Description:

The department of Physiology welcomes Xinyu Zhao, Ph.D.

My laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms regulating neurodevelopment. Using mouse genetics and human pluripotent stem cells as models, we interrogate the mechanism underlying impaired neurogenesis in neurodevelopmental disorders. One of the proteins that we are studying is Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), a brain-enriched RNA-binding protein. Functional loss of FMRP leads to Fragile X syndrome, the most common monogenetic form of inherited intellectual disability and the largest single genetic contributor to autism. We have discovered that FMRP regulates postnatal and adult neurogenesis and uncovered underlying mechanisms such as altered epigenetic state and mitochondrial dysfunction. Our work has unveiled a number of novel therapeutic targets for neurodevelopmental disorders.