Team

Staff Profiles

Investigator, Assistant

Zizhen Yao joined the Allen Institute for Brain Science in 2014 as part of a large interdisciplinary effort to categorize the diversity of neural cell types and the molecular mechanisms leading to cell type specificity. Prior to joining the Allen Institute for Brain Science, she worked at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center developing computational techniques for analyzing high throughput epigenetic and transcriptomic data to study myogenesis and neurogenesis during normal development and in disease.

Zizhen Yao received a Ph.D. in computer science from University of Washington in Seattle, where she studied in silico genome screening of functional noncoding RNAs.

Research Interests

I am interested in genetic and epigenetic regulation of transcription factors for cell fate determination during brain development in comparison to development in other systems to understand general principles of cell differentiation.

Expertise

Informatics

Research Programs

MAT
in vitro Human Cell Types
Mouse Cell Types

Single-neuron models linking electrophysiology, morphology, and transcriptomics across cortical cell types

Cell Reports
August 9, 2022

Nandi A, Chartrand T, Van Geit W, Buchin A, Yao Z, Lee SY, Wei Y, Kalmbach B, Lee B, Lein E, Berg J, Sümbül U, Koch C, Tasic B, Anastassiou CA

Dense functional and molecular readout of a circuit hub in sensory cortex

Science
January 7, 2022

Condylis C, Ghanbari A, Manjrekar N, Bistrong K, Yao S, Yao Z, Nguyen TN, Zeng H, Tasic B, Chen JL

Single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-seq uncovers shared and distinct axes of variation in dorsal LGN neurons in mice, non-human primates, and humans

eLife
September 2, 2021

Bakken TE, van Velthoven CT, Menon V, Hodge RD, Yao Z, Nguyen TN, Graybuck LT, Horwitz GD, Bertagnolli D, Goldy J, Yanny AM, Garren E, Parry S, Casper T, Shehata SI, Barkan ER, Szafer A, Levi BP, Dee N, Smith KA, Sunkin SM, Bernard A, Phillips J, Hawrylycz MJ, Koch C, Murphy GJ, Lein E, Zeng H, Tasic B

Control of impulsivity by G i-protein signalling in layer-5 pyramidal neurons of the anterior cingulate cortex

Communications Biology
June 2, 2021

van der Veen B, Kapanaiah SKT, Kilonzo K, Steele-Perkins P, Jendryka MM, Schulz S, Tasic B, Yao Z, Zeng H, Akam T, Nicholson JR, Liss B, Nissen W, Pekcec A, Kätzel D.

A taxonomy of transcriptomic cell types across the isocortex and hippocampal formation

Cell
May 17, 2021

Yao Z, van Velthoven CTJ, Nguyen TN, Goldy J, Sedeno-Cortes AE, Baftizadeh F, Bertagnolli D, Casper T, Chiang M, Crichton K, Ding SL, Fong O, Garren E, Glandon A, Gouwens NW, Gray J, Graybuck LT, Hawrylycz MJ, Hirschstein D, Kroll M, Lathia K, Lee C, Levi B, McMillen D, Mok S, Pham T, Ren Q, Rimorin C, Shapovalova N, Sulc J, Sunkin SM, Tieu M, Torkelson A, Tung H, Ward K, Dee N, Smith KA, Tasic B, Zeng H.

Enhancer viruses for combinatorial cell-subclass-specific labeling

Neuron
March 23, 2021

Graybuck LT, Daigle TL, Sedeño-Cortés AE, Walker M, Kalmbach B, Lenz GH, Morin E, Nguyen TN, Garren E, Bendrick JL, Kim TK, Zhou T, Mortrud M, Yao S, Siverts LA, Larsen R, Gore BB, Szelenyi ER, Trader C, Balaram P, van Velthoven CTJ, Chiang M, Mich JK, Dee N, Goldy J, Cetin AH, Smith K, Way SW, Esposito L, Yao Z, Gradinaru V, Sunkin SM, Lein E, Levi BP, Ting JT, Zeng H, Tasic B.

Spatially resolved cell atlas of the mouse primary motor cortex by MERFISH

Nature
October 6, 2021

Zhang M, Eichhorn SW, Zingg B, Yao Z, Cotter K, Zeng H, Dong H, Zhuang X

Human neocortical expansion involves glutamatergic neuron diversification

Nature
October 6, 2021

Berg J, Sorensen SA, Ting JT, Miller JA, Chartrand T, Buchin A, Bakken TE, Budzillo A, Dee N, Ding SL, Gouwens NW, Hodge RD, Kalmbach B, Lee C, Lee BR, Alfiler L, Baker K, Barkan E, Beller A, Berry K, Bertagnolli D, Bickley K, Bomben J, Braun T, Brouner K, Casper T, Chong P, Crichton K, Dalley R, de Frates R, Desta T, Lee SD, D'Orazi F, Dotson N, Egdorf T, Enstrom R, Farrell C, Feng D, Fong O, Furdan S, Galakhova AA, Gamlin C, Gary A, Glandon A, Goldy J, Gorham M, Goriounova NA, Gratiy S, Graybuck L, Gu H, Hadley K, Hansen N, Heistek TS, Henry AM, Heyer DB, Hill D, Hill C, Hupp M, Jarsky T, Kebede S, Keene L, Kim L, Kim MH, Kroll M, Latimer C, Levi BP, Link KE, Mallory M, Mann R, Marshall D, Maxwell M, McGraw M, McMillen D, Melief E, Mertens EJ, Mezei L, Mihut N, Mok S, Molnar G, Mukora A, Ng L, Ngo K, Nicovich PR, Nyhus J, Olah G, Oldre A, Omstead V, Ozsvar A, Park D, Peng H, Pham T, Pom CA, Potekhina L, Rajanbabu R, Ransford S, Reid D, Rimorin C, Ruiz A, Sandman D, Sulc J, Sunkin SM, Szafer A, Szemenyei V, Thomsen ER, Tieu M, Torkelson A, Trinh J, Tung H, Wakeman W, Waleboer F, Ward K, Wilbers R, Williams G, Yao Z, Yoon JG, Anastassiou C, Arkhipov A, Barzo P, Bernard A, Cobbs C, de Witt Hamer PC, Ellenbogen RG, Esposito L, Ferreira M, Gwinn RP, Hawrylycz MJ, Hof PR, Idema S, Jones AR, Keene CD, Ko AL, Murphy GJ, Ng L, Ojemann JG, Patel AP, Phillips JW, Silbergeld DL, Smith K, Tasic B, Yuste R, Segev I, de Kock CPJ, Mansvelder HD, Tamas G, Zeng H, Koch C, Lein ES

A transcriptomic and epigenomic cell atlas of the mouse primary motor cortex

Nature
October 6, 2021

Yao Z, Liu H, Xie F, Fischer S, Adkins RS, Aldridge AI, Ament SA, Bartlett A, Behrens MM, Van den Berge K, Bertagnolli D, de Bézieux HR, Biancalani T, Booeshaghi AS, Bravo HC, Casper T, Colantuoni C, Crabtree J, Creasy H, Crichton K, Crow M, Dee N, Dougherty EL, Doyle WI, Dudoit S, Fang R, Felix V, Fong O, Giglio M, Goldy J, Hawrylycz M, Herb BR, Hertzano R, Hou X, Hu Q, Kancherla J, Kroll M, Lathia K, Li YE, Lucero JD, Luo C, Mahurkar A, McMillen D, Nadaf NM, Nery JR, Nguyen TN, Niu SY, Ntranos V, Orvis J, Osteen JK, Pham T, Pinto-Duarte A, Poirion O, Preissl S, Purdom E, Rimorin C, Risso D, Rivkin AC, Smith K, Street K, Sulc J, Svensson V, Tieu M, Torkelson A, Tung H, Vaishnav ED, Vanderburg CR, van Velthoven C, Wang X, White OR, Huang ZJ, Kharchenko PV, Pachter L, Ngai J, Regev A, Tasic B, Welch JD, Gillis J, Macosko EZ, Ren B, Ecker JR, Zeng H, Mukamel EA

A multimodal cell census and atlas of the mammalian primary motor cortex

Nature
October 6, 2021

BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN)

Morphological diversity of single neurons in molecularly defined cell types

Nature
October 6, 2021

Peng H, Xie P, Liu L, Kuang X, Wang Y, Qu L, Gong H, Jiang S, Li A, Ruan Z, Ding L, Yao Z, Chen C, Chen M, Daigle TL, Dalley R, Ding Z, Duan Y, Feiner A, He P, Hill C, Hirokawa KE, Hong G, Huang L, Kebede S, Kuo HC, Larsen R, Lesnar P, Li L, Li Q, Li X, Li Y, Li Y, Liu A, Lu D, Mok S, Ng L, Nguyen TN, Ouyang Q, Pan J, Shen E, Song Y, Sunkin SM, Tasic B, Veldman MB, Wakeman W, Wan W, Wang P, Wang Q, Wang T, Wang Y, Xiong F, Xiong W, Xu W, Ye M, Yin L, Yu Y, Yuan J, Yuan J, Yun Z, Zeng S, Zhang S, Zhao S, Zhao Z, Zhou Z, Huang ZJ, Esposito L, Hawrylycz MJ, Sorensen SA, Yang XW, Zheng Y, Gu Z, Xie W, Koch C, Luo Q, Harris JA, Wang Y, Zeng H

Isoform cell-type specificity in the mouse primary motor cortex

Nature
October 6, 2021

Booeshaghi AS, Yao Z, van Velthoven C, Smith K, Tasic B, Zeng H, Pachter L

Comparative cellular analysis of motor cortex in human, marmoset and mouse

Nature
October 6, 2021

Bakken TE, Jorstad NL, Hu Q, Lake BB, Tian W, Kalmbach BE, Crow M, Hodge RD, Krienen FM, Sorensen SA, Eggermont J, Yao Z, Aevermann BD, Aldridge AI, Bartlett A, Bertagnolli D, Casper T, Castanon RG, Crichton K, Daigle TL, Dalley R, Dee N, Dembrow N, Diep D, Ding SL, Dong W, Fang R, Fischer S, Goldman M, Goldy J, Graybuck LT, Herb BR, Hou X, Kancherla J, Kroll M, Lathia K, van Lew B, Li YE, Liu CS, Liu H, Lucero JD, Mahurkar A, McMillen D, Miller JA, Moussa M, Nery JR, Nicovich PR, Niu SY, Orvis J, Osteen JK, Owen S, Palmer CR, Pham T, Plongthongkum N, Poirion O, Reed NM, Rimorin C, Rivkin A, Romanow WJ, Sedeño-Cortés AE, Siletti K, Somasundaram S, Sulc J, Tieu M, Torkelson A, Tung H, Wang X, Xie F, Yanny AM, Zhang R, Ament SA, Behrens MM, Bravo HC, Chun J, Dobin A, Gillis J, Hertzano R, Hof PR, Höllt T, Horwitz GD, Keene CD, Kharchenko PV, Ko AL, Lelieveldt BP, Luo C, Mukamel EA, Pinto-Duarte A, Preissl S, Regev A, Ren B, Scheuermann RH, Smith K, Spain WJ, White OR, Koch C, Hawrylycz M, Tasic B, Macosko EZ, McCarroll SA, Ting JT, Zeng H, Zhang K, Feng G, Ecker JR, Linnarsson S, Lein ES

Distinct Transcriptomic Cell Types and Neural Circuits of the Subiculum and Prosubiculum along the Dorsal-Ventral Axis

Cell Reports
May 19, 2020

Ding SL, Yao Z, Hirokawa KE, Nguyen TN, Graybuck LT, Fong O, Bohn P, Ngo K, Smith KA, Koch C, Phillips JW, Lein ES, Harris JA, Tasic B, Zeng H

Integrated Morphoelectric and Transcriptomic Classification of Cortical GABAergic Cells

Cell
November 12, 2020

Gouwens NW, Sorensen SA, Baftizadeh F, Budzillo A, Lee BR, Jarsky T, Alfiler L, Baker K, Barkan E, Berry K, Bertagnolli D, Bickley K, Bomben J, Braun T, Brouner K, Casper T, Crichton K, Daigle TL, Dalley R, de Frates RA, Dee N, Desta T, Lee SD, Dotson N, Egdorf T, Ellingwood L, Enstrom R, Esposito L, Farrell C, Feng D, Fong O, Gala R, Gamlin C, Gary A, Glandon A, Goldy J, Gorham M, Graybuck L, Gu H, Hadley K, Hawrylycz MJ, Henry AM, Hill D, Hupp M, Kebede S, Kim TK, Kim L, Kroll M, Lee C, Link KE, Mallory M, Mann R, Maxwell M, McGraw M, McMillen D, Mukora A, Ng L, Ng L, Ngo K, Nicovich PR, Oldre A, Park D, Peng H, Penn O, Pham T, Pom A, Popović Z, Potekhina L, Rajanbabu R, Ransford S, Reid D, Rimorin C, Robertson M, Ronellenfitch K, Ruiz A, Sandman D, Smith K, Sulc J, Sunkin SM, Szafer A, Tieu M, Torkelson A, Trinh J, Tung H, Wakeman W, Ward K, Williams G, Zhou Z, Ting JT, Arkhipov A, Sümbül U, Lein ES, Koch C, Yao Z, Tasic B, Berg J, Murphy GJ, Zeng H

Phenotypic variation of transcriptomic cell types in mouse motor cortex

Nature
November 12, 2020

Scala F, Kobak D, Bernabucci M, Bernaerts Y, Cadwell CR, Castro JR, Hartmanis L, Jiang X, Laturnus S, Miranda E, Mulherkar S, Tan ZH, Yao Z, Zeng H, Sandberg R, Berens P, Tolias AS

Conserved cell types with divergent features in human versus mouse cortex

Nature
August 21, 2019

Hodge RD, Bakken TE, Miller JA, Smith KA, Barkan ER, Graybuck LT, Close JL, Long B, Johansen N, Penn O, Yao Z, Eggermont J, Höllt T, Levi BP, Shehata SI, Aevermann B, Beller A, Bertagnolli D, Brouner K, Casper T, Cobbs C, Dalley R, Dee N, Ding SL, Ellenbogen RG, Fong O, Garren E, Goldy J, Gwinn RP, Hirschstein D, Keene CD, Keshk M, Ko AL, Lathia K, Mahfouz A, Maltzer Z, McGraw M, Nguyen TN, Nyhus J, Ojemann JG, Oldre A, Parry S, Reynolds S, Rimorin C, Shapovalova NV, Somasundaram S, Szafer A, Thomsen ER, Tieu M, Quon G, Scheuermann RH, Yuste R, Sunkin SM, Lelieveldt B, Feng D, Ng L, Bernard A, Hawrylycz M, Phillips JW, Tasic B, Zeng H, Jones AR, Koch C, Lein ES

MYOD1 functions as a clock amplifier as well as a critical co-factor for downstream circadian gene expression in muscle

eLife
February 21, 2019

Hodge BA, Zhang X, Gutierrez-Monreal MA, Cao Y, Hammers DW, Yao Z, Wolff CA, Du P, Kemler D, Judge AR, Esser KA

Epigenetic landscape and AAV targeting of human neocortical cell classes

bioRxiv
February 19, 2019

Mich JK, Hess EE, Graybuck LT, Somasundaram S, Miller JA, Ding Y, Shapovalova NV, Fong O, Yao S, Mortrud M, Chong P, Bertagnolli D, Goldy J, Casper T, Kroll M, Hodge RD, Bakken TE, Yao Z, Dee N, Cetin A, Smith KA, Gwinn RP, Cobbs C, Ko AL, Ojemann JG, Keene CD, Silbergeld DL, Gradinaru V, Sunkin SM, Zeng H, Lein ES, Tasic B, Ting JT, Levi BP

Transcriptomic evidence for dense peptidergic neuromodulation networks in mouse cortex

bioRxiv
January 13, 2019

Smith SJ, Sumbul U, Graybuck LT, Collman F, Sharmishtaa S, Gala R, Gliko O, Elabbady L, Miller J, Bakken T, Yao Z, Lein ES, Zeng H, Tasic B, Hawrylycz M

Single-cell transcriptomic evidence for dense intracortical neuropeptide networks.

eLife
November 11, 2019

Smith SJ, Sümbül U, Graybuck LT, Collman F, Seshamani S, Gala R, Gliko O, Elabbady L, Miller JA, Bakken TE, Rossier J, Yao Z, Lein E, Zeng H, Tasic B, Hawrylycz M

Multimodal Analysis of Cell Types in a Hypothalamic Node Controlling Social Behavior

Cell
October 17, 2019

Kim DW, Yao Z, Graybuck LT, Kim TK, Nguyen TN, Smith KA, Fong O, Yi L, Koulena N, Pierson N, Shah S, Lo L, Pool AH, Oka Y, Pachter L, Cai L, Tasic B, Zeng H, Anderson DJ

A Suite of Transgenic Driver and Reporter Mouse Lines with Enhanced Brain-Cell-Type Targeting and Functionality

Cell
July 12, 2018

Daigle TL, Madisen L, Hage TA, Valley MT, Knoblich U, Larsen RS, Takeno MM, Huang L, Gu H, Larsen R, Mills M, Bosma-Moody A, Siverts LA, Walker M, Graybuck LT, Yao Z, Fong O, Nguyen TN, Garren E, Lenz GH, Chavarha M, Pendergraft J, Harrington J, Hirokawa KE, Harris JA, Nicovich PR, McGraw MJ, Ollerenshaw DR, Smith KA, Baker CA, Ting JT, Sunkin SM, Lecoq J, Lin MZ2, Boyden ES, Murphy GJ, da Costa NM, Waters J, Li L, Tasic B, Zeng H

Single-nucleus and single-cell transcriptomes compared in matched cortical cell types

PLoS One
December 26, 2018

Bakken TE, Hodge RD, Miller JA, Yao Z, Nguyen TN, Aevermann B, Barkan E, Bertagnolli D, Casper T, Dee N, Garren E, Goldy J, Graybuck LT, Kroll M, Lasken RS, Lathia K, Parry S, Rimorin C, Scheuermann RH, Schork NJ, Shehata SI, Tieu M, Phillips JW, Bernard A, Smith KA, Zeng H, Lein ES, Tasic B

Distinct descending motor cortex pathways and their roles in movement

Nature
October 31, 2018

Economo MN, Viswanathan S, Tasic B, Bas E, Winnubst J, Menon V, Graybuck LT, Nguyen TN, Smith KA, Yao Z, Wang L, Gerfen CR, Chandrashekar J, Zeng H, Looger LL, Svoboda K

Shared and distinct transcriptomic cell types across neocortical areas

Nature
October 31, 2018

Tasic B, Yao Z, Graybuck LT, Smith KA, Nguyen TN, Bertagnolli D, Goldy J, Garren E, Economo MN, Viswanathan S, Penn O, Bakken T, Menon V, Miller J, Fong O, Hirokawa KE, Lathia K, Rimorin C, Tieu M, Larsen R, Casper T, Barkan E, Kroll M, Parry S, Shapovalova NV, Hirschstein D, Pendergraft J, Sullivan HA, Kim TK, Szafer A, Dee N, Groblewski P, Wickersham I, Cetin A, Harris JA, Levi BP, Sunkin SM, Madisen L, Daigle TL, Looger L, Bernard A, Phillips J, Lein E, Hawrylycz M, Svoboda K, Jones AR, Koch C, Zeng H

DUX4-induced gene expression is the major molecular signature in FSHD skeletal muscle

Human Molecular Genetics
October 15, 2014

Yao Z, Snider L, Balog J, Lemmers RJ, Van Der Maarel SM, Tawil R, Tapscott SJ

Comparison of endogenous and overexpressed MyoD shows enhanced binding of physiologically bound sites

Skeletal Muscle
April 8, 2013

Yao Z, Fong AP, Cao Y, Ruzzo WL, Gentleman RC, Tapscott SJ

Comparison of genome-wide binding of MyoD in normal human myogenic cells and rhabdomyosarcomas identifies regional and local suppression of promyogenic transcription factors

Molecular and Cellular Biology
February 2013

MacQuarrie KL, Yao Z, Fong AP, Diede SJ, Rudzinski ER, Hawkins DS, Tapscott SJ

Genetic and epigenetic determinants of neurogenesis and myogenesis

Developmental Cell
April 17, 2012

Fong AP, Yao Z, Zhong JW, Cao Y, Ruzzo WL, Gentleman RC, Tapscott SJ