Xinnan Wang
Academic Appointments
- Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery
- Member, Bio-X
Key Documents
Contact Information
- Academic Offices
Personal Information Email Tel (650) 724-3674 Tel (650) 724-9282Alternate Contact Marjorie Powell Administrator Email Tel Work 6507241243
Professional Overview
Administrative Appointments
- Assistant Professor, Stanford Institute for Neuro-innovation and Translational Neurosciences (2011 - present)
Honors and Awards
- NIH Pathway to Independece (K99/R00), NINDS (2009-2014)
- William and Bernice E Bumpus Foundation Innovation Award, William and Bernice E Bumpus Foundation (2011-2014)
- Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow 2012, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (2012-2014)
Scientific Focus
Current Research Interests
Mitochondria move and undergo fission and fusion in all eukaryotic cells. The accurate allocation of mitochondria in neurons is particularly critical due to the significance of mitochondria for ATP supply, Ca++ homeostasis and apoptosis and the importance of these functions to the distal extremities of neurons. In addition, defective mitochondria, which can be highly deleterious to a cell because of their output of reactive oxygen species, need to be repaired by fusing with healthy mitochondria or cleared from the cell. Thus mitochondrial cell biology poses critical questions for all cells, but especially for neurons: how the cell sets up an adequate distribution of the organelle; how it sustains mitochondria in the periphery; and how mitochondria are removed after damage. The goal of my research is to understand the regulatory mechanisms controlling mitochondrial dynamics and function and the mechanisms by which even subtle perturbations of these processes may contribute to neurodegenerative disorders.
Publications
- The meaning of mitochondrial movement to a neuron's life. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2013; (1): 184-94
- PINK1 and Parkin target Miro for phosphorylation and degradation to arrest mitochondrial motility. Cell. 2011; (4): 893-906
- The mechanism of Ca2+ -dependent regulation of kinesin-mediated mitochondrial motility. Cell. 2009; (1): 163-74
- Imaging axonal transport of mitochondria. Methods Enzymol. 2009: 319-33
- Drosophila spichthyin inhibits BMP signaling and regulates synaptic growth and axonal microtubules. Nat Neurosci. 2007; (2): 177-85
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