Moonsun Sa
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Ph.D.
- Center for Brain Disorder, KIST, Republic of Korea, 02792
- E-mail: moonsun@kist.re.kr
Mar 2014 - Aug 2022 Ph.D. KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Major: Nano Bio Information Technology (Neuroscience)
- Thesis advisor: Dr. Changjoon Justin Lee
Mar 2006 - Feb 2011 B.S. College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology,
Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Major: Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Biotechnology
(Double Major)
Mar 2026 - Present Postdoctoral Researcher
Center for Brain Disorder, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Advisor: Dr. Min-Ho Nam
Sep 2023 - Feb 2026 Postdoctoral Researcher
Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics
Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Advisor: Dr. Sung-Yon Kim
Sep 2022 - Jul 2023 Postdoctoral Researcher
Center for Cognition and Sociality
Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Advisor: Dr. C. Justin Lee
Nov 2018 - Aug 2022 Ph.D. Student Researcher
Center for Cognition and Sociality
IBS, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Advisor: Dr. C. Justin Lee
Mar 2014 - Oct 2018 Ph.D. Student Researcher
Center for Neuroscience and Functional Connectomics
KIST, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Advisor: Dr. C. Justin Lee
- Eun-Seon Yoo*, Jieun Yu*, Moonsun Sa, C. Justin Lee, Jong-Woo Sohn†. Serotonin 2C receptors inhibit hypothalamic CRH neurons to suppress appetite. Metabolism – Clinical and Experimental, 2025 Nov5:156431 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2025.156431
- Ju-Young Oh*, Hyowon Lee*, Sun-Young Jang, Hyunjin Kim, Geunhong Park, Almas Serikov, Jae-Hwan Jang, Junyeop Kim, Seulkee Yang, Moonsun Sa, Sung Eun Lee, Young-Eun Han, Tae-Yeon Hwang, Sharon Jiyoon Jung, Hee Young Kim, Seung Eun Lee, Soo-Jin Oh, Jeongjin Kim, Jeongyeon Kim, Jongpil Kim, Thomas J. McHugh, C. Justin Lee, Min-Ho Nam†, Hi-Joon Park†. Central Role of Hypothalamic Circuits for Acupuncture's Anti-Parkinsonian Effects. Advanced Science, 2024 Aug 9:e2403245. DOI: 10.1002/advs.202403245.
- Jea Kwon*, Moonsun Sa*, Hyewon Kim*, Yejin Seong, C. Justin Lee†. Egocentric 3D Skeleton Learning in a Deep Neural Network Encodes Obese-Like Motion Representations. Experimental Neurobiology, 2024 Jun;33(3):119-128. DOI: 10.5607/en24008. (*equally contributed)
- Moonsun Sa*, Eun-Seon Yoo, Wuhyun Koh, Mingu Gordon Park, Hyun-Jun Jang, Yong Ryoul Yang, Mridula Bhalla, Jae-Hun Lee, Jiwoon Lim, Woojin Won, Jea Kwon, Joon-Ho Kwon, Yejin Seong, Byungeun Kim, Heeyoung An, Seung Eun Lee, Ki Duk Park, Pann-Ghill Suh, Jong-Woo Sohn, C. Justin Lee†. Hypothalamic GABRA5-positive Neurons Control Obesity via Astrocytic GABA. Nature Metabolism, 2023, Sep;5(9):1506-1525. DOI: 10.1038/s42255-023-00877-w.
- Jung Moo Lee*, Moonsun Sa*, Heeyoung An, Jong Min Joseph Kim, Jea Kwon, Bo-Eun Yoon, C. Justin Lee†. Generation of Astrocyte-Specific MAOB Conditional Knockout Mouse with Minimal Tonic GABA Inhibition. Experimental Neurobiology, 2022 Jun 30;31(3):158-172. DOI: 10.5607/en22016. (*equally contributed)
- Moonsun Sa*, Jung Moo Lee, Mingu Gordon Park, Jiwoon Lim, Jong Min Joseph Kim, Wuhyun Koh, Bo-Eun Yoon, C. Justin Lee†. Unaltered Tonic Inhibition in the Arcuate Nucleus of Diet-induced Obese Mice. Experimental Neurobiology, 2022 Jun 30;31(3):147-157. DOI: 10.5607/en22014.
- Min-Ho Nam*, Moonsun Sa*, Yeon Ha Ju, Mingu Gordon Park, C. Justin Lee†. Revisiting the Role of Astrocytic MAOB in Parkinson’s Disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022 Apr 18;23(8):4453. DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084453. (*equally contributed)
- Wuhyun Koh, Mijeong Park, Ye Eun Chun, Jaekwang Lee, Hyun Soo Shim, Mingu Gordon Park, Sunpil Kim, Moonsun Sa, Jinhyeong Joo, Hyunji Kang, Soo-Jin Oh, Junsung Woo, Heejung Chun, Seung Eun Lee, Jinpyo Hong, Jiesi Feng, Yulong Li, Hoon Ryu, Jeiwon Cho, C. Justin Lee†. Astrocytes render memory flexible by releasing D-serine and regulating NMDAR tone in the hippocampus. Biological Psychiatry, 2022 Apr 15;91(8):740-752. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.10.012.
- Moonsun Sa*, Mingu Gordon Park, C. Justin Lee†. Role of Hypothalamic Reactive Astrocytes in Diet-Induced Obesity. Molecules and Cells, 2022 Feb 28;45(2):65-75. DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2022.2044.
- NaHye Lee*, Moonsun Sa*, Yu Ri Hong, C. Justin Lee†, and JaeHyung Koo†. Fatty Acid Increases cAMP-dependent Lactate and MAO-B-dependent GABA Production in Mouse Astrocytes by Activating a Gαs Protein-coupled Receptor. Experimental Neurobiology, 2018 Oct;27(5):365-376. DOI: 10.5607/en.2018.27.5.365. (*equally contributed)
- Jea Kwon, Heeyoung An, Moonsun Sa, Joungha Won, Jeong Im Shin, C. Justin Lee. Orai1 and Orai3 in combination with stim1 mediate the majority of store-operated calcium entry in astrocytes. Experimental Neurobiology, 2017 Feb;26(1):42-54. DOI: 10.5607/en.2017.26.1.42.
Scholarship Award, Keystone Symposia, United States, 2025
AMOREPACIFIC Great Global Next Generation Research Award, KSMCB, Republic of Korea, 2024
Best Presentation Award, Young Scientist Program (YSP) Fellowship, KSBMB, Republic of Korea, 2024
Show me your research award, Donga Science, Republic of Korea, 2023
Best Poster Award, Korea University, Republic of Korea, 2019
Best Presentation Award, KSBNS, Republic of Korea, 2018
