XIONG, Wenjun (熊文君)

Prof. Xiong received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Chicago in 2010. Under the supervision of Prof. Ilaria Rebay, she studied how multiple signaling pathways interact in space and time to ensure the accurate developmental program of the Drosophila compound eye. In 2011, she joined the laboratory of Prof. Constance Cepko at Harvard Medical School, where she studied the disease mechanisms of inherited blindness and developed gene therapies to prolong vision in mouse models. In August 2015, she joined the Department of Biomedical Sciences at City University of Hong Kong as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2021.

Research Interests

Vision is by far the most important sense of human beings. Our ability to see the world around us is empowered by photoreceptor cells, the specialized light-sensing neurons in the retina. Despite their essential function, photoreceptors are particularly vulnerable to intrinsic and environmental challenges and undergo cell death in many retinal degeneration diseases, such as Retinitis Pigmentosa (a rare and devastating inherited eye disorder) and Age-related Macular Degeneration (a leading cause of blindness in elderly people). Our research goal is to unveil the molecular mechanisms that can facilitate the rescue, replacement, or regeneration of the photoreceptor neurons in the face of degeneration. We hope to translate our work in animal models into the development of novel gene therapy and regenerative medicine for retinal degeneration patients.

My current research interests include:

1. To understand the mechanisms underlying photoreceptor degeneration in mouse models of eye diseases through a combination of molecular, cellular, and genetic approaches.
2. To rescue photoreceptors from degeneration by overexpressing candidate anti-stress genes via adeno-associated virus vector (AAV).
3. To explore the potential of other retinal cell types to regenerate photoreceptors in mouse retinas.
4. To develop new animal models for retinal degeneration diseases, including high myopia and glaucoma.

Position Availability

We are looking for talented people to join our team.

• PhD positions are available. Candidates who have a strong interest in our research and meet the basic requirements of the University and BMS department are encouraged to apply. Interested candidates can send CV and a short summary of past research experience to Prof. Xiong (wenjun.xiong@cityu.edu.hk).
• Postdoctoral fellow and Research Assistant positions are available upon enquiry. Interested candidates can send CV and a short summary of past research experience to Prof. Xiong (wenjun.xiong@cityu.edu.hk).
• Undergraduate students who seek for lab experience are welcome to contact Prof. Xiong directly by email, phone or office visit.

Selected Publications

1. Hoang D, Liao B, Zheng Z, Xiong W. Mutation-independent gene knock-in therapy targeting 5’UTR for autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy. 2023 Mar 8;8(1):100.
2. Mai S, Zhu X, Wan EYC, Wu S, Yonathan JN, Wang J, Li Y, Ma JYW, Zuo B, Tse DY, Lo PC, Wang X, Chan KM, Wu DM, Xiong W. Postnatal eye size in mice is controlled by SREBP2-mediated transcriptional repression of Lrp2 and Bmp2. Development. 2022 Jul 15;149(14):dev200633.
3. Zhang X, Zhang BW, Xiang L, Wu H, Alexander SAS, Zhou P, Dai MZ, Wang X, Xiong W, Zhang Y, Jin ZB, Deng LW. MLL5 is involved in retinal photoreceptor maturation through facilitating CRX-mediated photoreceptor gene transactivation. iScience. 2022 Mar 11;25(4):104058.
4. Wu DM, Ji X, Ivanchenko MV, Chung M, Piper M, Rana P, Wang SK, Xue Y, West E, Zhao SR, Xu H, Cicconet M, Xiong W, Cepko CL. Nrf2 overexpression rescues the RPE in mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa. JCI Insight. 2021 Jan 25;6(2):e145029.
5. Feng, T., Mai. S., Roscoe. JM., Sheng. RR., Ullah, M., Zhang J., Katz, II., Yu, H., Xiong, W., Hu, F. Loss of TMEM106B and PGRN leads to severe lysosomal abnormalities and neurodegeneration in mice. EMBO reports. 2020 Oct 5; 21(10):e50219.
6. Tan, Y., Chu, AHY., Bao, S., Hoang, DA., Kebede, FT., Xiong, W., Ji, M., Shi, J., Zheng, Z. Rationally engineered Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 nucleases with high genome-wide specificity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Oct 15;116(42):20969-20976.
7. Xiong, W. ^#*, Wu DM.^#, Xue Y.^#, Wang SK., Chung MJ., Ji X., Rana P., Zhao SR., Mai S., and Cepko CL*. "AAV cis-regulatory sequences are correlated with ocular toxicity". PNAS. 2019, 116 (12): 5785-5794. (^#Co-first authors; *Co-corresponding authors) https://www.pnas.org/content/116/12/5785.long
8. Xiong, W., Garfinkel, A., Li, Y., Benowitz, L., and Cepko, C. Nrf2 promotes neuron survival in neurodegeneration and acute nerve damage. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2015, 125(4):1433-45. http://www.jci.org/articles/view/79735
9. Xiong, W. and Cepko, C. Distinct expression patterns of AAV8 vectors with broadly active promoters from subretinal injections of neonatal mouse eyes at two different ages. In: Westendorf, S., LaVail, M., Bowes, R. eds. Retinal degeneration. New York: Springer; 2015. In press. (Book Chapter) PDF file is available here.
10. Punzo, C., Xiong, W. and Cepko, C.L. Loss of daylight vision in retinal degeneration: are oxidative stress and metabolic dysregulation to blame? Review. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2012, 287(3):1642-8.

21 June 2023