Prof. Junji Xu

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Academic Career Length

13Years (2014-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

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22 February 2024 in Nature Communications

Journal Article

Porphyromonas gingivalis aggravates colitis via a gut microbiota-linoleic acid metabolism-Th17/Treg cell balance axis

Lu Jia

Yiyang Jiang

Lili Wu

Jingfei Fu

Juan Du

Yi Liu

Periodontitis is closely related to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). An excessive and non-self-limiting immune response to the dysbiotic microbiome characterizes the two. However, the underlying mechanisms that overlap still need to be clarified. We demonstrate that the critical periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) aggravates intestinal inflammation and Th17/Treg cell imbalance in a gut microbiota-dependent manner. Specifically, metagenomic and metabolomic analyses shows that oral administration of Pg increases levels of the Bacteroides phylum but decreases levels of the Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, and Actinobacteria phyla. Nevertheless, it suppresses the linoleic acid (LA) pathway in the gut microbiota, which was the target metabolite that determines the degree of inflammation and functions as an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) ligand to suppress Th17 differentiation while promoting Treg cell differentiation via the phosphorylation of Stat1 at Ser727. Therapeutically restoring LA levels in colitis mice challenged with Pg exerts anti-colitis effects by decreasing the Th17/Treg cell ratio in an AHR-dependent manner. Our study suggests that Pg aggravates colitis via a gut microbiota-LA metabolism-Th17/Treg cell balance axis, providing a potential therapeutically modifiable target for IBD patients with periodontitis.

20 December 2018 in Stem Cells International

Journal Article

The Immunomodulatory Properties of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Junji Xu

Dunfang Zhang

Peter Zanvit

Dandan Wang

20 March 2024 in International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Journal Article

Advances in the Study of Extracellular Vesicles for Bone Regeneration

Promoting the efficiency of bone regeneration in bone loss diseases is a significant clinical challenge. Traditional therapies often fail to achieve better therapeutic outcomes and shorter treatment times. However, in recent years, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have gained significant attention due to their exceptional osteogenic function in bone regeneration and superior therapeutic effects compared to traditional cell therapy. EVs have emerged as a promising therapy for tissue defect regeneration due to their various physiological functions, such as regulating the immune response and promoting tissue repair and regeneration. Moreover, EVs have good biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and long-term stability, and can be improved through pretreatment and other methods. Studies investigating the mechanisms by which extracellular vesicles promote bone regeneration and applying EVs from different sources using various methods to animal models of bone defects have increased. Therefore, this paper reviews the types of EVs used for bone regeneration, their sources, roles, delivery pathways, scaffold biomaterials, and applications.

1 January 2014 in BMC Genomics

Journal Article

Stage-specific differential gene expression profiling and functional network analysis during morphogenesis of diphyodont dentition in miniature pigs, Sus Scrofa

Our current knowledge of tooth development derives mainly from studies in mice, which have only one set of non-replaced teeth, compared with the diphyodont dentition in humans. The miniature pig is also diphyodont, making it a valuable alternative model for understanding human tooth development and replacement. However, little is known about gene expression and function during swine odontogenesis. The goal of this study is to undertake the survey of differential gene expression profiling and functional network analysis during morphogenesis of diphyodont dentition in miniature pigs. The identification of genes related to diphyodont development should lead to a better understanding of morphogenetic patterns and the mechanisms of diphyodont replacement in large animal models and humans.

26 July 2022 in International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Journal Article

Advances in the Therapeutic Effects of Apoptotic Bodies on Systemic Diseases

Apoptosis plays an important role in development and in the maintenance of homeostasis. Apoptotic bodies (ApoBDs) are specifically generated from apoptotic cells and can contain a large variety of biological molecules, which are of great significance in intercellular communications and the regulation of phagocytes. Emerging evidence in recent years has shown that ApoBDs are essential for maintaining homeostasis, including systemic bone density and immune regulation as well as tissue regeneration. Moreover, studies have revealed the therapeutic effects of ApoBDs on systemic diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, hepatic fibrosis, and wound healing, which can be used to treat potential targets. This review summarizes current research on the generation, application, and reconstruction of ApoBDs regarding their functions in cellular regulation and on systemic diseases, providing strong evidence and therapeutic strategies for further insights into related diseases.

3 August 2021 in Frontiers in Immunology

Journal Article

BMP4 Moderates Glycolysis and Regulates Activation and Interferon-Gamma Production in CD4+ T Cells

Feng Huang

Lei Hu

Yuanmin Zhang

Xingmin Qu

Junji Xu

BMP4 is a key growth factor well known in promoting bone regeneration and has been reported to be able to regulate T cell development in the thymus. Here, we showed that BMP4 downregulates the activation of naïve CD4+ T cells and the IFN-γ production of CD4+ T cells without increasing regulatory T cells. BMP4 could also moderate glycolysis of T cells and regulate Hif1α expression. Furthermore, BMP4 showed a suppressive function on the IFN-γ production of CD4+ T cells in vivo. These findings indicating a mechanism by which BMP-4 may regulate activation and IFN-γ production in CD4+ T cells via metabolism moderation and suggests that BMP4 may be a potential therapeutic supplement in autoinflammatory diseases.

About Me

Prof. Junji Xu is a young scholar at Capital Medical University, a doctoral supervisor, a young member of the Oral Biology Committee of the Chinese Stomatological Association, and a young member of the Periodontology Committee of the Chinese Stomatological Association. He is the Winner of the National Natural Science Foundation of China Outstanding Youth Science Fund Project, has presided over a number of national, provincial and ministerial level projects, and was selected as Beijing Science and Technology Star (2015) and Beijing Outstanding Talent (2013). His main research direction is the immunological mechanism and functional reconstruction of oral and maxillofacial diseases. The research results have been published in 29 SCI papers, with a total of 730 citations; among them, as the main author (first or corresponding author), he has published in Immunity, Blood, Frontiers. He has published more than ten papers in Immunology, Stem Cells and other magazines, and has been cited 334 times by others. He won the 2020 William Paul Immunomedicine Award from the US NIH/FDA, the first prize of the Beijing Science and Technology Award (2018), the second prize of the Chinese Stomatological Association Science and Technology Award (2018), the third prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award (2018), etc.

Prof. Junji Xu

Prof. Junji Xu

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