Address:	Room EG03, Science Centre, CUHK (Office)
	Room G96, Science Centre, CUHK (Lab)
Phone:	(852) 3943-1008 (Off) / (852) 3943-6287 (Lab)
Fax:	(852) 2603-5646, (852) 2603-5745
E-mail:	kmkwan@cuhk.edu.hk

 

Education

1997	PhD (Molecular and Developmental Biology) The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
1990	BSc (Biochemistry) The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

 

Position

2006-present	Assistant Professor (Department of Biology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
2005-2006	Instructor (Department of Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA)
1998-2005	Postdoctoral Fellow (Department of Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA)
1997-1998	Research Associate (Department of Biochemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

 

Membership in the following Professional Organizations

Society for Developmental Biology

 

Research Interest

1. Genetic manipulation by transgenic and gene knockout technology

2. Study of Organogenesis and Tumorigensis using mouse as model organism

3. Mammalian neural development

4. Stem cell research

 

Representative Publications (* indicates PI and Corresponding Author)

1.	Orvis, G.D., Jamin, S.P., Kwan, K.M., Mishina, Y., Kaartinen, V.M., Huang, S., Roberts, A.B., Umans, L., Huylebroeck, D., Zwijsen, A., Wang, D., Martin, J.F. and Behringer, R.R. (2008) Functional Redundancy of TGF-beta Family Type I Receptors and Receptor-Smads in Mediating Anti-Mullerian Hormone-Induced Mullerian Duct Regression in the Mouse. Biol. Reprod. (in press)
2.	Poche, R.A., Kwan, K.M., Raven, M.A., Furuta, Y., Reese, B.E. and Behringer, R.R. (2007) Lim1 is essential for the correct laminar positioning of retinal horizontal cells. J. Neurosci. 27: 14099-14107.
3.	Zhao, Y.*, Kwan, K.M.*, Mailloux, C.M., Lee, W.K., Grinberg, A., Wurst, W., Behringer, R.R. and Westphal, H. (2007) LIM-homeodomain proteins Lhx1, Lhx5, and their cofactor Ldb1 control Purkinje cell differentiation in the developing cerebellum. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 13182-13186. * equal contribution as first author
4.	Potter, S.S., Hartman, H.A., Kwan, K.M., Behringer, R.R. and Patterson, L.T. (2007) Laser capture-microarray analysis of Lim1 mutant kidney development. Genesis 45: 432-439.
5.	Tsang, K.Y., Chan, D., Cheslett, D., Chan, W.C.W., So, C.L., Melhado, I.G., Chan, T.W.Y., Kwan, K.M., Hunziker, E.B., Yamada, Y., Bateman, J.F., Cheung, K.M.C. and Cheah, K.S.E. (2007) Surviving ER Stress is coupled to altered chondrocyte differentiation and function. PLoS. Biology 5: e44.
6.	Chen, Y.T., Kobayashi, A., Kwan, K.M., Johnson, R.L., Behringer, R.R. (2006) Gene expression profiles in developing nephrons using Lim1 metanephric mesenchyme-specific conditional mutant mice. BMC Nephrology 7:1.
7.	Kobayashi, A., Kwan, K.M., Carroll, T.J., McMahon, A.P., Mendelsohn, C.L., and Behringer, R.R. (2005) Distinct tissue-specific activities of the LIM-class homeobox gene Lim1 for tubular morphogenesis during kidney organogenesis. Development 132: 2809-2823.
8.	Kwan, K.M., Li, A.G., Wang, X.J., Wurst, W. and Behringer, R.R. (2004) Essential roles of BMPRIA signaling in differentiation and growth of hair follicles and in skin tumorigenesis. Genesis 39: 10-25.
9.	Purandare, S.M., Ware, S.M., Kwan, K.M., Gebbia, M., Bassi, M.T., Deng, J.M., Vogel, H., Behringer, R.R., Belmont, J.W. and Casey, B. (2002) A complex syndrome of left-right axis, central nervous system and axial skeleton defects in Zic3 mutant mice. Development 129: 2293-2302.
10.	Kwan, K.M. and Behringer, R.R. (2002) Conditional inactivation of Lim1 function. Genesis 32: 118-120.
11.	Kwan, K.M. (2002) Conditional alleles in mice: practical considerations for tissue-specific knockouts. Genesis 32: 49-62.
12.	Tsang, T.E., Shawlot, W., Kinder, S.J., Kobayashi, A., Kwan, K.M., Schughart, K., Kania, A., Jessell, T.M., Behringer, R.R. and Tam, P.P. (2000) Lim1 activity is required for intermediate mesoderm differentiation in the mouse embryo. Dev. Biol. 223: 77-90.
13.	Cheah, S.S., Kwan, K.M. and Behringer, R.R. (2000) Requirement of LIM domains for LIM1 function in mouse head development. Genesis 27: 12-21.
14.	Shawlot, W., Wakamiya, M., Kwan, K.M., Kania, A., Jessell, T.M. and Behringer, R.R. (1999) Lim1 is required in both primitive streak-derived tissues and visceral endoderm for head formation in the mouse. Development 126: 4925-4932.
15.	Kwan, K.M., Pang, M.K., Zhou, S., Cowan, S.K., Kong, R.Y., Pfordte, T., Olsen, B.R., Sillence, D.O., Tam, P.P. and Cheah, K.S. (1997) Abnormal compartmentalization of cartilage matrix components in mice lacking collagen X: implications for function. J .Cell. Biol. 136: 459-471.
16.	Kong, R.Y., Kwan, K.M., Lau, E.T., Thomas, J.T., Boot-Handford, R.P., Grant, M.E. and Cheah, K.S. (1993) Intron-exon structure, alternative use of promoter and expression of the mouse collagen X gene, Col10a-1. Eur. J. Biochem. 213: 99-111.

 

 

Research Grants

Research Grants Council (RGC) Competitive Earmarked Research Grants (CERG)
2008-2010	Functional analysis of Lhx1 and Lhx5 in Purkinje neurons of cerebellum in mice - $1,146,611 (as PI)
Direct Grants of the Research Committee, CUHK
2007-2008	Genetic studies of the role of LIM-homeobox genes in cerebellum development -$115,697 (as PI)