email: gxxiao@ucla.edu
phone: 66522
office: Boyer Hall (MBI) 656
homepage: http://www.physci.ucla.edu/research/xiao/
research interests: Computational and systems biology of gene expression
Research Interests
With similar number of genes as in simpler organisms, mammals demonstrate an amazing degree of phenotypic diversity. Mammalian gene expression is under tight regulation temporally and spatially, which contributes to the formation of different cell types, tissues, and organs. Gene regulation involves a complex network of players, including multiple DNA, RNA sequence elements and RNA and protein factors. These regulators interact with each other and carry out combinatorial regulatory functions. Our lab uses both computational and experimental approaches to study the biology of gene regulation from a systems point of view. Our current focus pertains to the regulation of gene expression at the RNA level via the process of pre-mRNA splicing and other post-transcriptional (or co-transcriptional) mechanisms. Splicing is a critical step enabling diversity in gene expression programs. More than 90% of all human genes undergo alternative splicing which allows multiple gene products with potentially different functions to be produced from a single gene locus. We are currently investigating splicing regulatory mechanisms using comparative genomics, high-throughput technologies, such as deep sequencing and microarrays, and systems level computational analysis, such as system identification and modeling approaches. A long-term goal of our research is to better understand the involvement of splicing in gene expression programs of different disease models.
Selected Publications
Xiao X, Wang Z, Jang M, Nutiu R, Wang ET, Burge CB. 2009. Splice site strength-dependent activity and genetic buffering by poly-G runs Nature Structural & Molecular Biology in press - .
Kalsotra, A., X. Xiao, A. Ward, J. Castle, J. M. Johnson, C.B. Burge and T.A. Cooper. 2008. A post natal switch of CELF and MBNL proteins reprograms alternative splicing in the developing heart PNAS 105 20333-20338 .
Xiao, X., Z. Wang, M. Jang and C.B. Burge. 2007. Coevolutionary networks of splicing cisregulatory elements PNAS 104 18583-18588 .
Grenon, S.M., X. Xiao, S. Hurwitz, N. Sheynberg, C. Kim, E.W. Seely, R.J. Cohen and G.H. Williams. 2006. Why is orthostatic tolerance lower in women than in men? Renal and cardiovascular responses to simulated microgravity and the role of midodrine Journal of Investigative Medicine 54 180-190 .
Xiao, X., R. Mukkamala, R.J. Cohen. 2006. A weighted-principal component regression method for the identification of physiologic systems IDDD Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 53 1521-1530 .
Wang, Z., X. Xiao, E. Van Nostrand and C.B. Burge. 2006. General and specific functions of exonic splicing silencers in splicing control Molecular Cel 23 61-70 .
Xiao, X., S.M. Grenon, N. Sheynberg, C. Kim, G.H. Williams, and R.J. Cohen. 2005. Effects of Prolonged Bed Rest on Human Calf Hemodynamics and Orthostatic Intolerance Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine 76 1037-1045 .
Grenon, S.M., X. Xiao, S. Hurwitz, C.D. Ramsdell, N. Sheynberg, C. Kim, G.H. Williams, and R.J. Cohen. 2005. Simulated microgravity induces microvolt T wave alternans Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology 10 363-370 .
Xiao, X., Y. Li and R. Mukkamala. 2005. A model order selection criterion with applications to cardio-respiratory-renal systems IDDD Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 52 445-453 .
Xiao, X., T.J. Mullen and R. Mukkamala. 2005. System identification: a multi-signal approach for probing cardiovascular neural regulation Physiological Measurement 26 R41-R71 .