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Na‐Young Song

Yonsei University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Na-Young Song's research lab focuses on the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying cancer progression, with a particular emphasis on the tumor microenvironment, redox regulation, and epigenetic signaling. The lab investigates how microbial dysbiosis, especially in the oral and gut microbiomes, contributes to systemic diseases and cancer, while also exploring the dual roles of key regulators like SIRT1, NF-κB, and STAT3 in tumorigenesis. A central theme is the regulation of oxidative stress and antioxidant responses—particularly through Nrf2 and GSH pathways—amidst oncogenic mutations such as KRAS and IKKα loss. The lab integrates molecular oncology, redox biology, and host-microbe interactions to uncover novel therapeutic targets for cancer prevention and treatment.

tumor microenvironmentredox regulationmicrobiometranscription factorsNrf2 signaling

Research Overview

Papers
101
Total Citations
1,949
Papers (5y)
24
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
24total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
494total
20212022202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Review|234 citations·2021
Oral–Gut Microbiome Axis in Gastrointestinal Disease and Cancer
Se-Young Park, Byeong-Oh Hwang, Mihwa Lim, Seung-Ho Ok, Sun Lee, Kyung‐Soo Chun, Kwang-Kyun Park, Yinling Hu, Won‐Yoon Chung, Na‐Young Song
SJR Q1CancersOA

It is well-known that microbiota dysbiosis is closely associated with numerous diseases in the human body. The oral cavity and gut are the two largest microbial habitats, playing a major role in microbiome-associated diseases. Even though the oral cavity and gut are continuous regions connected through the gastrointestinal tract, the oral and gut microbiome profiles are well-segregated due to the oral-gut barrier. However, the oral microbiota can translocate to the intestinal mucosa in condition

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
Review|141 citations·2012
Janus‐faced role of SIRT1 in tumorigenesis
Na‐Young Song, Young‐Joon Surh
SJR Q1Annals of the New York Academy of SciencesOA

Silent mating type information regulation 1 (Sirtuin 1; SIRT1) has been reported to regulate various physiological events, such as aging and metabolism, via deacetylation of histone and nonhistone proteins. Notably, cumulative evidence supports the notion that SIRT1 has a Janus-faced role in tumorigenesis. SIRT1 contributes to anti-inflammation, genomic stability, and cancer cell death, and hence it has tumor-suppressor properties. On the other hand, SIRT1 can stimulate oncogenic signaling pathw

Geriatrics and GerontologyMedicine
3
Review|54 citations·2021
Platelet CLEC2-Podoplanin Axis as a Promising Target for Oral Cancer Treatment
Byeong-Oh Hwang, Se-Young Park, Eunae Sandra Cho, Xianglan Zhang, Sun Lee, Hyung‐Joon Ahn, Kyung‐Soo Chun, Won‐Yoon Chung, Na‐Young Song
SJR Q1Frontiers in ImmunologyOA

Cancer tissues are not just simple masses of malignant cells, but rather complex and heterogeneous collections of cellular and even non-cellular components, such as endothelial cells, stromal cells, immune cells, and collagens, referred to as tumor microenvironment (TME). These multiple players in the TME develop dynamic interactions with each other, which determines the characteristics of the tumor. Platelets are the smallest cells in the bloodstream and primarily regulate blood coagulation and

OncologyMedicine
4
Article|40 citations·2018
IKKα inactivation promotes Kras-initiated lung adenocarcinoma development through disrupting major redox regulatory pathways
Na‐Young Song, Feng Zhu, Zining Wang, Jami Willette‐Brown, Sichuan Xi, Zhonghe Sun, Ling Su, Xiaolin Wu, Buyong Ma, Ruth Nussinov, Xiaojun Xia, David S. Schrump
SJR Q1Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesOA

Significance Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can promote tumorigenesis or kill cancer cells. How different cancer-associated genetic alterations regulate ROS balance and outcome is of great importance for the design of rational cancer treatments, many of which affect ROS metabolism and sensing. Kras activation induces a ROS defense system and cell senescence, which counteract its oncogenic activity. KRAS -activating mutations are accompanied by IKKα loss mutations that result in elevated NOX2 but

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
5
Article|34 citations·2018
Leptin induces SIRT1 expression through activation of NF-E2-related factor 2: Implications for obesity-associated colon carcinogenesis
Na‐Young Song, Yeon‐Hwa Lee, Hye‐Kyung Na, Jeong‐Heum Baek, Young‐Joon Surh
SJR Q1Biochemical PharmacologyOA
Geriatrics and GerontologyMedicine
6
Article|25 citations·2011
Multidrug Resistance-Associated Protein 1 Mediates 15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2-Induced Expression of Glutamate Cysteine Ligase Expression via Nrf2 Signaling in Human Breast Cancer Cells
Na‐Young Song, Do‐Hee Kim, Eun‐Hee Kim, Hye‐Kyung Na, Nam‐Jung Kim, Young‐Ger Suh, Young‐Joon Surh
SJR Q1Chemical Research in Toxicology

15-Deoxy-Δ(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2) (15d-PGJ(2)) is a representative J-series cyclopentenone prostaglandin bearing an electrophilic α,β-unsaturated carbonyl group. In the present study, treatment of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells with 15d-PGJ(2) caused the up-regulation of the glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic (GCLC) subunit, the rate-limiting enzyme in glutathione (GSH) synthesis. 15d-PGJ(2) treatment caused nuclear translocation and transactivation of Nrf2, a redox-sensitive transcription

PharmacologyMedicine
7
Article|21 citations·2020
STAT3 Stabilizes IKKα Protein through Direct Interaction in Transformed and Cancerous Human Breast Epithelial Cells
Young‐Il Hahn, Soma Saeidi, Su‐Jung Kim, Se-Young Park, Na‐Young Song, Jie Zheng, Do-Hee Kim, Han‐Byoel Lee, Wonshik Han, Dong‐Young Noh, Hye-Kyung Na, Young‐Joon Surh
SJR Q1CancersOA

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) are two representative transcription factors that play a critical role in inflammation-associated tumorigenesis through multi-level cooperation. Unlike other types of tumors, breast carcinomas have shown a significant dependency on the non-classical NF-κB pathway as well as the classical one. The α subunit of the inhibitor of the κB kinase (IKK) complex, IKKα, is involved in both classical and non-classical

OncologyMedicine
8
Article|21 citations·2013
Triterpenoids fromFragaria ananassacalyx and their inhibitory effects on melanogenesis in B16-F10 mouse melanoma cells
Na‐Young Song, Jin‐Gyeong Cho, Dongmoon Im, Dae-Young Lee, Qian Wu, Woo Duck Seo, Hee Cheol Kang, Youn‐Hyung Lee, Nam‐In Baek
SJR Q2Natural Product Research

Column chromatographic technology was applied to isolate six purified ursane triterpenoids from the calyx of Fragaria ananassa and they were identified on the basis of spectroscopic methods to be ursolic acid (1), pomolic acid (2), 2-oxo-pomolic acid (3), 3-O-acetyl pomolic acid (4), fupenzic acid (5) and euscaphic acid (6). This is the first study in which these compounds have been isolated from the calyx of F. ananassa. Compared to a well-known inhibitor, α-arbutin, compounds 2-6 showed a sign

Cell BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
9
Article|20 citations·2014
Docosahexaenoic acid inhibits insulin-induced activation of sterol regulatory-element binding protein 1 and cyclooxygenase-2 expression through upregulation of SIRT1 in human colon epithelial cells
Na‐Young Song, Hye‐Kyung Na, Jeong‐Heum Baek, Young‐Joon Surh
SJR Q1Biochemical Pharmacology
SurgeryMedicine
10
Article|19 citations·2022
IKKα-deficient lung adenocarcinomas generate an immunosuppressive microenvironment by overproducing Treg-inducing cytokines
Na‐Young Song, Xin Li, Buyong Ma, Jami Willette‐Brown, Feng Zhu, Chengfei Jiang, Ling Su, Jyoti Shetty, Yongmei Zhao, Gongping Shi, Sayantan Banerjee, Xiaolin Wu
SJR Q1Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesOA

Significance This study reveals that impaired IKKα expression or activity in lung cancer enhances differentiation of protumorigenic Treg cells through a TNF/TNFR2/NF-κB signaling pathway in both human and mouse lung ADC. Depletion of one of the molecules that are required for Treg cell induction represses lung ADC development. Thus, the components that interfere with this particular Treg differentiation provide targets for the generation of TME-modifying therapies.

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
11
Article|19 citations·2009
15‐Deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2Induces Upregulation of Multidrug Resistance‐Associated Protein 1 via Nrf2 Activation in Human Breast Cancer Cells
Na‐Young Song, Do‐Hee Kim, Eun‐Hee Kim, Hye‐Kyung Na, Young‐Joon Surh
SJR Q1Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

15-Deoxy-Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2) (15d-PGJ(2)), a representative J-series cyclopentenone prostaglandin, exerts cytoprotective effects that are mainly mediated by Nrf2. Nrf2 is a major transcription factor involved in the transactivation of genes encoding many phase 2 detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes via interaction with the antioxidant response element (ARE). Recently it has been reported that expression of phase 3 efflux transporters, such as multidrug resistance-associated proteins (

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
12
Article|14 citations·2011
EQPlanar: a maximum-likelihood method for accurate organ activity estimation from whole body planar projections
Na‐Young Song, Bingbing He, Richard L. Wahl, Eric C. Frey
SJR Q1Physics in Medicine and Biology

Optimizing targeted radionuclide therapy requires patient-specific estimation of organ doses. The organ doses are estimated from quantitative nuclear medicine imaging studies, many of which involve planar whole body scans. We have previously developed the quantitative planar (QPlanar) processing method and demonstrated its ability to provide more accurate activity estimates than conventional geometric-mean-based planar (CPlanar) processing methods using physical phantom and simulation studies. T

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
13
Article|13 citations·2010
The effect of volume-of-interest misregistration on quantitative planar activity and dose estimation
Na‐Young Song, Bingbing He, Eric C. Frey
SJR Q1Physics in Medicine and Biology

In targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT), dose estimation is essential for treatment planning and tumor dose response studies. Dose estimates are typically based on a time series of whole-body conjugate view planar or SPECT scans of the patient acquired after administration of a planning dose. Quantifying the activity in the organs from these studies is an essential part of dose estimation. The quantitative planar (QPlanar) processing method involves accurate compensation for image degrading facto

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
14
Article|10 citations·2020
ERK Dephosphorylation through MKP1 Deacetylation by SIRT1 Attenuates RAS-Driven Tumorigenesis
Ok‐Seon Kwon, Haeseung Lee, Yun-Jeong Kim, Hyuk‐Jin Cha, Na‐Young Song, Mi‐Ok Lee
SJR Q1CancersOA

The role of Situin 1 (SIRT1) in tumorigenesis is still controversial due to its wide range of substrates, including both oncoproteins and tumor suppressors. A recent study has demonstrated that SIRT1 interferes in the Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS)-driven activation of the Raf-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (MEK)-ERK pathway, thereby inhibiting tumorigenesis. However, the molecular mechanism of SIRT1 as a tumor suppre

Geriatrics and GerontologyMedicine
15
Article|3 citations·2025
Cathepsin L as a dual-target to mitigate muscle wasting while enhancing anti-tumor efficacy of anti-PD-L1
Se-Young Park, Kyuwon Son, Jiwoo Kim, Kyeongah Kim, Sungmin Joo, Bomi Kim, Myunggyo Lee, Wankyu Kim, Won-Jung Jung, Byung Kwan Choi, Nakyung Jeon, Won‐Yoon Chung
SJR Q1Nature CommunicationsOA

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer therapy; however, their use is frequently associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs). In this study, anti-PD-L1 therapy exacerbates muscle wasting in tumor-bearing male mice despite its anti-tumor efficacy, accompanied by an accumulation of CD8+ T cells in muscle. Single-cell RNA sequencing identifies these cells as tissue-resident memory-like CD49a+ CD8+ T cells. While CD8+ T cell depletion prevents muscle wasting, it com

OncologyMedicine

Research Areas

Molecular BiologyGeriatrics and GerontologyCancer ResearchImmunologyCivil and Structural EngineeringPharmacology

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