Email

yongx@bcm.edu

Positions

Professor

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 (Office)

Room: CNRC-8066
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-7199
yongx@bcm.edu

Children's Nutrition Research Center (Lab)

Room: CNRC-8012
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-0359

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

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 September ; 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 April ; 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

Funding

Brain steroid receptor coactivators and energy homeostasis - #P01 DK113954

$1,000,000.00 (07/01/2018 - 06/30/2019)

Grant funding from NIH

Neurobiology for the sex differences in energy balance - #R01 DK117281

$1,250,000.00 (04/01/2018 - 03/31/2023)

Grant funding from NIH

Hypothalamic Grb10 and body weight - #R01 DK115761

$630,488.00 (09/01/2018 - 08/31/2022)

Grant funding from NIH

5-HT Neurons Integrate Neural Inputs to Regulate Food Intake - #R01 DK120858

$1,734,229.00 (09/15/2020 - 06/30/2024)

Grant funding from NIH

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.