
4. Pazhanichamy Kalailingam, Kai Qi Wang, Xiu Ru Toh, Toan Q. Nguyen, Madhuvanthi Chandrakanthan, Zafrul Hasan, Clair Habib, Aharon Schif, Francesca Clementina Radio4, Bruno Dallapiccola, Karin Weiss, *Nguyen, L.N. Deficiency of MFSD7c results in microcephaly-associated vasculopathy in Fowler syndrome. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 5 May 2020. *Corresponding author
5. Vu, T. M., A.-N. Ishizu, J. C. Foo, X. R. Toh, F. Zhang, D. M. Whee, F. Torta, A. Cazenave-Gassiot, T. Matsumura, S. Kim, S.-A. E. S. Toh, T. Suda, D. L. Silver, M. R. Wenk and *Nguyen, L. N.(2017). Mfsd2b is essential for the sphingosine-1-phosphate export in erythrocytes and platelets. Nature. *corresponding author.