我们实验室采用细胞和分子生物学、表观遗传学和生物信息学、行为学等多种实验手段，探讨表观遗传学修饰特别是核酸修饰对成体神经干细胞和成体神经发生的调控作用，揭示不同核酸修饰在神经系统疾病特别是发育性疾病中的作用，为相关疾病的治疗提供新的靶点和治疗策略。

代表性论文（近5年）:

  1.Sun, W*., Zang, L*., Shu, Q., Li., X. From development to diseases: The role of 5hmC in brain. Genomics104:347-351 (2014).

  2.Sun, W., Guan, M., and Li, X. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine mediated DNA demethylation in stem cells and development. Stem cells and Dev 23:923-930 (2014)

  3.Xu, Z., Poidevin, M., Li, X., Li, Y., Shu, L., Nelson, DL., Li, H., Hales, CM., Gearing, M., Wingo, TS., Jin, P. Expanded GGGGCC repeat RNA associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia causes neurodegeneration. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110:7778-7783 (2013).

  4.Wang, T., Pan, Q., Lin L, Szulwach, KE., Song, CX., He, C., Wu, H., Warren, ST., Jin, P*., Duan, R*., Li, X*. Genome-wide DNA hydroxymethylation changes are associated with neurodevelopmental genes in the developing human cerebellum, Hum Mol Genet 21,5500-5510 (2012).

  5.Yu, M., Hon, G., Szulwach, K., Song, C., Zhang, L., Kim, A., Li, X., Dai, Q., Park, B., Min, J., Jin, P., Ren, B., He, C. Base-Resolution Analysis of 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in the Mammalian Genome. Cell 149,1368-1380 (2012).

  6.Xu, Z., Li, X. DNA Methylation in Neurodegenerative Disorders. Curr Tran Geriatr Gerontol 1:199–205 (2012). 

  7.Szulwach, K.E*., Li, X*., Li, Y., Song, C.X., Wu, H., Dai, Q., Irier, H., He, C. and Jin, P. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine-mediated epigenetic dynamics during neurodevelopment and aging. Nature Neuroscience 14:1607-1616 (2011) (* equal contribution).

  8.Li, X. and Jin, P. Roles of small regulatory RNAs in determining neuronal identity. Nature Reviews Neurosci 11:329-338 (2010).

  9.Szulwach, KE*., Li, X*., Smrt, RS., Li, Y., Luo, Y., Lin, L., Santistevan, N., Li, W., Zhao X., and Jin, P. MeCP2-mediated crosstalk between microRNA and epigenetic regulation in adult neurogenesis. J Cell Biology 189:127-141 (2010) (*equal contribution).