Skip to main content

Kihun Han

Korea University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

About the Lab

Professor Kihun Han's research lab focuses on the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, with a central emphasis on gene regulation in the brain. The lab investigates post-transcriptional control mechanisms, particularly the roles of microRNAs and RNA-binding proteins, in regulating key synaptic scaffolding genes such as *MECP2* and *SHANK3*. Using integrative approaches including transcriptome analysis, animal models, and patient-derived cells, the lab explores how dysregulation of these pathways contributes to diseases like autism spectrum disorder, fragile X syndrome, and bipolar disorder. A major research direction involves identifying downstream molecular pathways affected by synaptic protein overexpression or mutation, especially those involving mTORC1 signaling and dendritic spine pathology.

neurodevelopmental disordersmicroRNA regulationSHANK3synaptic plasticitymRNA translation control

Research Overview

Papers
184
Total Citations
4,841
Papers (5y)
45
Primary Field
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
45total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
195total
20212022202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|363 citations·2013
SHANK3 overexpression causes manic-like behaviour with unique pharmacogenetic properties
Kihoon Han, J. Lloyd Holder, Christian P. Schaaf, Hui Lü, Hongmei Chen, Hyojin Kang, Jianrong Tang, Zhenyu Wu, Shuang Hao, Sau Wai Cheung, Peng Yu, Hao Sun
SJR Q1Nature
GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
Review|161 citations·2007
Synaptic adhesion molecules and PSD-95
Kihoon Han, Eunjoon Kim
SJR Q1Progress in Neurobiology
Cellular and Molecular NeuroscienceNeuroscience
3
Article|103 citations·2013
Human-specific regulation of MeCP2 levels in fetal brains by microRNA miR-483-5p
Kihoon Han, Vincenzo A. Gennarino, Yoontae Lee, Kaifang Pang, Kazue Hashimoto‐Torii, Sanaa Choufani, Chandrasekhar S. Raju, Michael C. Oldham, Rosanna Weksberg, Pasko Rakić, Zhandong Liu, Huda Y. Zoghbi
SJR Q1Genes & DevelopmentOA

Proper neurological function in humans requires precise control of levels of the epigenetic regulator methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2). MeCP2 protein levels are low in fetal brains, where the predominant MECP2 transcripts have an unusually long 3' untranslated region (UTR). Here, we show that miR-483-5p, an intragenic microRNA of the imprinted IGF2, regulates MeCP2 levels through a human-specific binding site in the MECP2 long 3' UTR. We demonstrate the inverse correlation of miR-483-5p and

GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
4
Article|95 citations·2011
Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Implantation of Drug-Eluting Stents
Seung‐Jung Park, Duk‐Woo Park, Young‐Hak Kim, Soo‐Jin Kang, Seung‐Whan Lee, Cheol Whan Lee, Kihoon Han, Seong‐Wook Park, Sung-Cheol Yun, Sang-Gon Lee, Seung‐Woon Rha, In Whan Seong
Survey of Anesthesiology

Park, Seung-Jung; Park, Duk-Woo; Kim, Young-Hak; Kang, Soo-Jin; Lee, Seung-Whan; Lee, Cheol Whan; Han, Ki-Hoon; Park, Seong-Wook; Yun, Sung-Cheol; Lee, Sang-Gon; Rha, Seung-Woon; Seong, In-Whan; Jeong, Myung-Ho; Hur, Seung-Ho; Lee, Nae-Hee; Yoon, Junghan; Yang, Joo-Young; Lee, Bong-Ki; Choi, Young-Jin; Chung, Wook-Sung; Lim, Do-Sun; Cheong, Sang-Sig; Kim, Kee-Sik; Chae, Jei Keon; Nah, Deuk-Young; Jeon, Doo-Soo; Seung, Ki Bae; Jang, Jae-Sik; Park, Hun Sik; Lee, Keun Author Information

SurgeryMedicine
5
Article|73 citations·2014
Fragile X-like behaviors and abnormal cortical dendritic spines in Cytoplasmic FMR1-interacting protein 2-mutant mice
Kihoon Han, Hogmei Chen, Vincenzo A. Gennarino, Ronald Richman, Hui‐Chen Lu, Huda Y. Zoghbi
SJR Q1Human Molecular GeneticsOA

Silencing of fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene and loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) cause fragile X syndrome (FXS), a genetic disorder characterized by intellectual disability and autistic behaviors. FMRP is an mRNA-binding protein regulating neuronal translation of target mRNAs. Abnormalities in actin-rich dendritic spines are major neuronal features in FXS, but the molecular mechanism and identity of FMRP targets mediating this phenotype remain largely unknown. Cyto

GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
6
Article|69 citations·2015
Post-transcriptional regulation of SHANK3 expression by microRNAs related to multiple neuropsychiatric disorders
Su‐Yeon Choi, Kaifang Pang, Joo Yeon Kim, Jae Ryun Ryu, Hyojin Kang, Zhandong Liu, Won-Ki Kim, Woong Sun, Hyun Kim, Kihoon Han
SJR Q2Molecular BrainOA

BACKGROUND: Proper neuronal function requires tight control of gene dosage, and failure of this process underlies the pathogenesis of multiple neuropsychiatric disorders. The SHANK3 gene encoding core scaffolding proteins at glutamatergic postsynapse is a typical dosage-sensitive gene, both deletions and duplications of which are associated with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, intellectual disability, or schizophrenia. However, the regulatory mechanism of S

Developmental NeuroscienceNeuroscience
7
Article|45 citations·2017
Striatal Transcriptome and Interactome Analysis of Shank3-overexpressing Mice Reveals the Connectivity between Shank3 and mTORC1 Signaling
Yeunkum Lee, Sun Gyun Kim, Bokyoung Lee, Yinhua Zhang, Yoonhee Kim, Shinhyun Kim, Eunjoon Kim, Hyojin Kang, Kihoon Han
SJR Q2Frontiers in Molecular NeuroscienceOA

Mania causes symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity, elevated mood, reduced anxiety and decreased need for sleep, which suggests that the dysfunction of the striatum, a critical component of the brain motor and reward system, can be causally associated with mania. However, detailed molecular pathophysiology underlying the striatal dysfunction in mania remains largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to identify the molecular pathways showing alterations in the striatum of SH3 and multiple ankyri

GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
8
Article|41 citations·2018
Integrative Brain Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Region-Specific and Broad Molecular Changes in Shank3-Overexpressing Mice
Chunmei Jin, Hyojin Kang, Jae Ryun Ryu, Shinhyun Kim, Yinhua Zhang, Yeunkum Lee, Yoonhee Kim, Kihoon Han
SJR Q2Frontiers in Molecular NeuroscienceOA

Variants of the SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domain 3 (<i>SHANK3</i>) gene, encoding excitatory postsynaptic core scaffolding proteins, are causally associated with numerous neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder, intellectual disability, and schizophrenia (SCZ). Although detailed synaptic changes of various <i>Shank3</i> mutant mice have been well characterized, broader downstream molecular changes, including direct and i

GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
9
Article|39 citations·2017
Integrative Analysis of Brain Region-specific Shank3 Interactomes for Understanding the Heterogeneity of Neuronal Pathophysiology Related to SHANK3 Mutations
Yeunkum Lee, Hyojin Kang, Bokyoung Lee, Yinhua Zhang, Yoonhee Kim, Shinhyun Kim, Won-Ki Kim, Kihoon Han
SJR Q2Frontiers in Molecular NeuroscienceOA

Recent molecular genetic studies have identified 100s of risk genes for various neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. As the number of risk genes increases, it is becoming clear that different mutations of a single gene could cause different types of disorders. One of the best examples of such a gene is <i>SHANK3</i>, which encodes a core scaffold protein of the neuronal excitatory post-synapse. Deletions, duplications, and point mutations of <i>SHANK3</i> are associated with autism

GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
10
Article|33 citations·2019
Biomechanical Effect of Foot Orthoses on Rearfoot Motions and Joint Moment Parameters in Patients with Flexible Flatfoot
Kihoon Han, Kang-Ho Bae, Nicholas A. Levine, Jung-Ok Yang, Joong-Sook Lee
SJR Q2Medical Science MonitorOA

BACKGROUND The effect of foot orthoses in terms of kinematics and kinetics during walking could be affected on different geometrical designs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the biomechanical and clinical effects of 3 different insoles on rearfoot motion (RFM) and ankle joint moment parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty eight university students with flexible flatfoot were recruited for this study, and each participant was asked to wear 3 different insoles: normal insole wi

Orthopedics and Sports MedicineMedicine
11
Article|30 citations·2019
Differential cell-type-expression of CYFIP1 and CYFIP2 in the adult mouse hippocampus
Yinhua Zhang, Hyae Rim Kang, Kihoon Han
SJR Q1Animal Cells and SystemsOA

Recent molecular genetic studies have suggested that two members of the cytoplasmic FMR1-interacting protein (CYFIP) gene family, CYFIP1 and CYFIP2, are causally associated with several brain disorders. However, the clinical features of individuals with CYFIP1 and CYFIP2 variants are quite different. In addition, null mice for either Cyfip1 or Cyfip2 are lethal, indicating that these two genes cannot compensate for each other in vivo. Although these results strongly suggest that CYFIP1 and CYFIP

GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
12
Article|30 citations·2019
Shank3 regulates striatal synaptic abundance of Cyld, a deubiquitinase specific for Lys63‐linked polyubiquitin chains
Chunmei Jin, Shinhyun Kim, Hyojin Kang, Ki Na Yun, Yeunkum Lee, Yinhua Zhang, Yoonhee Kim, Jin Young Kim, Kihoon Han
SJR Q1Journal of NeurochemistryOA

The SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains 3 (Shank3) proteins are core organizers of the postsynaptic density in neuronal excitatory synapses, and their defects cause various neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Mechanistically, Shank3 directly and indirectly interacts with hundreds of synaptic proteins with diverse functions and potentially exerts its regulatory roles in synaptic development and function via these interactors. However, Shank3-dependent regulation of synaptic abu

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
13
Article|27 citations·2019
Smaller Body Size, Early Postnatal Lethality, and Cortical Extracellular Matrix-Related Gene Expression Changes of Cyfip2-Null Embryonic Mice
Yinhua Zhang, Hyojin Kang, Yeunkum Lee, Yoonhee Kim, Bokyoung Lee, Jin Yong Kim, Chunmei Jin, Shinhyun Kim, Hyun Kim, Kihoon Han
SJR Q2Frontiers in Molecular NeuroscienceOA

Cytoplasmic FMR1-interacting protein 2 (CYFIP2) is a key component of the WAVE regulatory complex (WRC) which regulates actin polymerization and branching in diverse cellular compartments. Recent whole exome sequencing studies identified <i>de novo</i> hotspot variants in <i>CYFIP2</i> from patients with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy and microcephaly, suggesting that CYFIP2 may have some functions in embryonic brain development. Although perinatal lethality of <i>Cyfip2</i>-null (<i>Cyfip

GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
14
Article|26 citations·2020
Epilepsy- and intellectual disability-associated CYFIP2 interacts with both actin regulators and RNA-binding proteins in the neonatal mouse forebrain
Yeunkum Lee, Yinhua Zhang, Hyojin Kang, Geul Bang, Yoonhee Kim, Hyae Rim Kang, Ruiying Ma, Chunmei Jin, Jin Young Kim, Kihoon Han
SJR Q2Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
15
Article|24 citations·2017
Age-dependent decrease of GAD65/67 mRNAs but normal densities of GABAergic interneurons in the brain regions of Shank3 -overexpressing manic mouse model
Bokyoung Lee, Yinhua Zhang, Yoonhee Kim, Shinhyun Kim, Yeunkum Lee, Kihoon Han
SJR Q2Neuroscience Letters
GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research Areas

GeneticsMolecular BiologySurgeryCellular and Molecular NeuroscienceBiomedical EngineeringAerospace Engineering

Dive deeper into Kihun Han's research on Nubint

Open this lab's papers in the app to read with AI, summarize, and cite in your writing.