Xiaoyan Zhang

Prof. Xiaoyan Zhang received her Medical degree in 2004 and Doctor of Physiology and Medicine degree in 2009 in Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology at Peking University Health Science Center. She then worked as an associate professor in School of Medicine at Shenzhen University between 2013 and 2016 and a professor in Advanced Institute of Medical Science at Dalian Medical University between 2016 and 2021. Since 2021 Prof. Zhang has moved to the Health Science Center at East China Normal University in Shanghai where she serves as a professor and a Ph.D. supervisor. She is specialized in the role and mechanism of the nuclear receptors in the regulation of water and salt homeostasis, hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism, and in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases including diabetes and its renal complication, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and hypertension. Her research has been supported by the Excellent Young Scientist Award and General Research Program from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). She has also participated in the studies supported by the Major Basic Research Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology (the “973” Project) and the Major Programs of the NSFC. Professor Zhang has published more than 50 scientific articles in internationally recognized journals such as Proc Natl Acad Sci, J Am Soc Nephrol, and Am J Physiol. She has served as a reviewer for many domestic and international journals such as AJP-Endocrinology and Metabolism, J Diabetes, and Sci. Rep.. She has been invited to be an editorial board member of multiple journals and textbooks including Acta Physiologica Sinica and Medical Physiology (4th edition). She is a member of the American Society of Physiology (ASP), Chinese Society of Renal Physiology (CSRP) and the Chinese Society of Integrative Physiology (CSIP).

Research Interests

1. The role of metabolic nuclear receptor family (PPARs, LXRs, PXRs and FXRs) in metabolic diseases, especially in the pathogenesis and treatment of diabetes, fatty liver, hyperlipidemia and hypertension.

2. The biosynthesis regulation of Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and its application as a therapeutic target in diseases (fever, pain, reproductive disorders, hypertension, inflammation and kidney disease).

3. Diabetes mellitus and its complications, especially the pathogenesis, prevention, early diagnosis discovery of molecular marker and the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.

1. Su W, Huang SZ, Gao M, Kong XM, Gustafsson JA, Xu SJ, Wang B, Zheng F, Chen LH, Wang NP, Guan YF, Zhang XY*. Liver X Receptor β (LXRβ) Increases AQP2 Protein Level via a Post-transcriptional Mechanism in Renal Collecting Ducts. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2017 Apr 1;312(4):F619-F628.

2. Wen Su†, Jun Peng†, Chun-jiong Wang, Sha Li, Yu-bing Dai, Hu Xu, Min Gao, Xiong-zhong Ruan, Jan-Åke Gustafsson, You-fei Guan, Xiao-yan Zhang*. Liver X receptor α induces 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-13 expression through SREBP-1c. Am J Physiol Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2017 Apr 1;312(4):E357-E367.

3. Xiaoyan Zhang#, Sha Li#, Yunfeng Zhou#, Wen Su, Xiongzhong Ruan, Bing Wang, Feng Zheng, Margaret Warner, Jan-Åke Gustafsson. Ablation of cytochrome P450 omega-hydroxylase 4A14 gene attenuates hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2017 Mar 21;114(12):3181-3185.

4. Zhou Y, Yu J, Liu J, Cao R, Su W, Li S, Ye S, Zhu C, Zhang X, Xu H, Chen H, Zhang X*, Guan Y*. Induction of cytochrome P450 4A14 contributes to angiotensin II-induced renal fibrosis in mice. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2018 Mar;1864(3):860-870.

5. Zhang X, Yang W, Wang J, Meng Y, Guan Y, Yang J. FAM3 gene family: a promising therapeutical target for NAFLD and type 2 diabetes. Metabolism. 2018 Apr;81:71-82.

6. Sujuan Xua, Shizheng Huang, Zhilin Luan, Tingyue Chen, Yuanyi Wei, Miaomiao Xing, Yaqing Li, Chunxiu Du, Bing Wanga, Feng Zheng, Nanping Wang, Youfei Guan, Jan-Åke Gustafssond, and Xiaoyan Zhang*. Farnesoid X receptor is essential for the survival of renal medullary collecting duct cells under hypertonic stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . 2018 May 22;115(21):5600-5605.

7.Xu H, Du S, Fang B, Li C, Jia X, Zheng S, Wang S, Li Q, Su W, Wang N, Zheng F, Chen L, Zhang X, Gustafsson JÅ, Guan Y. VSMC-specific EP4 deletion exacerbates angiotensin II-induced aortic dissection by increasing vascular inflammation and blood pressure. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A .2019 Apr 23;116(17):8457-8462.

8. Hu Xu#, Bingying Fang#, Shengnan Du#, Sailun Wang, Qingwei Li, Xiao Jia, Chengzhen Bao, Lan Ye, Xue Sui, Lei Qian, Zhilin Luan, Guangrui Yang, Feng Zheng, Nanping Wang, Lihong Chen*, Xiaoyan Zhang*, and Youfei Guan*. Endothelial cell prostaglandin E2 receptor EP4 is essential for blood pressure homeostasis. JCI Insight. 2020 Jul 9;5(13):e138505.

9. Gulzar Alam, Zhilin Luan, Aneesa Gul, Heyuan Lu, Yunfeng Zhou, Xiaoxiao Huo, Yaqing Li, Chunxiu Du, Zhaokang Luo, Haibo Zhang, Hu Xu, Feng Zheng, Youfei Guan*, Xiaoyan Zhang*. Activation of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) induces crystallin zeta expression in mouse medullary collecting duct cells. Pflugers Arch.2020 Nov;472(11):1631-1641.

10. Zhilin Luan , Yuanyi Wei , Xiaoxiao Huo , Xiaowan Sun , Cong Zhang , Wenhua Ming , Zhaokang Luo, Chunxiu Du , Yaqing Li 2, Hu Xu , Heyuan Lu , Feng Zheng , Youfei Guan*, Xiaoyan Zhang*. Pregnane X receptor (PXR) protects against cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury in mice. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2021 Mar 1;1867(3):165996.

11. Luan ZL, Ming WH, Sun XW, Zhang C, Zhou Y, Zheng F, Yang YL, Guan YF*, Zhang XY*. A naturally occurring FXR agonist, alisol B 23-acetate, protects against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2021 Nov 1;321(5):F617-F628.

12.  Luan Z, Wei Y, Huo X, Sun X, Zhang C, Ming W, Luo Z, Du C, Li Y, Xu H, Lu H, Zheng F, Guan Y*, Zhang X*. Pregnane X receptor (PXR) protects against cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury in mice. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2021 Mar 1;1867(3):165996.

13. Zhang HB, Su W, Xu H, Zhang XY*, Guan YF*. HSD17B13: A Potential Therapeutic Target for NAFLD. Front Mol Biosci. 2022 Jan 7;8:824776.

14.Yaqing Li#, Rong Cao#, Tingting Gu, Cong Cao, Tingyue Chen, Youfei Guan*, Xiaoyan Zhang*. PPARβ/δ Augments IL-1β-Induced COX-2 Expression and PGE2 Biosynthesis in Human Mesangial Cells via the Activation of SIRT1. Metabolites. 2022 Jun 27;12(7):595;

15.Wen Su , Sijin Wu, Yongliang Yang , Yanlin Guo  5 , Haibo Zhang , Jie Su , Lei Chen , Zhuo Mao, Rongfeng Lan , Rong Cao , Chunjiong Wang , Hu Xu , Cong Zhang , Sha Li , Min Gao , Xiaocong Chen , Zhiyou Zheng , Bing Wang , Yi'ao Liu , Zuojun Liu , Zimei Wang , Baohua Liu , Xinmin Fan , Xiaoyan Zhang* , Youfei Guan*. Phosphorylation of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 13 at serine 33 attenuates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in mice. Nat Commun. 2022 Nov 2;13(1):6577;

16.Chunxiu Du, Hu Xu, Cong Cao, Jiahui Cao, Yufei Zhang, Cong Zhang, Rongfang Qiao, Wenhua Ming , Yaqing Li, Huiwen Ren, Xiaohui Cui, Zhilin Luan, Youfei Guan*, Xiaoyan Zhang*. Neutral amino acid transporter SLC38A2 protects renal medulla from hyperosmolarity-induced ferroptosis. Elife. 2023 Feb 1;12:e80647;

17.Shen-Ming Huang, Meng-Yao Xiong , Lei Liu , Jianqiang Mu, Ming-Wei Wang, Ying-Li Jia , Kui Cai, Lu Tie , Chao Zhang, Sheng Cao, Xin Wen, Jia-Le Wang, Sheng-Chao Guo, Yu Li, Chang-Xiu Qu, Qing-Tao He , Bo-Yang Cai, Chenyang Xue, Shiyi Gan, Yihe Xie, Xin Cong, Zhao Yang , Wei Kong, Shuo Li, Zijian Li, Peng Xiao, Fan Yang , Xiao Yu, You-Fei Guan, Xiaoyan Zhang, Zhongmin Liu, Bao-Xue Yang, Yang Du, and Jin-Peng Sun. Single hormone or synthetic agonist induces Gs/Gi coupling selectivity of EP receptors via distinct binding modes and propagating paths. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 July 21;120 (30) e2216329120.