Prof. Zhi-Xiang Xu

Principal Investigator

Research Direction
Functions of microglia under physiological and pathological conditions; Neuroimmune mechanism in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders

Contact Information
Address: 138 Yixueyuan Road, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai China 200032
Email: zhixiangxu@fudan.edu.cn

Welcome to my lab! I got my bachelor’s degree in Tongji medical college, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, afterward I continued my graduate training with Professor Fuqiang Xu at WIPM, CAS. After getting my Ph.D. degree I worked as a research associate in the Neuroscience department, Scripps Florida. I start my own lab at the Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University since 2020. I published a serial of papers including Nature Communications, Cell Metabolism et al. 

Enrollment Major
Neurobiology

Research Work
The Xu Laboratory at the Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University employs integrated neuroscience approaches to study neuroimmune system function in the brain, in particularly how microglia modulate neuronal activity and brain circuit formation during brain development and disease conditions. We employ techniques including molecular biology, mouse behavior tests, electrophysiology, RNA-seq to illuminate the fundamental mechanisms of neuroimmune biology. Knowledge resulting from these research programs will present new avenues for treatments of neurodevelopmental and neurodegeneration disorders.

Selected Publications

1. Sheng LH#^,*, Gao JP#, Wei QY, Gong Y*, Xu ZX* (2025). The glial UDP-glycosyltransferase Ugt35b regulates longevity by maintaining lipid homeostasis in Drosophila. Cell Rep. 44: 115099

2. Shi ZY, Mao LL, Chen SN, Du ZY, Xiang JK, Shi MH, Wang YN, Wang YQ, Chen XD, Xu ZX*, Gao YQ*(2024). Reversing Persistent PTEN Activation after Traumatic Brain Injury Fuels Long-Term Axonal Regeneration via Akt/mTORC1 Signaling Cascade. Adv Sci. 16:e2410136

3. Huang Y, Meng S, Wu B, Shi H, Wang Y, Xiang J, Li J, Shi Z, Wu G, Lyu Y, Jia X, Hu J, Xu ZX*, Gao Y* (2023). HSPB2 facilitates neural regeneration through autophagy for sensorimotor recovery after traumatic brain injury. JCI Insight. 8(16):e168919

4. Xu ZX, Kim GH, Tan JW, Riso AE, Sun Y, Xu EY, Liao GY, Xu HF, Lee SH, Do NY, Lee CH, Clipperton-Allen AE, Kwon S, Page DT, Lee KJ, Xu BJ* (2020). Elevated protein synthesis in microglia causes autism-like synaptic and behavioral aberrations. Nat Commun. 11(1):1797

5. Xu ZX, Tan JW, Xu HF, Hill CJ, Ostrovskaya O, Martemyanow KA, Xu BJ* (2019). Caspase-2 promotes AMPA receptor internalization and cognitive flexibility via mTORC2-AKT-GSK3β signaling. Nat Commun. 10(1):3622