323 Salk Pavilion, 11C
Pittsburgh, PA 15261

Liver-Related Work

My main research interests:1) Post translational modification such as sulfation and glutathionylation in liver and intestinal diseases; 2) Nuclear receptor-mediated transcriptional regulation of genes in lipid and glucose metabolism and drug discovery. My liver related on-going research include the role of sulfation in acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity. Sulfoconjugation of small molecules or protein peptides is a key mechanism to ensure biochemical and functional homeostasis in mammals. The PAPS synthase 2 (PAPSS2) is the primary enzyme to synthesize the universal sulfonate donor 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS). Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is the leading cause of acute liver failure (ALF), in which oxidative stress is a key pathogenic event, whereas sulfation of APAP contributes to its detoxification. The goal of this study is to determine whether and how PAPSS2 plays a role in APAP-induced ALF.

Publications:

View Dr. Xu’s publications on Pubmed

Collaborations:

1.) Collaborated with Dr. Paul Monga and Dr. Aatur Singhi for the liver sections analysis; 2)Collaborated with Dr. Xiaochao Ma for liver metabolites analysis.

Resources:

We are experienced in the creation and characterization of transgenic and knockout mice, integration of mouse genetic models with liver disease models, and characterization of disease phenotypes at the molecular and biochemical levels.

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences