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Xian-Ming Chen, M.D.
 

 
Appointment & Titles |  Education |  Research and Professional Experience
Honors & Awards  |  Research Interests |  Selected Publications  |  Links |  Contact

Appointment(s) and Titles:


Associate Professor, Medical Microbiology and Immunology
 

Education:


M.D. 1985, Medicine, Hubei Medical University Xianning Medical School, Hubei, China

M.S. 1988, Cellular Biology and Pathophysiology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China

Research Fellowships: 1993-1994, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Kurume
University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan; 1996-2001, Pathoparasitology and Pathoimmunology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota


Research and Professional Experience:

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Honors and Awards:

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Research Interests:

Mucosal epithelial cells protect the host against microbial infection not only by forming a physical barrier but also by active participation in host immune defense. MicroRNAs are a newly identified class of endogenous small regulatory RNAs that mediate post-transcriptional gene silencing and are important in a variety of biological processes, including development, maintenance of genome stability, regulation of cell signaling and
proliferation in mammalian cells.  My laboratory is interested in the molecular basis underlying microbe/parasite-epithelial interactions, in particular, the role of microRNAs in epithelial anti-microbial defense, as well as its relevance to mucosal innate and adaptive immunity in general.  Current research focuses include: (i) characterizing the alterations of microRNA expression profile in epithelial cells following microbial infection; (ii) clarifying the role for Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and TLR-associated intracellular signals in microbial-stimulated microRNA expression in epithelial cells; (iii) identifying the specific target(s) of each microRNA of interests and determining its relevance to epithelial anti-microbial responses; and (iv) exploring the therapeutic potential of microRNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene silencing manipulation.  These research projects are funded by both intramural and extramural NIH grants.     

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Selected Publicatons:


Chen XM, and LaRusso NF. Mechanisms of attachment and internalization
of Cryptosporidium parvum to biliary and intestinal epithelial cells.  Gastroenterology  2000; 118:368-379.

Chen XM, Levine SA, Splinter PL, Tietz PS, Ganong AL, Jobin C, Gores GJ, Paya CV, and LaRusso NF. Cryptosporidium parvum activates nuclear factor kB in biliary epithelia preventing epithelial cell apoptosis.  Gastroenterology  2001;120:1774-1783.

Chen XM, Keithly JS, Paya CV and LaRusso NF.  Cryptosporidiosis. 
New Engl J Med 2002;346(22):1723-1731.

Chen XM and LaRusso NF.  Cryptosporidiosis and the pathogenesis of
AIDS-cholangiopathy.  Sem in Liver Dis  2002;22(3):277-289.

Tietz PS, Chen XM, Gong AY, Huebert RC, Masyuk A, Masyuk T, Splinter PL and LaRusso NF.  Experimental models to study cholangiocyte biology.  World J Gastroenterol  2002;8(1):1-4

Gong A-Y, Tietz PS, Muff, MA, Splinter PL, Huebert RC, Strowski, MZ, Chen, XM, and LaRusso NF. Somatostatin stimulates ductal bile absorption and inhibits ductal bile secretion in mice via SSTR2 on cholangiocytes.
Am J Physiol 2003;284:C1205-C1214.

Tietz P, Marinelli RA, Chen XM, Huang B, Cohn J, Kole J, McNiven MA, Alper S, and LaRusso NF.  Agonist-induced coordinated trafficking of functionally related transport proteins for water and ions in cholangiocytes. 
J Biol Chem  2003;278:20413-20419.
 

Chen XM, Huang BQ, Splinter PL, Cao H, Zhu G, McNiven MA, and
LaRusso NF. Cryptosporidium parvum invasion of biliary epithelia requires tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin via c-Src. 
Gastroenterology  2003;125(1):216-228.

Chen XM and LaRusso NF.  Cryptosporidium and bile duct injury.  Pathophysiology of the Biliary Epithelia.  Alpini G., Alvaro D., LeSage G., and LaRusso NF. eds., Landes Biosciences and Eurekah.com,
Georgetown, TX 2004; pp357-367.

Huang BQ, Chen XM, and LaRusso NF.  Mechanisms of attachment and internalization of Cryptosporidium Parvum by biliary epithelia: a morphologic study.  J Parasitol  2004;90(2):212-221.

Chen XM, Huang BQ, Splinter PL, Orth JD, Daniel D. Billadeau,
McNiven MA, and LaRusso NF
Cdc42 and the Arp/N-WASP network
mediate cellular invasion of Cryptosporidium parvum
Infect Immun  2004;72(5):3011-3021.

Chen XM, Splinter PL, Tietz PS, Billadeau DD and LaRusso NF.  Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and frabin mediate Cryptosporidium parvum cellular invasion via activation of Cdc42. 
J Biol Chem  2004;279(30):31671-31678.

Chen XM, O’Hara SP, Huang BQ, Nelson JB, Zhu G, Ward HD and
LaRusso NF.  Apical organelle discharge by Cryptosporidium parvum is temperature, cytoskeleton, and intracellular calcium dependent and required
for host cell invasion
Infect Immun  2004;72(12):6806-6816.

O’Hara SP, Huang BQ, Chen XM, Nelson JB, and LaRusso NF.  Distribution of Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoite apical organelles during attachment to and internalization by cultured biliary epithelial cells. 
J Parasitol  2005;91(5):995-999.


Chen XM, O’Hara SP, Huang BQ, Splinter PL, Nelson JB, and LaRusso NF.  Localized glucose and water influx facilitates Cryptosporidium parvum
cellular invasion via modulation of host-cell membrane protrusion
Proc Nat Acad Sci, USA  2005;102(18):6338-6343. 

Chen XM, O’Hara SP, Nelson JB, Splinter PL, Small AJ, Tietz PS,
Limper AH and LaRusso NF.  Multiple Toll-like Receptors are expressed in human cholangiocytes and mediate host epithelial responses to
Cryptosporidium parvum
via activation of NF-kB. 
J Immunol  2005;175(11):7447-7456.

Nelson JB, O’Hara SP, Small AJ, Tietz PS, Choudhury AK, Pagano RE,
Chen XM and LaRusso NF.  Cryptosporidium parvum infects human cholangiocytes via sphingolipid-enriched membrane microdomains
Cellular Microbiology  2006;8(12):1932-1945.   

Warren S, Chen XM, LaRusso NF and Badley AD.  Apoptosis as a
pathogenic mechanism of HIV-associated opportunistic infection.  Cell Death During HIV Infection.  Badley A. ed., Taylor and Francis Publishing,
Boca Raton, FL 2006; 421-440. 

Dong HD and Chen XM.  Immunoregulatory role of B7-H1 in chronicity of inflammatory responses.  Cell Mol Immunol  2006;3(3):179-187.

O’Hara SP, Nelson JB, Small AJ, Badley AD, Chen XM, Gores GJ and
LaRusso NF. 
Synergistic effects of HIV-1 Tat protein on Cryptosporidium parvum-induced apoptosis in cholangiocytes via a Fas ligand-dependent mechanism.  Infect Immun 2007;75(2):684-696. 

O’Hara SP, Small AJ, Chen XM and LaRusso NF.  Host cell actin remodeling in response to Cryptosporidium.  Molecular Mechanisms of Parasite Invasion.  2007(in press). 


Links:

Chen Lab

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