Yong Xu, M.D., Ph.D.

Picture

Yong Xu, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor, CNRC Associate Director for Basic Sciences

Phone

713-798-7199

Email

yongx@bcm.edu

Positions

Professor, CNRC Associate Director for Basic Sciences: Pediatrics
Nutrition
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Secondary Professor: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Addresses

Children's Nutrition Research Center (Lab)
: Room: CNRC-8012
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-0359

Children's Nutrition Research Center (Office)
: Room: CNRC-8066
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-7199
yongx@bcm.edu

Education

Fellowship at University Of Texas Southwestern Medical School: Dallas, TX United States

PhD from University of Alberta: 10/2006 - Edmonton, Alberta Canada

MSc from Tongji Medical University: 06/2002 - Wuhan, China

MD from Tongji Medial University: 06/1999 - Wuhan, China

Professional Interests

Brain control of feeding behavior, body weight, and glucose balance

Professional Statement

The goal of my research is to identify the novel neural circuits, neurotransmitters and intra-neuronal signals that are critical for coordinated control of body weight, feeding behavior, and glucose balance. We generate unique mouse models, using Cre-loxP/Flp-frt strategy, with genes of interest manipulated in specific populations of neurons at the time of choice. We use these models, in combination of the modern chemogenetics/optogenetics, electrophysiology and neurotracing approaches, to establish the physiological relevance of specific neural networks in the regulation of energy homeostasis, glucose balance and behaviors.

Ongoing projects in the laboratory include:
(1) To identify the critical ER-expressing neurons and the downstream circuits that mediate estrogenic effects on body weight and glucose balance.
(2) To determine the roles of nuclear receptor co-activators in the hypothalamus in the context of obesity and diabetes.
(3) To reveal the mechanisms by which the central 5-HT neural circuits regulate feeding behavior.

Websites

VIICTR Publications List

Yong Xu Lab

Selected Publications

Zhu C, Xu P, He Y, Yuan Y, Wang T, Cai X, Yu L, Yang L, Wu J, Wang L, Zhu X, Wang S, Gao P, Xi Q, Zhang Y, Xu Y (corresponding author), Jiang Q, Shu G. "Heparin increases food intake through AgRP neurons.." Cell Reports. 2017 Sep;20(10):2455-2467. Pubmed PMID: 28877477
Xu Y (corresponding author), O’Malley BW, Elmquist JK. "Brain nuclear receptors and body weight regulation.." The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2017 Apr;127(4):1172-1180. Pubmed PMID: 28218618
Qu N, He Y, Wang C, Xu P, Yang Y, Cai X, Liu H, Yu K, Pei Z, Hyseni I, Sun Z, Fukuda M, Li Y, Tian Q, Xu Y "A POMC-originated circuit regulates stress-induced hypophagia, depression and anhedonia." Molecular Psychiatry. 2019; Pubmed PMID: 31485012
Xu Y, Lu Y, Cassidy R, Mangieri L, Zhu C, Huang X, Jiang Z, Justice N, Xu Y, Arenkiel B, and Tong Q "Identification of a neurociruit underlying regulation of feeding by stress-related emotional responses." Nature Communications. 2019; Pubmed PMID: 31371721

Mangieri L, Jiang Z, Lu Y, Xu Y, Cassidy R, Justice N, Xu Y, Arenkiel B, Tong Q "Defensive behaviors driven by a hypothalamic-ventral midbrain circuit." eNeuro. 2019; Pubmed PMID: 31331938
Zhou W, He Y, Rehman AU, Kong Y, Hong S, Ding G, Yalamanchili HK, Wan YW, Paul B, Wang C, Gong Y, Zhou W, Liu H, Dean J, Scalais E, O’Driscoll M, Morton J, Hou X, Wu Q, Tong Q, Liu Z, Liu P, Xu Y (co-corresponding author), and Zheng Sun "NCOR1/2 loss of function impairs memory through a novel GABAergic hypothalamus–CA3 projection." Nature Neuroscience. 2019; Pubmed PMID: 30664766
Mangieri L, Lu Y, Xu Y, Cassidy R, Xu Y, Arenkiel B, and Tong Q "A Neural Basis for Antagonistic Control of Feeding and Compulsive Behaviors." Nature Communications. 2018;
Yu S, Cheng H, François M, Qualls-Creekmore E, Huesing C, He Y, Jiang Y, Gao H, Xu Y, Zsombok A, Derbenev AV, Nillni EA, Burk DH, Morrison CD, Berthoud HR, Münzberg H "Preoptic leptin signaling modulates energy balance independent of body temperature regulation." Elife. 2018; Pubmed PMID: 29761783
Wang C, He Y, Xu P, Yang Y, Saito K, Xia Y, Yan X, Hinton A, Yan C, Ding H, Yu L, Shu G, Gupta R, Wu Q, Tong Q, Lagor WR, Flores ER and Xu Y "TAp63 contributes to sexual dimorphism in POMC neuron functions and energy homeostasis." Nature Communica. 2018; Pubmed PMID: 29670083
He Y, Xu P, Wang C, Xia Y, Yu M, Yang Y, Yu K, Cai X, Qu N, Saito K, Wang J, Hyseni I, Robertson M, Piyarathna B, Gao M, Khan SA, Liu F, Chen R, Coarfa C, Zhao Z, Tong Q, Sun Z, Xu Y "Estrogen receptor-α expressing neurons in the ventrolateral VMH regulate glucose balance." Nature Communications. 2020;
Zhu C, Xu Y, Jiang Z, Tian JB, Cassidy RM, Cai Z, Shu G, Xu Y, Xue M, Arenkiel BR, Jiang Q and Tong Q "Disrupted hypothalamic CRH neuron responsiveness contributes to diet-induced obesity." EMBO Reports. 2020;
Yu K, He Y, Hyseni I, Pei Z, Yang Y, Xu P, Cai X, Liu H, Qu N, Liu H, He Y, Yu M, Liang C, Yang T, Wang J, Gourdy P, Arnal JF, Lenfant F, Xu Y (co-corresponding) and Wang C "17β-estradiol promotes acute refeeding in hungry mice by membrane-initiated ERα signaling." Molecular Metabolism. 2020 Jul 23;42:101053. Pubmed PMID: 32712433
Sun Z and Xu Y "Nuclear Receptor Coactivators (NCOAs) and Corepressors (NCORs) in the Brain." Endocrinology. 2020 Aug 1;161(8):bqaa083. Pubmed PMID: 32449767
Kim ER, Xu Y, Cassidy RM, Lu Y, Yang Y, Tian J, Li DP, Drunen RV, Ribas-Latre A, Cai ZL, Xuee M, Arenkiel BR, Eckel-Mahan K, Xu Y, Tong Q "Paraventricular hypothalamus mediates diurnal rhythm of metabolism." Nature Communications. 2020 Jul 30;11:3794. Pubmed PMID: 32732906
Zhu C, Jiang Z, Xu Y, Cai ZL, Jiang Q, Xu Y, Xue M, Arenkiel RB, Wu Q, Shu G and Tong Q "Profound and Redundant Functions of Arcuate Neurons in Obesity Development." Nature Metabolism. 2020 Aug 2;2(8):763-774. Pubmed PMID: 32719538
Wang C, Zhou W, He Y, Yang T, Xu P, Yang Y, Cai X, Wang J, Liu H, Yu M, Liang C, Yang T, Liu H, Fukuda M, Tong Q, Wu Q, Sun S, He Y, Xu Y "AgRP neurons trigger long-term potentiation and facilitate food seeking.." Translational Psychiatry. 2021; Pubmed PMID: 33414382
Liu H, He Y, Beck J, Teixeira S, Harrison K, Xu Y (co-corresponding), Sisley S "Defining VDR expression in the brain using a novel VDRCre mouse.." The Journal of Comparative Neurology.; Pubmed PMID: 33368246
Zhang Z, Reis F, He Y, Park JW, DiVittorio JR, Sivakumar N, van Veen JE, Pereira S, Shum M, Anderson S, Nichols I, Paul K, Liesa M, Ajijola OA, Xu Y, Adhikari A, Correa SM "Estrogen-sensitive medial preoptic area neurons coordinate hypothermia and hypometabolism in mice.." Nature Communications.;
Kaneko K, Fu Y, Lin H, Cordonier EL, Mo Q, Gao Y, Yao T, Naylor J, Howard V, Saito K, Xu P, Chen SS, Chen M, Xu Y, Williams KW, Ravn P, and Fukuda M "Gut-derived GIP activates central Rap1 to impair neural leptin sensitivity during overnutrition." The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2019; Pubmed PMID: 31403469
Yang Y, van der Klaauw AA, Zhu L, Cacciottolo TM, He Y, Stadler L, Yan X, Keogh JM, Henning E, Banton MC, Hendricks AE, Bochukova EG, Mistry V, Lawler KL, Liao L, Xu J, O’Rahilly S, Tong Q, UK10K consortium, Barroso I, O’Malley BW, Farooqi IS, Xu Y "Steroid Receptor Coactivator-1 Modulates the Function of Pomc Neurons and Energy Homeostasis." Nature Communications. 2019; Pubmed PMID: 30979869
Wang C and Xu Y "Mechanisms for sex differences in energy homeostasis." Journal of Molecular Endocrinology. 2019; Pubmed PMID: 31130779
Duerrschmid C, He Y, Wang C, Li C, Bournat J, Romere C, Saha PK, Phillps KJ, Jain P, Farias M, Wu Q, Milewicz DM, Suton VR, Moore DD, Butte NF, Krashes MJ, Xu Y (corresponding author), Chopra AR. "Asprosin is a centrally-acting orexigenic hormone.." Nat Med (in press). 2017;
Cai X, Liu H, Feng B, Yu M, He Y, Liu H, Yang Y, Tu L, Zhang N, Wang L, Yin N, Han J, Yan Z, Wang C, Xu P, Wu Q, Tong Q, He Y, Xu Y "A D2 to D1 shift in dopaminergic inputs to midbrain 5-HT neurons causes anorexia in mice." Nat Neuro. 2022 May 25;
Mishra I, Xie WR, Bournat JC, He Y, Wang C, Silva ES, He Y, Liu H, Ku Z, Chen Y, Erokwu BO, Jia P, Zhao Z, An Z, Flask CA, Xu Y, Chopra AR "Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor δ Serves as the Orexigenic Asprosin Receptor." Cell Met. 2022 Apr 5;
Yang Y, He Y, Liu H, Zhou W, Wang C, Xu P, Cai X, Liu H, Yu K, Pei Z, Hyseni I, Fukuda M, Tong Q, Xu J, Sun Z, O'Malley BW, Xu Y "Hypothalamic steroid receptor coactivator-2 regulates adaptations to fasting and overnutrition." Cell Rep. 2021 Dec 7;
Ye H, Feng B, Wang C, Saito K, Yang Y, Ibrahimi L, Schaul S, Patel N, Saenz L, Luo P, Lai P, Torres V, Kota M, Dixit D, Cai X, Qu N, Hyseni I, Yu K, Jiang Y, Tong Q, Sun Z, Arenkiel BR, He Y, Xu P, Xu Y "An estrogen-sensitive hypothalamus-midbrain neural circuit controls thermogenesis and physical activity." Sci Adv. 2022 Jan 21;
Yoo ES, Li L, Jia L, Lord CC, Lee CE, Vianna CR, Berglund ED, Cunningham KA, Xu Y, Sohn JW, Liu C "Gαi/o-coupled Htr2c in the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus Antagonizes the Anorectic Effect of Serotonin Agents." Cell Rep. 2021 Nov 16;
Zhu Y, Li N, Huang M, Bartels M, Dogne S, Zhao S, Chen X, Crewe C, Straub L, Vishvanath L, Zhang Z, Shao M, Yang, Y, Glinkiak CM, Gordilla R, Smith GI, Holland WL, Gupta RK, Dong B, Caron N, Xu Y, Akgul Y, Klein S, Scherer PE "Adipose tissue hyaluronan production improves systemic glucose homeostasis and primes adipocytes for CL 316,243-stimulated lipolysis." Nat Comm. 2021 Aug 10;
He Y, Cai X, Liu H, Conde KM, Xu P, Li Y, Wang C, Yu M, He Y, Liu H, Liang C, Yang T, Yang Y, Yu K, Wang J, Zheng R, Liu F, Sun Z, Heisler L, Wu Q, Tong Q, Zhu C, Shu G, Xu Y "5-HT recruits distinct neurocircuits to inhibit hunger-driven and non-hunger-driven feeding." Mol Psych. 2021 Jul 21;

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Funding

Brain steroid receptor coactivators and energy homeostasis - #P01 DK113954: $1,000,000.00 (07/01/2018 - 06/30/2019)

Neurobiology for the sex differences in energy balance - #R01 DK117281: $1,250,000.00 (04/01/2018 - 03/31/2023)

Hypothalamic Grb10 and body weight - #R01 DK115761: $630,488.00 (09/01/2018 - 08/31/2022)

5-HT Neurons Integrate Neural Inputs to Regulate Food Intake - #R01 DK120858: $1,734,229.00 (09/15/2020 - 06/30/2024); The goal of this project is to advance our understanding about the physiological roles of brain 5-HT system in the regulation of feeding and energy balance.

Brain Estrogen Regulates Energy and Glucose Balance - #R01 DK125480: $1,613,058.00 (09/15/2020 - 06/30/2024); The goal of this project is to test the hypothesis that E2-sensitive ERα neurons in the vlVMH detect nutritional/glycemic fluctuations, and recruit multiple downstream neural circuits to maintain energy and glucose homeostasis

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