Welcome to our lab!
We are a research team exploring infection and innate immunity from a chemical perspective.
Keywords: metal-regulated immunity, bacterial infection, autoimmune disorders, cancer
关键词：金属调控免疫，细菌感染，自身免疫疾病，癌症
Our lab is located at the Molecular Imaging Centre within the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University in Zhuhai. We seek motivated individuals to join our team, including postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate interns. If you are interested in our research and would like to be part of our team, please don't hesitate to contact us (yangxm57(at)mail.sysu.edu.cn ). We look forward to hearing from you or visiting us.
我们的实验室位于中山大学附属第五医院的分子影像中心 (珠海)。如果您对我们的研究感兴趣，并且希望成为我们团队的一员，请随时与我们联系（yangxm57(at)mail.sysu.edu.cn ）。期待您的来信或来访。
We are committed to solving practical clinical problems through research, so we warmly welcome clinicians to join our research team or work with us to carry out research projects involving infection, immunity, and inflammation.
我们致力于通过研究解决实际的临床问题，因此我们热忱欢迎临床医生加入我们的研究团队，或与我们携手开展涉及感染、免疫和炎症等领域的研究项目。
Research
metal-regulated immune response, bacterial infection, autoimmune diseases
金属调控免疫，细菌感染，自身免疫疾病
Our Lab studies the interaction between host cells and bacterial pathogens, with a focus on the role of metal ions in the host-pathogen interface. Our investigations encompass two main areas:
- studying how bacterial pathogens manipulate the innate immune response,
- exploring how host cells utilize metal ions to regulate immune signaling in response to infection.
We aim to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of metal-mediated immune signaling (metallo-immunology) and explore how this knowledge could be utilized to develop more effective therapies for infectious/autoimmune diseases and cancers.
我们实验室研究宿主与细菌之间的互作，特别关注金属离子在其中的作用。我们的研究领域主要包括：
1. 研究细菌病原体如何操纵宿主的固有免疫信号通路；
2. 探索在感染过程中宿主细胞如何利用金属离子调节免疫信号。
我们希望揭示金属介导的免疫信号传导（即金属免疫学）的机制，利用这些知识开发新的疾病治疗方法（感染疾病，自身免疫疾病，癌症等）。
We seek to answer several key questions, including:
- How do pathogens invade the host's innate immune response?
- How do host cells regulate innate immune signaling during infection?
- What is the role of metal ions in the host's innate immune system?
- How can we harness metal-mediated immune signaling for therapeutic purposes?
metal-mediated immune response
Copper serves as a signal molecule to regulate innate immune signaling during bacterial infection. 2023 PNAS
It is well-recognized that copper is critical for the immune system. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains incompletely understood.
Here, we found that copper can act as a signal molecule to enhance the pro-inflammatory signaling of host cells. Cytosolic copper interacts with PRR ALPK1 and regulates the downstream production of pro-inflammatory cytokines during infection.
These findings unveil the cross-talk between copper homeostasis and innate immune pathways.
metallo-drugs for tumor
The repurposing of clinical metallo-drugs as a targeted therapy for XIAP offers a new approach to overcome apoptosis resistance in cancer cells. 2024 Chemical Science
The persistence of drug resistance in tumor cells remains a significant challenge. XIAP plays a crucial role in preventing apoptosis and is associated with resistance to various cancer therapies. This has led to XIAP being identified as a potential therapeutic target. However, to date, no XIAP inhibitors are available for clinical use.
We surprisingly observed that a widely used clinical metallo-drug rapidly reduced XIAP levels in various cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the underlying mechanism for metallo-mediated XIAP depletion. Furthermore, we showed that metallo-drug can sensitize apoptosis-resistant cancer cells to cisplatin.
These findings suggest that targeting XIAP with metallo-drug may offer a promising strategy for overcoming apoptosis resistance in cancer treatment.
metallo-therapy for IBD
Pharmacological targeting of PRR pathway alleviates inflammation in a preclinical colitis model (ready for submission)
In this project, we investigated the molecular details in the crosstalk between the metal homeostasis system and the innate immune signaling pathway, which plays a critical role in the inflammation of IBD. We found that targeting PRR pathway effectively protects mice from experimental colitis.
microbial immune evasion
Bacterial pathogen subverts interferon signaling in the intestinal epithelium. (in progress)
In this study, we unexpectedly discovered that a single bacterial toxin can target multiple crucial components of the interferon signaling pathway to evade the immune system. To further investigate the underlying mechanism, we are utilizing multidisciplinary approaches, including cell biology, structural biology, and pharmaceutical chemistry.
Members
Current Members
Xinming Yang (阳新明),
PI
A researcher studying bacterial infection and immune regulation from a chemical perspective
Experiences
2020 - now, Assoc Prof, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, SYSU, Zhuhai
2019 - 2020, Postdoc, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin
2016 - 2018, Postdoc, Dept. of Chemistry, HKU, HK
Education
2010 - 2015, DPhil, Dept. of Chemistry, HKU, HK
2004 - 2008, BSc, School of Biology, SYSU, Guangzhou
Xue Liu(柳雪),
Master's student
Xue Liu graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology from South China Agricultural University and joined the Yang Lab in 2021.
Her current research focuses on investigating the role of metal ions in regulating innate immune signaling during bacterial infection.
Liwa Shi(石莉娃),
Master's student
Liwa earned a bachelor's degree in Pharmacy from Lanzhou University and joined the Yang Lab in 2021.
Her research primarily revolves around the development of innovative therapies for the autoimmune disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), utilizing metallodrugs as a basis for these treatments.
Xin Xia(夏欣),
Master's student
Xin Xia completed her bachelor's degree in Basic Medical Science at Southern Medical University and joined the Yang Lab in 2022.
Her current research focuses on investigating the regulatory mechanisms of innate immune signaling during bacterial infection and the development of autoimmune diseases.
Jun Zhu(诸俊),
Master's student
Jun Zhu earned a bachelor's degree in Basic Medical Science from Southern Medical University and joined the Yang Lab in 2023.
His research interests revolve around the study of bacterial pathogens and their hijacking strategies to evade the intestinal epithelium.
Jing Lu(路静),
Visiting Researcher
Jing Lu is a doctor from the Department of Gastroenterology.
Her research focuses on exploring the relationship between innate immune signaling and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). As of the end of 2023, Jing Lu has transitioned back to a clinical role.
Lijuan Liao(廖利娟),
Visiting Researcher
Lijuan is a dedicated student from the Department of Gastroenterology, where she is currently pursuing her MPhil degree.
Her research is centered around the fascinating field of exploring the subcellular localization of Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRR) ALPK1 and its role in regulating innate immune signaling.
Honorary Members
Sherry
Sherry earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and an MPhil degree in Education from Emory University. She has made significant contributions to our research articles, particularly in the critical reading and revision.
Emmanuel
Emmanuel is very good at critical doodling on our drafts. It is very considerate and helpful.
Former Members
Xinghua Li(李星华),
Visiting Researcher
Xinghua is a doctor from the Department of Infectious Diseases.
His research focuses on the development of a novel therapy for infectious disease control, utilizing metallodrugs as a foundation. As of 2022, Xinghua Li has transitioned back to a clinical role.
Gallery
2022年课题组合影
