Biochemistry & Analytical Biochemistry

Mingxuan Xu

Mingxuan Xu

Biography

Dr. Mingxuan Xu received her Ph.D. from Chinese Academy of Science in Microbiology, During her Ph.D, her research mainly focus on functional studies of linear plasmid SLP2 in Streptomyce livindance, the mechanism that maintain SLP2 replication as linear mode and the conjugation of linear plasmid. Dr. Mingxuan Xu then switched her research field to neuroscience during her postdoctoral training at the Ohio State University on studies of Voltage gated potassium channel Kv3.1 trafficking . Axonal targeting of Kv3.1 is associated with adaptor protein Ankyrin G and motor protein KIF5B, Differential Axonal/dendritic targeting of two Kv3.1 isoforms Kv3.1a and Kv3.1b is due to preferentially association with AnkG and Kv3.1 self- inhibition mediated by N-terminus and C-terminus interaction.

Research Interest

Dr. Mingxuan Xu current research aims is to study how the KCNQ channels regulate excitability by being concentrated at axon initial segments and nodes of Ranvier. KCNQ channels are targets of antiepileptic drugs and are mutated in a human epilepsy syndrome called Benign Familial Neonatal Seizures. This research could lead to new understanding of epilepsy mechanisms and better treatments for epilepsy and related disorders.