Programs
Departments & Divisions
Institutes & Centers
Mingjiang Xu, Ph.D.
Professor
CTRC Council Distinguished Chair in Oncology
Currently seeking M.S. & Ph.D. students
My research aims to define whether and how specific changes in the epigenetic landscape are capable of influencing the initiation and progression of blood cancers and to identify the biochemical mediators involved in these processes. Our studies are expected to provide insights into cancer transcription regulation via DNA/RNA hydroxymethylation and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-mediated long-range chromosome interaction.
-
Professional Background
Education
- 2001 - Ph.D. - Developmental and Cell Biology - University of Tokyo
- 1994 - M.D. - Clinical Medicine - Shandong Univ. School of Medicine
Training
- 2003 - Postdoctoral Fellow - Molecular biology - Vanderbilt University
Appointments
- 2019- - Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine - The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 2019- - San Antonio Cancer Council Distinguished Chair in Oncology, Mays Cancer Center - The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 2015-2019 - Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center - University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
- 2011-2015 - Associate Professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research - Indiana University School of Medicine
- 2007-2011 - Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Tisch Cancer Institute - Mount Sinai School of Medicine
- 2004-2007 - Research Assistant Professor, Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine - University of Illinois at Chicago
-
Research & Grants
Grants
1. 1R01CA260729 Multi-PIs: Xu and Huang (Penn State) 12/01/21 - 11/30/26
Role of lncRNA mediated R-loops in CTCF boundary function and AML genome organization
2. 1R01HL174477 Multi-PIs: Xu (contact) and He (Univ. of Chicago) 07/01/24 - 06/30/28
Critical roles of RNA m5C-MBD6-H2AK119ub deubiquitylation axis in TET2-mediated HSC regulation
3. 2R01CA172408 Multi-PIs: XU and Yang (contact). 01/01/14 - 12/31/24
Role of ASXL1 in Normal Hematopoiesis and the Development of Myeloid Malignancies
4. 1R01CA285299 Multi-PIs: XU (contact) and Wang (Columbia Univ.) 06/01/24 - 05/31/29
Therapeutic value and mechanistic action of PSPC1 in AML
-
Service
Institutional
- LSOM Basic Science Senators (2022-2025)
- Member, Department of Molecular Medicine Promotion, Tenure, and Appointments Committee (July 2021-)
National
2024.7 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH Special Emphasis Panel in comparative and veterinary medicine
2023.12 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH Workforce Diversity in Cancer Research study section
2023.11 Ad Hoc reviewer, CDMRP NFRP CMB-1 Panel
2023.6 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH CG study section
2023.2 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH/NCI SPORE review panel
2022.7 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH Oncology Basic and Translation ZRG1 OBT-Y study section
2022.3 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH/NHLBI K38 StARRTS review panel
2022.2 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH/NCI SPORE review panel
2021.6 Ad Hoc reviewer, NCI P01 Review study section
2020.12 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards
2016-2020 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH Oncological Science Fellowship F09B study section
2018.9 Ad Hoc reviewer, DOD Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program-NF1 program
2018.6 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH Vascular Hematology Study Section
2016.2 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH MCH Study Section
2015.2 Ad Hoc reviewer, NIH CG Study Section
-
Publications
- Zou Z*, Dou X*, Li Y*, Zhang Z, Wang J, Gao B, Xiao Y, Wang Y, Zhao L, Sun C, Liu Q, Yu X, Wang H, Hong J, Dai Q, Feng-Chun Yang F-C, Xu M¶, He C¶. RNA m5C oxidation by TET2 regulates chromatin state and leukemogenesis. Nature, 2024; 634:986-994.
- Ge G, Zhang P, Sui P, Chen S, Yang H, Guo Y, Rubalcava IP, Noor A, Delma CR, Agosto-Peña J, Geng H, Medina EA, Liang Y, Nimer SD, Mesa R, Abdel-Wahab O, Xu M, Yang FC. Targeting lysine demethylase 6B ameliorates ASXL1 truncation-mediated myeloid malignancies in preclinical models. J Clin Invest. 2024;134:e163964.
- Luo H, Zhu G, Eshelman M, Hung TK, Lai Q, Wang F, Zeisig BB, Lesperance J, Ma X, Chen S, Cesari N, Cogle C, Chen B, Xu B, Yang F-C, So E, Qiu Y, Xu M¶, Huang S¶. HOTTIP dependent R-loop formation regulates CTCF boundary activity and TAD integrity in leukemia. Molecular Cell, 2022;82:833-851.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.01.014
- Zhu G, Luo H, Yang P, Guryanova O, Xu J, Chen S, Lai Q, Xu B, Zhao Z, Ni H, Claxton D, Guo Y, Qiu Y, Yang F-C, Li W, Nimer SD, Huang S¶, Xu M¶. NPM1 mutation mediated HOXBLINC lncRNA activation promotes AML leukemogenesis. Nature Communications 2021;12:1956.
- Luo H, Zhu G, Xu J, Lai Q, Yan B, Guo Y, Fung TK, Cui Y, Zha J, Cogle C, Wang F, Xu B, Yang F-C, Li W, So E, Qiu Y, Xu M¶, Huang S¶. HOTTIP lncRNA promotes hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal leading to AML-like disease in mice. Cancer Cell 2019;36:645–659 (Cover story).
- Luo H, Wang F, Zha J, Li H, Yan B, Du Q, Yang F-C, Sobh A, Vulpe C, Drusbosky L, Cogle C, Chepelev I, Xu B, Nimer SD, Litch J, Qiu Yi, Chen B, Xu M¶, and Huang S¶. CTCF boundary remodels chromatin domain and drives aberrant HOX gene transcription in acute myeloid leukemia. Blood 2018; 132:837-848.
- Zhang P, He F, Bai J, Yamamoto S, Chen S, Zhang L, Sheng M, Zhang L, Guo Y, Man N, Yang H, Wang S, Cheng T, Nimer S.D., Zhou Y, Xu M¶, Wang Q-F¶, and Yang F-C¶. Chromatin regulator Asxl1 loss and Nf1 haploinsufficiency cooperate to accelerate myeloid malignancy. J Clinical Investigation 2018; 128:5383-5398.
- Chu Y, Zhao Z, Wayne Sant D, Zhu G, Greenblatt SM, Liu L, Wang J, Cao Z, Cheng Tho J, Chen S, Liu X, Zhang P, Maciejewski JP, Nimer S, Wang G, Yuan W, Yang F-C, Xu M ¶. Tet2 Regulates Osteoclast Differentiation by Interacting with Runx1 and Maintaining Genomic 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics 2018; 16:172-186.
- Guallar D, Bi X, Huang X, Saenz-Ausejo C, Ding J, Faiola F, Li D, Sanchez-Priego C, Saunders A, Pan F, Kelley K, Xu M, Fidalgo M, Shen X, and Wang J. RNA-dependent chromatin targeting of Tet2 for endogenous retrovirus control in mammalian cells. Nature Genetics 2018, 50:443-451.
- Yang H, Kurtenbach S, Guo Y, Lohse I, Durante M, Li J, Li Z, Al-Ali H, Li L, Chen Z, Field M, Zhang P, Chen S, Yamamoto S, Li Z, Zhou Y, Nimer S, Harbour JW, Wahlestedt C, Xu M¶, Yang F-C¶. Gain-of-function of ASXL1 truncating mutation in the pathogenesis of myeloid malignancies. Blood 2018; 131:328-341.
- Cimmino L, Dolgalev I, Wang Y, Yoshimi A, Martin GH, Wang J, Ng V, Xia B, Witkowski MT, Mitchell-Flack M, Grillo I, Bakogianni S, Ndiaye-Lobry D, Martín MT, Guillamot M, Banh RS, Xu M, Figueroa ME, Dickins RA, Abdel-Wahab O, Park CY, Tsirigos A, Neel BG, Aifantis I. Restoration of TET2 Function Blocks Aberrant Self-Renewal and Leukemia Progression. Cell 2017; 170:1079-1095.
- Li J, He F, Zhang P, Chen S, Shi H, Sun Y, Guo Y, Xu Z, Ban Y, Yang H, Man N, Greenblatt S, Li Z, Zhou Y, Wang L, Williams S, Chen S, Wang Q-T, Yu P, Nimer S, Wang Q, Xu M¶, Yang F-C¶. Loss of Asxl2 leads to myeloid malignancies in mice. NatureCommunications 2017; 8:15456.
- Pan F, Wingo S.T, Zhao Z, Gao R, Makishima H, Qu G, Yu M, Ortega JR, Nazha A, Chen S, Weeks O, Ni H, Phillips BL, Huang S, Wang J, He C, Radivoyevitch T, Li G-M, Aifantis I, Maciejewski JP, Yang F-C, Jin P¶, Xu M¶. Tet2 loss leads to hypermutagenicity in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Nature Communications 2017; 8:15102.
- Li Z, Zhang P, Guo Y, Li J, Chen S, Yang H, He Y, Li J, Guo Y, Zhang W, Hajiramezanali E, Fajardo E, Ruan Y, Nimer S, Yu P, Xu M¶, and Yang F-C¶. ASXL1 interacts with the cohesin complex to maintain chromatid separation and gene expression for normal hematopoiesis. Science Advances 2017; 3:e1601602.
- Zhao Z, Chen S, Zhu X, Pan F, Li R, Zhou Y, Yuan W, Ni H, Yang F-C, Xu M¶. The catalytic activity of TET2 is essential for its myeloid malignancy-suppressive function in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Leukemia 2016; 30:1784-8.
- Zhao Z, Chen L, Dawlaty M, Pan F, Weeks O, Zhou Y, Shi H, Wang J, Li L, Chen S, Yuan W, Qin Z, Ni H, Nimer SD, Yang F-C, Jaenisch R¶, Jin P¶, Xu M¶. Combined loss of Tet1 and Tet2 promotes B-cell, but not myeloid malignancies in mice. Cell Reports 2015; 13:1692–1704.
- Wang J, Li Z, He Y, Pan F, Chen S, Rhodes SD, Nguyen L, Yuan J, Yang X, Weeks O, Liu Z, Zhou J, Ni H, Cai C-L, Xu M¶, Yang F-C¶. Loss of Asxl1 leads to myelodysplastic syndrome-like disease in mice. Blood 2014; 123:541-553.
- Costa Y, Ding J, Theunissen T, Faiola F, Hore T, Shliaha P, Fidalgo M, Saunders A, Lawrence M, Dietmann S, Das S, Levasseur D, Li Z, Xu M, Reik W, Silva JCR, Wang J. Nanog-dependent function of Tet1 and Tet2 in establishment of pluripotency. Nature 2013; 495:370-4.
- Dawlaty M, Breiling A, Le T, Raddatz G, Barrasa MI, Cheng A, Gao Q, Powell B, Li Z, Xu M, Faull KF, Lyko F, and Jaenisch R. Combined deficiency of Tet1 and Tet2 causes epigenetic abnormalities but is compatible with postnatal development. Developmental Cell 2013; 24:310-323.
- Li Z, Cai X, Cai C, Zhang W, Wang J, Petersen B, Yang F-C, and Xu M¶. Deletion of Tet2 in mice leads to dysregulated hematopoietic stem cells and subsequent development of myeloid malignancies. Blood (Plenary Paper) 2011; 118:4509-18.