Ding Xu
- Department of Orthopaedics
Associate Professor
-
Emory University
Orthopaedics
21 Ortho Ln
Overview
The Xu lab studies one of the mostfascinating biomacromolecules called heparan sulfate. Heparan sulfate is a highly negatively chargedunbranched polysaccharide only found in animals. With its complex structure, heparan sulfate performs its biological functions by binding to hundreds ofheparan sulfate-binding proteins with different specificities and affinities. By binding toheparan sulfate, heparan sulfate-binding proteins find a new way toalter their conformations andoligomeric states, their localization at the cell membrane and in the extracellular matrix, andhow they interact with other binding partners.The structural complexity of heparan sulfate is ingrained in the complexity of the body plan and physiology of animals, especially vertebrates.
Our lab employs a highly multidisciplinary approach to investigate the novel functions of heparan sulfate in various bone and cartilage diseases such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In these diseases, many heparan sulfate-binding proteins play key pathophysiological roles and are regarded as important drug targets (including receptors, cytokines,chemokines and enzymes). The dependence of these proteins on heparan sulfate for normal function suggests that disrupting heparan sulfate-protein interaction could be an effective means to block the activity of these proteins. Our lab is engaged in developing novel oligosaccharide-based and monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics to target key heparan sulfate-protein interactions.
Academic Appointment
- Associate Professor, Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine
Education
Degrees
- Ph.D. Pharmaceutical Sciences from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- B.S. Biochemistry from Central China Normal University
Research
Publications
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Heparan sulfate selectively inhibits the collagenase activity of cathepsin K.
Matrix Biol Volume: 129 Page(s): 15 - 28
05/01/2024 Authors: Zhang X; Luo Y; Hao H; Krahn JM; Su G; Dutcher R; Xu Y; Liu J; Pedersen LC; Xu D -
Targeting the heparan sulfate-binding site of RAGE with monoclonal antibodies.
Glycobiology Volume: 34
04/01/2024 Authors: Ong C; Li M; Xu D -
Heparan sulfate promotes TRAIL-induced tumor cell apoptosis.
Elife Volume: 12
01/24/2024 Authors: Luo Y; Hao H; Wang Z; Ong CY; Dutcher R; Xu Y; Liu J; Pedersen LC; Xu D -
Editorial: Heparan sulfate-binding proteins in health and disease.
Front Mol Biosci Volume: 11 Page(s): 1386623
01/01/2024 Authors: Gandy LA; Zhang F; Xu D; Pedersen LC; Grobe K; Wang C -
Using heparan sulfate octadecasaccharide (18-mer) as a multi-target agent to protect against sepsis.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Volume: 120 Page(s): e2209528120
01/24/2023 Authors: Liao Y-E; Xu Y; Arnold K; Zhang F; Li J; Sellers R; Yin C; Pagadala V; Inman AM; Linhardt RJ -
Targeting heparan sulfate-protein interactions with oligosaccharides and monoclonal antibodies.
Front Mol Biosci Volume: 10 Page(s): 1194293
01/01/2023 Authors: Li M; Pedersen LC; Xu D -
Biochemical characterization of a disease-causing human osteoprotegerin variant.
Sci Rep Volume: 12 Page(s): 15279
09/10/2022 Authors: Luo Y; Li M; Xu D -
IFT80 negatively regulates osteoclast differentiation via association with Cbl-b to disrupt TRAF6 stabilization and activation.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Volume: 119 Page(s): e2201490119
06/28/2022 Authors: Deepak V; Yang S-T; Li Z; Li X; Ng A; Xu D; Li Y-P; Oursler MJ; Yang S -
Heparan sulfate-dependent RAGE oligomerization is indispensable for pathophysiological functions of RAGE.
Elife Volume: 11
02/09/2022 Authors: Li M; Ong CY; Langout-Astri CJ; Tan L; Verma A; Yang Y; Zhang X; Shah DK; Schmidt EP; Xu D -
Improving the Sensitivity for Quantifying Heparan Sulfate from Biological Samples.
Anal Chem Volume: 93 Page(s): 11191 - 11199
08/17/2021 Authors: Wang Z; Dhurandhare VM; Mahung CA; Arnold K; Li J; Su G; Xu D; Maile R; Liu J