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許獻忠（Shawn Xu）教授全職加入深圳醫學科學院

2026-05-07 09:56:10　來源: 微言校園

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許獻忠（Shawn Xu）博士曾任美國密歇根大學伯納德?W?阿格拉諾夫生命科學講席教授。他于2000 年從美國約翰·霍普金斯大學獲得博士學位，在美國加州理工學院完成神經科學與遺傳學方向的博士后研究后, 于2005 年加入美國密歇根大學生命科學研究所和生理學系任助理教授，2010年升任終身副教授，2014年升任終身正教授并工作至2026年。2026年加入深圳醫學科學院（SMART）生物構造與互作研究所（IBABI），任資深研究員。

許獻忠（Shawn Xu）是感知生物學領域的知名學者，帶領課題組以線蟲(C. elegans)和小鼠為研究模型，深入探索了動物感知并處理溫度、壓力、光、聲音、氣味、味道等感覺信號的分子細胞機制，首次證實線蟲除觸覺、味覺和嗅覺外，還具備視覺、聽覺、本體覺，即其具備全部六種主要感覺模態，充分確立了線蟲作為研究感知生物學理想遺傳模型的地位。在此基礎上，課題組通過經典遺傳學手段在線蟲中篩選和鑒定出多個新型感知受體，比如新型光感受器LITE-1、新型冷感受體GLR-3/GluK2、新型堿性感受體TMC-1/mTMC3、機械敏感性離子通道TRP-4/TRPN1，并解析了其信號傳導機制；在小鼠模型中證實了部分受體分子及信號通路的功能保守性。此外，他們還深入揭示了多條關鍵神經環路處理感覺信號以調節動物行為和藥物依賴性的具體作用及機制。課題組的研究還表明，除了影響大腦功能和行為之外，溫度和氣味等感覺信號也能夠調節衰老和壽命等其他生理過程，并闡明了其背后的遺傳與神經機制。這些研究拓展并深化了我們對感覺信號調控大腦功能、行為以及衰老過程的理解。

主要獎項與榮譽

2017 Elected Fellow, AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science)

2009 Young Investigator Award, Chinese Biological Investigators Society（美國華人生物學家協會）

2007 Pew Scholar

2006 Sloan Fellow

2001 Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellowship

2000 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award

課題組研究方向

課題組聚焦感知生物學，致力于解析生命體感知外部環境（外感受）與內部身體狀態（內感受）的關鍵受體分子、生理過程及相關調控機制。外感受涵蓋對外界溫度、光線、聲音、氣味、壓力等信號的感知，是我們連接世界、適應環境并做出行為決策的關鍵生理基礎，幫助我們回答一個最基本的問題：“我身處何處？環境如何？”內感受則不僅包括內臟痛等感覺，還涉及呼吸頻率、體溫、口渴、饑餓、疲勞等身體狀態的感知，是我們感知自我、產生情緒和維持生命的重要生理過程，幫助我們回答另一個基本問題：“我自身感覺怎么樣？” 此外，生物感知還對代謝、衰老等關鍵生命過程發揮決定性調控作用。生物感知功能異常，既是耳鳴、耳聾、色盲、視力損傷等經典感覺障礙的直接病因，也作為核心癥狀廣泛出現在神經退行性疾病、慢性疼痛、糖尿病、心血管疾病等多種重大疾病中。因此，從分子 — 細胞 — 環路多層次闡明生物感知的過程與機制，對于發現新型疾病治療靶點、解析疾病機理具有重要意義。

未來，課題組將繼續依托線蟲(C. elegans)和小鼠模型，重點推進以下三方面工作：

一是篩選新型外感受與內感受感知受體，解析其信號傳導機制與結構功能關系；

二是從分子、細胞和環路水平解碼感覺信號調控腦功能、行為、代謝、衰老等生理過程的作用機制；

三是靶向感知受體開發與篩選小分子創新藥物，助力前沿科學發現向突破性療法的有效轉化。

代表文章（*通訊作者）

1. Cai, W., Zheng, Q., Zhang, W., Hor, C.C., Pan, T., Fatima, M., Dong, X., Duan, B.*, and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2024) The kainate receptor GluK2 mediates cold sensing in mice. Nature Neuroscience 27, 679-88 (cover story)

2. Zhang, X., Liu, J., Pan, T., Ward, A., Liu, J., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2022) A cilia-independent function of BBSome mediated by DLK-MAPK signaling in C. elegans photosensation. Developmental Cell 57, 1545–1557 (cover story)

3. Iliff, A.J., Wang, C., Ronan, E.A., Hake, A.E., Guo, Y., Li, X., Zhang, X., Zheng, M., Liu, J., Grosh, K., Duncan, R.K., Xu, X.Z.S*. (2021) The nematode C. elegans senses airborne sound. Neuron 109, 3633-46

4. Zhang, B., Jun, H., Wu, J., Liu, J*., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2021) Olfactory perception of food abundance regulates dietary restriction-mediated longevity via a brain-to-gut signal. Nature Aging 1, 255–68

5. Gong, J., Liu, J., Ronan, E.A., He, F., Cai, W., Fatima, M, Zhang, W., Lee, H., Li, Z., Kim, G.H., Pipe, K.P., Duan, B., Liu, J*., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2019) A cold-sensing receptor encoded by a glutamate receptor gene. Cell 178, 1375-86

6. Gong, J., Yuan, Y., Ward, A., Kang, L., Zhang, B., Wu, Z., Peng, J., Feng, Z., Liu, J*., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2016) The C. elegans taste receptor homolog LITE-1 is a photoreceptor. Cell 167, 1252-63.

7. Wang, X., Li, G., Liu, J., Liu, J., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2016) TMC-1 mediates alkaline sensation in C. elegans via nociceptive neurons. Neuron 91, 146-54

8. Li, Z., Liu, J., Zheng, M., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2014) Encoding of both analog- and digital-like behavioral outputs by one C. elegans interneuron. Cell 159, 751-765. (cover story)

9. Liu, J., Zhang, B., Feng, Z., Liu, J., Hsu, A.L., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2013) Functional aging in the nervous system contributes to age-dependent motor activity decline in C. elegans. Cell Metabolism 18, 392-402. (cover story)

10. Xiao, R., Zhang, B., Dong, Y., Gong, J., Xu, T., Liu, J., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2013) A genetic program promotes C. elegans longevity at cold temperatures via a thermosensitive TRP channel. Cell 152, 806-817

11. Piggott, B.J., Liu, J., Feng, Z., Wescott, S.A., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2011) The neural circuits and synaptic mechanisms underlying motor initiation in C. elegans. Cell 147, 922-933

12. Kang, L., Gao, J., Schafer, W.R., Xie, Z., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2010) C. elegans TRP family protein TRP-4 is a pore-forming subunit of a native mechanosensory transduction channel. Neuron 67, 381-391.

13. Liu, J., Ward, A., Gao, J., Dong, Y., Nishio, N., Inada, H., Kang, L., Yu, Y., Ma, D., Xu, T., Mori, I., Xie, Z., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2010) C. elegans phototransduction requires a G protein-dependent cGMP pathway and a taste receptor homolog. Nature Neuroscience 13, 715-722

14. Ward, A., Liu, J., Feng, Z., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2008) Light-sensitive neurons and channels mediate phototaxis in C. elegans. Nature Neuroscience 11, 916-922.

15. Feng, Z., Li, W., Ward, A., Piggott, B.J., Larkspur, E., Sternberg, P.W., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2006) A C. elegans model of nicotine-dependent behavior: regulation by TRP-family channels. Cell 127, 621-633

16. Li, W., Feng, Z., Sternberg, P.W., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2006) A C. elegans stretch receptor neuron revealed by a mechanosensitive TRP channel homologue. Nature 440, 684-687.

Professor Shawn Xu joins Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART)

Profile

Prior to joining SMART, Dr. Shawn Xu was Bernard W. Agranoff Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan. Dr. Xu obtained his Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in 2000. After completing his postdoctoral training in Neuroscience & Genetics at the California Institute of Technology, Dr. Xu joined the Life Sciences Institute and Dept. of Molecular & Integrative Physiology at the University of Michigan as an assistant professor in 2005. Dr. Xu was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2010 and full professor with tenure in 2014. In 2026, Dr. Xu joined the Institute of Bio-Architecture and Bio-Interactions (IBABI) of SMART as a senior investigator.

Dr. Xu is a leading scientist in sensory biology. Using C. elegans and mouse as models, the Xu lab has made a series of contributions to our understanding of how animals detect and process sensory signals such as temperature, light, sound, touch, smell, and taste. The group was the first to demonstrate that, in addition to touch, taste, and smell, the nematode C. elegans also possesses the senses of light, airborne sound, and proprioception. These discoveries established that C. elegans has all six primary sensory modalities, fully establishing this animal as a powerful genetic model for the study of sensory biology.

Building on these foundational discoveries, the Xu lab has identified and characterized multiple novel sensory receptors, including the photoreceptor LITE-1, the cold receptor GLR-3/GluK2, the alkaline receptor TMC-1/mTMC3, and the mechanosensitive channel TRP-4/TRPN1, among others. Importantly, they have demonstrated the functional conservation of some of these sensory receptors and their downstream signaling pathways using mouse models. Furthermore, they have characterized how neural circuits process sensory signals to regulate behavior and drug dependence. Moreover, their work has revealed that beyond brain function and behavior, sensory signals such as temperature and smell also regulate other vital physiological processes such as aging and longevity, and has elucidated the underlying genetic and neural mechanisms. These studies have expanded and deepened our understanding of how sensory cues regulate brain function, behavior, and aging.

Major Awards & Honors

2017 Elected Fellow, AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science)

2009 Young Investigator Award, Chinese Biological Investigators Society (CIBS)

2007 Pew Scholar

2006 Sloan Fellow

2001 Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellowship

2000 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award

Research Directions

The Xu lab focuses on sensory biology, aiming to understand how we sense both the external environment (exteroception) and internal world (interoception) using C. elegans and mouse models. Exteroception allows us to sense external cues such as temperature, light, sound, odorants, tastants, and touch, serving as a key physiological foundation for connecting us to the external world, adapting to our surroundings, and guiding behavioral decisions. Interoception, on the other hand, not only underlies visceral pain and related sensations but also regulates physiological states such as respiratory rate, core body temperature, thirst, hunger, and fatigue. It is a vital physiological process that controls self-perception, emotional experience, and the maintenance of life. Furthermore, exteroception and interoception play key roles in regulating other vital physiological processes such as metabolism and aging. Dysfunction in exteroception/interoception is not only a direct cause of classical sensory disorders such as tinnitus, deafness, color blindness, and visual impairment, but also represents a core symptom widely associated with various human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, chronic pain, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. As such, elucidating the molecular, cellular and circuit mechanisms of exteroception and interoception is of great significance for developing novel therapeutics. Moving forward, Professor Xu’s group will continue to leverage C. elegans and mouse models to: i) identify novel sensory receptors detecting various exteroceptive and interoceptive signals and characterize their physiological functions and structure-function relationships; ii) elucidate how sensory signals regulate brain function, behavior, metabolism, and aging at the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels; and iii) screen for small molecules targeting sensory receptors to translate fundamental knowledge into novel therapeutics.

Representative Publications

(*corresponding author)

7. Wang, X., Li, G., Liu, J., Liu, J., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2016) TMC-1 mediates alkaline sensation in C. elegans via nociceptive neurons. Neuron 91, 146-54

8. Li, Z., Liu, J., Zheng, M., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2014) Encoding of both analog- and digital-like behavioral outputs by one C. elegans interneuron. Cell 159, 751-765. (cover story)

11. Piggott, B.J., Liu, J., Feng, Z., Wescott, S.A., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2011) The neural circuits and synaptic mechanisms underlying motor initiation in C. elegans. Cell 147, 922-933

14. Ward, A., Liu, J., Feng, Z., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2008) Light-sensitive neurons and channels mediate phototaxis in C. elegans. Nature Neuroscience 11, 916-922.

16. Li, W., Feng, Z., Sternberg, P.W., and Xu, X.Z.S*. (2006) A C. elegans stretch receptor neuron revealed by a mechanosensitive TRP channel homologue. Nature 440, 684-687.

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