Xingbin Ai, Ph.D.

Faculty and Fellows

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Xingbin AiCollege Education : Fudan University, Shanghai, China. B.S., 1992
Graduate School/PhD Program: Case Western Reserve University. Ph.D., 1999
Post-Doctoral Fellowships/Other Training: Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania

Special Interests:

Research:

Regulation of stem cell function and aging by heparan sulfate and Sulfs

Environmental signals play crucial roles in self-renewal of stem cells, tissue regeneration and aging.  Ai lab investigates heparan sulfate-dependent mechanisms that regulate extracellular signaling during stem cell maintenance and regeneration of the skeletal muscle. Our study is focused on two heparan sulfate-modifying enzymes called Sulfs.

Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity in pulmonary diseases

The respiratory tract is known to be innervated by two groups of neurons. The intrinsic neurons have cell bodies located within the tissue, while the extrinsic neurons have their cell bodies located in the central and peripheral nervous system and their axons innervating airway smooth muscle and neuroendocrine cells. Ai lab investigates neurotrophic signals that regulate neurogenesis in developing lung and neuroplasticity in pulmonary diseases. Our goal is to understand physiological roles of neural innervation in respiratory function, diseases and regeneration.

Airway smooth muscle development and remodeling in asthma

Airway smooth muscle hyperplasia and hyper-reactivity are key features of asthma. Ai lab, in collaboration with Dr. Alan Fine’s lab, investigates mechanisms underlying the formation and remodeling of airway smooth muscle. We are particularly interested in the sonic hedgehog pathway in control of airway smooth muscle development.

Lab members:

Thanh Tran (post-doc)
Linh Aven (pre-doc)
Kruti Patel (pre-doc)
Rebecca Achey (research assistant)

Selected Publications:

  1. Tran T.H., Shi X., Zaia J., Ai X. (in press, J. Biol. Chem.) “Sulfs coordinate the Wnt signaling pathways to regulate myoblast fusion during skeletal muscle regeneration”.
  2. Jiang Z., Yu N., Kuang P., Chen M., Shao, F., Martin G., Chui, D., Cardoso W.V., Ai X., Lu J. (2012) “GW182-mediated microRNA function is required for the development of yolk sac endoderm”. J. Biol. Chem. 287:5979-5987.
  3. Radzikinas K., Aven L., Jiang Z., Tran T., Paez-Cortez J., Boppidi K., Lu J., Fine A., Ai X.(2011)) “A Shh/miR-206/BDNF cascade coordinates innervation and formation of airway smooth muscle”. J. Neurosci. 31: 15407-15415.
  4. Ghosh S., Paez-Cortez J.R., Boppidi K., Vasconcelos M., Roy M., Cardoso W., Ai X., Fine A. (2011) “Activation dynamics and signaling properties of Notch3 in the developing pulmonary artery. J. Biol. Chem. 286: 22678-22687.
  5. Schumacher V., Schloetzer-Schrehardt U., Karumanchi S., Shi X., Zaia J., Jeruschke S., Zhang D., Pavenstaedt H., Drenckhan A., Amann K., Ng C., Hartwig S., Ng K., Ho, J., Kreidberg J., Taglienti M., Royer-Pokora B., Ai X. (2011) “WT1 regulation of Sulf expression is crucial to maintaining the glomerular filtration barrier” J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 22:1286-1296.
  6. Langsdorf A., Schumacher V., Shi X., Tran T., Zaia J., Jain S., Taglienti M., Kreidberg J., Fine A.,Ai X. (2011) “Expression regulation and function of Sulfs in the spermatogonial stem cell niche” Glycobiology. 21:152-161.
  7. Langsdorf A., Radzikinas K., Kroten A., Jain S., Ai X. (2011) “Neural crest cell origin and signals for intrinsic neurogenesis in the mammalian respiratory tract” Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 44:293-301.
  8. Ambasta R., Ai, X., and Emerson C.P. Jr. (2007) “QSulf1 function requires asparagine-linked glycosylation” J. Biol. Chem. 282(47):34492-98.
  9. Ai X, Kitazawa T, Do AT, Kusche-Gullberg M, Labosky PA, Emerson CP Jr. SULF1 and SULF2 regulate heparan sulfate-mediated GDNF signaling for esophageal innervation. Development . 2007;134(18):3327-38.
  10. Lansdoff A., Do A.T., Kusche-Gullberg M., Emerson C.P. Jr., and Ai X. (2007) “Sulfs are regulators of growth factor signaling for satellite cell differentiation and muscle regeneration” Developmental Biology 311: 464-77.