Jianhua Xiong

• PhD
• Johns Hopkins University

Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT), a specific form of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, drives a growing number of human (Homo sapiens) pathological conditions. This emerging knowledge opens a path to discovering novel therapeutic targets for many EndoMT-associated disorders. Here, we constructed an atlas of the endothelial-cell tr...

As an important substrate for cell metabolism, the short-chain fatty acid acetate emerges as a regulator of cell fate and function. However, its role in T cell survival and its underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that acetate modulates T cell apoptosis via potentiation of α-tubulin acetylation. We further show that ac...

The short-chain fatty acid metabolite acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) has emerged as a major signal transducer that can broadly affect cell fate and function at least partly by influencing acetylation of key proteins. The mechanism by which acetyl-CoA regulates CD4+ T cell fate determination remains poorly understood. Herein, we report that acetate...

Normal tissue and organ morphogenesis requires epithelial cell plasticity and conversion to a mesenchymal phenotype through a tightly regulated process: epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Alterations of EMT go far beyond cell-lineage segregation and contribute to pathologic conditions such as cancer. EMT is subject to intersecting control...

Metabolism has recently been in the spotlight because of technical advances in metabolite measurement; however, it is not a new topic in the Nobel Prize's history. Emerging evidence suggests that metabolism is more complex than was previously believed. Retrospective analysis of the Nobel Prize-winning metabolic discoveries may inspire future studie...

Certain organisms, including zebrafish, are capable of complete cardiac regeneration in response to injury. This response has also been observed in newborn mice, although in this case, the regenerative capacity is lost at approximately one week of age. The mechanisms regulating this short temporal window of cardiac regeneration in mice are not well...

Mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) is a major catabolic process that degrades long-chain fatty acids. Recent reports reveal a broad role for FAO in cell fate control in endothelial cells, immune cells, and cancer cells. Concurrently, unique molecular pathways influenced by FAO have been identified that alter cell fate decisions.

Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) is a cellular process often initiated by the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family of ligands. Although required for normal heart valve development, deregulated EndoMT is linked to a wide range of pathological conditions. Here, we demonstrate that endothelial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) is a criti...

Certain organisms, including zebrafish, are capable of complete cardiac regeneration in response to injury. This response has also been observed in the newborn mouse, although in this case, the regenerative capacity is lost at approximately one week of age. The mechanisms regulating this short temporal window of cardiac regeneration in mice are not...

Cardiovascular disease plagues the whole world due to intensive lifestyle changes. Heart regeneration holds great promise for repairing and restoring cardiomyocytes lost due to injury and disease. In contrast to the robust cardiac regeneration of certain lower vertebrates, adult mammalian hearts typically show minimal capacity for heart regeneratio...

Macroautophagy is an evolutionarily conserved intracellular degradation system used by life ranging from yeasts to mammals. The core autophagic machinery is composed of ATG (autophagy-related) protein constituents. One particular member of the ATG protein family, Atg7, has been the focus of recent research. Atg7 acts as an E1-like activating enzyme...

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive and devastating disease of various causes that is associated with structural and functional disorder and inappropriately increased pressure of pulmonary small- to medium-sized vasculature. Extensive pulmonary vascular remodeling with narrowing lumen is well characterized in all forms of PH, which is hemo...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of ~23-nt endogenous noncoding RNA transcripts that mediate the posttranscriptional repression of target protein-coding genes . Although the first evidence for the role of miRNAs in cancer development was presented in 2002 , the clinical trials of miRNA-based cancer drugs is just burgeoning recently ]. Certain miRNA h...

Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are genetically more stable than somatic cells, thereby preventing the passage of genomic abnormalities to their derivatives including germ cells. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain largely unclear. In this paper, we show that the stemness factor Sall4 is required for activating the critical Ataxia Telangie...

Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are genetically more stable than somatic cells, thereby preventing the passage of genomic abnormalities to their derivatives including germ cells. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain largely unclear. In this paper, we show that the stemness factor Sall4 is required for activating the critical Ataxia Telangie...

Previous studies suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in almost all cellular processes and the continuous development of miRNA-mediated posttranscriptional regulation might have facilitated the development of complex organisms. Especially, the microRNA-22 (miR-22) family has been recently extensively reported. Here, we accessed the evoluti...

The spalt (sal) family is a class of evolutionarily conserved genes originally identified in Drosophila as homeotic genes required for embryonic development. In vertebrates, the expression of sal-like 4 (SALL4) is specifically enriched in both embryonic and adult stem/stem-like cells. SALL4 is a master regulator that contributes to cell stemness in...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of small noncoding RNAs that have critical regulatory functions in various biological processes. MicroRNA-22 (miR-22) is a highly-conserved 22-nt miRNA, whose roles in human diseases and normal physiology are just beginning to emerge. Recently, miR-22 has been connected to a great number of activities that e...

Oncogenic c-Myc has been described to modulate the expression of a subset of microRNAs (miRNAs), which include miR-22; however, the mechanism through which a miRNA controls c-Myc activity remains unclear. Here we report a novel anti-c-Myc function mediated by miR-22. Ectopically expressed miR-22 inhibited cell proliferation and anchorage-independen...

Previous studies have suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) may play important roles in tumorigenesis, but little is known about the functions of most miRNAs in cancer development. In the present study, we set up a cell-based screen using a luciferase reporter plasmid carrying the whole approximately 4.7 kb 3'-UTR of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) m...