Xin Tong
Research Associate Professor
Molecular and Integrative Physiology
University of Michigan Medical School
2800 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105
[email protected]

Available to mentor

Xin Tong
Research Associate Professor
  • Qualifications
  • Center Memberships
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications
  • Qualifications
    • M.D.
      Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou
    • Ph.D.
      University of Connecticut, Storrs
    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Caswell Diabetes Institute
    Research Overview

    My long-term goal is to identify key regulators of liver lipid metabolism and their roles in fatty liver disease. At the University of Michigan, I have been focusing on the metabolic actions of E4BP4 in liver metabolism. Our team has contributed to the original findings of how hepatic E4BP4 regulates metabolism in the liver, supporting the critical role of E4BP4 in the pathogenesis of fatty liver disease. We uncovered that E4BP4 represses hepatic hormone Fgf21 expression via histone methyl-transferase G9a in the liver. We reported that insulin potently induces E4bp4 to promote de novo lipogenesis via the classical AKT-mTORC1-SREBP-1c pathway in hepatocytes. Furthermore, we successfully generated an E4bp4 conditional knockout mouse line to study its tissue-specific functions in regulating metabolism. Our most study highlighted how ER stress-induced E4BP4 contributes to lipid accumulation in the liver using the liver-specific E4bp4 knockout mouse model.

    Recent Publications See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Suppression of hepatic ChREBP⍺-CYP2C50 axis-driven fatty acid oxidation sensitizes mice to diet-induced MASLD/MASH.
      Zhang D, Zhao Y, Zhang G, Lank D, Cooke S, Wang S, Nuotio-Antar A, Tong X, Yin L. Mol Metab, 2024 Jul; 85: 101957 DOI:10.1016/j.molmet.2024.101957
      PMID: 38740087
    • Journal Article
      OPN-Mediated Crosstalk Between Hepatocyte E4BP4 and Hepatic Stellate Cells Promotes MASH-Associated Liver Fibrosis.
      Wang S, Gao J, Yang M, Zhang G, Yin L, Tong X. Adv Sci (Weinh), 2024 Oct 29; e2405678 DOI:10.1002/advs.202405678
      PMID: 39473081
    • Journal Article
      Class 3 PI3K coactivates the circadian clock to promote rhythmic de novo purine synthesis.
      Alkhoury C, Henneman NF, Petrenko V, Shibayama Y, Segaloni A, Gadault A, Nemazanyy I, Le Guillou E, Wolide AD, Antoniadou K, Tong X, Tamaru T, Ozawa T, Girard M, Hnia K, Lutter D, Dibner C, Panasyuk G. Nat Cell Biol, 2023 Jul; 25 (7): 975 - 988. DOI:10.1038/s41556-023-01171-3
      PMID: 37414850
    • Journal Article
      High-Fat Diet-Induced DeSUMOylation of E4BP4 Promotes Lipid Droplet Biogenesis and Liver Steatosis in Mice.
      Wang S, Yang M, Li P, Sit J, Wong A, Rodrigues K, Lank D, Zhang D, Zhang K, Yin L, Tong X. Diabetes, 2023 Mar 1; 72 (3): 348 - 361. DOI:10.2337/db22-0332
      PMID: 36508222
    • Journal Article
      Fructose as a novel nutraceutical for acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity.
      Rodrigues K, Hussain R, Cooke S, Zhang G, Zhang D, Yin L, Tong X. Metab Target Organ Damage, 2023 3 (4): DOI:10.20517/mtod.2023.28
      PMID: 39193224
    • Journal Article
      Analysis of Insulin Resistance in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.
      Kim H, Zhang D, Song Z, Tong X, Zhang K. Methods Mol Biol, 2022 2455: 233 - 241. DOI:10.1007/978-1-0716-2128-8_18
      PMID: 35212998
    • Journal Article
      Histone Acetyltransferase MOF Blocks Acquisition of Quiescence in Ground-State ESCs through Activating Fatty Acid Oxidation.
      Khoa LTP, Tsan Y-C, Mao F, Kremer DM, Sajjakulnukit P, Zhang L, Zhou B, Tong X, Bhanu NV, Choudhary C, Garcia BA, Yin L, Smith GD, Saunders TL, Bielas SL, Lyssiotis CA, Dou Y. Cell Stem Cell, 2020 Sep 3; 27 (3): 441 - 458.e10. DOI:10.1016/j.stem.2020.06.005
      PMID: 32610040
    • Journal Article
      Suppression of E4BP4 SUMOylation sensitize mice to HFD‐induced fatty liver disease by promoting lipid droplet formation
      Wang S, Yang M, Sit J, Lank D, Zhang D, Yin L, Tong X. The FASEB Journal, 2021 May; 35 (S1): DOI:10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.s1.04665