Li

Xin

PhD

PROFESSIONAL STATEMENT

My lab is interested in using the prostate as a tissue model to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate development, tissue homeostasis and carcinogenesis. Currently, there are two major research focuses in the lab. The first research focus is to characterize the prostate epithelial lineage hierarchy. We seek to investigate how individual prostate epithelial lineages are maintained in adults by prostate stem cells or progenitors, and to identify master regulators that control adult prostate homeostasis. The second focus of the lab is to investigate the molecular and cellular basis of aggressive prostate cancer. We are interested in determining the function of disease-associated genes in prostate cancer initiation and progression, and characterizing the identity of the cells of origin for prostate cancer. The major approaches that we utilize are cell culture-based prostate stem cell assays, genetically engineered mouse models, and a prostate regeneration method.

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS

Prostate tissue homeostasis, Prostate cancer, Tumor microenvironment

EDUCATION

Post-Doctoral Fellowship at University of California, Los Angeles
07/2008 – Los Angeles, CA, United States
PhD from Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cellular Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
07/2001 – Shanghai, China
BS from Nanjing University
07/1996 – Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

MEMBERSHIPS

American Association of Cancer Research
Society of Basic Urological Research
International Society for Stem Cell Research

FUNDING

The prostate epithelial cell lineage hierarchy
– #R01DK092202
Grant funding from NIH/NIDDK
The Notch signaling in prostate homeostasis and carcinogenesis
– #R01CA190378
Grant funding from NIH/NCI

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Wei X, Zhang L, Zhang Y, Cooper C, Brewer C, Tsai C, Wang Y, Glaz M, Wessells HB, Que J, Titus MA, Cirulli V, Glaser A, Liu T, Reder NP, Creighton CJ, Xin L*. Ablating Lgr5-expressing prostatic stromal cells activates the ERK-mediated mechanosensory signaling and disrupts prostate tissue homeostasis. Cell Rep. 2022 Sep 6;40(10):111313. PMID: 36070687
• Jia D, Zhou Z, Kwon O, Zhang L, Wei X, Zhang Y,  Yi M, Roudier MP, Regier MC, Dumpit R, Nelson PS, Headley M, True L, Lin DW, Morrissey C, Creighton CJ, Xin L*. Stromal FOXF2 suppresses prostate cancer progression and metastasis by enhancing antitumor immunity. Nature Communication. 2022 Nov 11. (2022)13:6828
• Wei X, Zhang L, Zhou Z, Kwon OJ, Zhang Y, Nguyen H, Dumpit R, True L, Nelson P, Dong B, Xue W, Birchmeier W, Taketo M, Xu F, Creighton CJ, Ittmann MM, and XIN L. “Spatially restricted stromal Wnt signaling suppresses proliferative potential of prostatic epithelial stem cells through TGFβ.”Cell Stem Cell, 2019 MAY 2;24(5):753-768.E6. PMCID: PMC6548441
• Kwon O, Zhang L, Wang J, Su Q, Feng Q, Zhang X, Mani SA, Paulter R, Creighton CJ, Ittmann MM and Xin L. “Notch promotes tumor metastasis in a prostate-specific Pten-null mouse model..” Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2016 July 1;126(7):2626-41.
• Zhang B, Kwon OJ, Henry G, Malewska A, Wei X, Zhang L, Brinkley W, Zhang Y, Castro PD, Titus M, Chen R, Sayeeduddin M, Raj G, Mauck R, Roehrborn C, Creighton CJ, Strand DW, Ittmann MM, and Xin L. “Non-cell-autonomous regulation of prostate epithelial homeostasis by androgen receptor.” Molecular Cell. 2016 September 15;63(6) Pubmed PMID: 27594448
• Kwon O, Zhang L, Ittmann and Xin L. “Prostatic inflammation enhances basal-to-luminal differentiation and accelerates initiation of prostate cancer with a basal cell origin..” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 February 4;111(5):E592-600. Pubmed PMID: 24367088
• Kwon OJ, Valdez JM, Zhang L, Zhang B, Wei X, Su Q, Ittmann MM, Creighton CJ, Xin L. “Increased Notch signalling inhibits anoikis and stimulates proliferation of prostate luminal epithelial cells..” Nature Communications. 2014 July 22;5:4416. Pubmed PMID: 25048699
• Valdez JM, Zhang L, Su Q, Dakhova O, Zhang Y, Shahi P, Spencer DM, Creighton CJ, Ittmann MM, Xin L. “Notch and TGFß Form a Reciprocal Positive Regulatory Loop that Suppresses Murine Prostate Basal Stem/Progenitor Cell Activity..” Cell Stem Cell. 2012 November 2;11(5):676-88. Pubmed PMID: 23122291
• Choi N, Zhang B, Zhang L, Ittmann M, Xin L. “Adult Murine Prostate Basal and Luminal Cells Are Self-Sustained Lineages that Can Both Serve as Targets for Prostate Cancer Initiation..” Cancer Cell. 2012 February 14;21(2):253-65. Pubmed PMID: 22340597
• Xin L. “Cells-of-origin for cancer: an updated view from prostate cancer.” Oncogene. 2013 August 8;32(32):3655-63. Pubmed PMID: 23178496
• Qingtai Su, Boyu Zhang, Li Zhang, Truong Dong, David Rowley, Michael Ittmann, and Li Xin. “Jagged1 upregulation in prostate epithelial cells promotes formation of reactive stroma in the Pten null mouse model for prostate cancer..” Oncogene. 2016 June 27
• Zhang B, Chen H, Zhang L, Dakhova A, Zhang Y, Creighton C, Lewis M, Ittmann M, Xin L. “A dosage dependent pleiotropic role of Dicer in prostate cancer growth and metastasis..” Oncogene. 2014 June 12;33(24):3099-108. Pubmed PMID: 23851498
• Oh-Joon Kwon, Li Zhang, and Li Xin. “Stem Cell Antigen-1 Identifies a Distinct Androgen-Independent Murine Prostatic Luminal Cell Lineage with Bipotent Potential..” Stem Cells. 2016 January 3;34(1):192-202. Pubmed PMID: 4816225
• Zhang L, Zhang B, Valdez JM, Wang F, Ittmann M, Xin L. “Dicer ablation impairs prostate stem cell activity and causes prostate atrophy..” Stem Cells. 2010 July;28(7):1260-9. Pubmed PMID: 20517984
• Zhang L, Valdez JM, Zhang B, Wei L, Chang J, Xin L. “ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 suppresses dissociation-induced apoptosis of murine prostate stem/progenitor cells and increases their cloning efficiency..” PLoS ONE. 2011;6(3):e18271. Pubmed PMID: 21464902
• Zhang L, Zhao W, Valdez JM, Creighton CJ, Xin L. “Low-density Taqman miRNA array reveals miRNAs differentially expressed in prostatic stem cells and luminal cells..” Prostate. 2010 February 15;70(3):297-304. Pubmed PMID: 19827049
• Zhang L, Zhang B, Han SJ, Shore AN, Rosen JM, Demayo FJ, Xin L. “Targeting CreER(T2) expression to keratin 8-expressing murine simple epithelia using bacterial artificial chromosome transgenesis..” Transgenic Research. 2012 October 15;21(5):1117-23. Pubmed PMID: 22350718
• Shahi P, Seethammagari MR, Valdez JM, Xin L, Spencer DM. “Wnt and notch pathways have interrelated opposing roles on prostate progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation..” Stem Cells. 2011 April;29(4):678-88. Pubmed PMID: 21308863
• Xin L. “A developmental stage-dependent switch of the mechanisms for prostate epithelial maintenance..” Asian J. Androl.. 2013 January;15(1):85-6. Pubmed PMID: 23223032