X-Lab

X-Laboratory for Ion-Channel Engineering

(离子-通道工程研究组)

Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering

School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University

From Scientific Discovery of Ion Channels to Engineering Design of Bioactuators and Biosensors

Principle Investigator: Xiaodong LIU, Ph.D. (刘晓冬)

Welcome to the X-Lab!

实验室简介（LAB DESCRIPTION）

离子通道作为“生命系统中的晶体管”，通过调控胞内外离子动态交换等方式密切参与生命活动。本实验室主要关注离子通道及离子信号，尤其是钙离子通道（电压门控型CaV和瞬时受体电位型TRP）以及钙离子信号，深入理解 CaV1及TRPP激励-构象-门控-信号（Stimulus-Structure-Gating-Signaling）间的机制关联。

践行“分子生物医学工程”这一重要学科发展方向和趋势，本实验室秉承(生物医学)工程的理念和方法，致力于通过生物原理以及工程原理将生物元件、外源因子与兴奋性细胞膜相结合以重建/合成离子通道复合体的动态互作/组成及病/生理功能。上述的生物原件包括通道亚基、调制因子、信号蛋白和电解质等；常用的外源因子为小分子化合物、材料/力场、光电器件和计算机/单元等。

离子通道能够感知跨膜电压、离子信号、机械力及电磁辐射等多种模态外源性激励，这些非凡能力令人称奇，然而离子通道又是怎样在亚分子、分子及细胞水平上传感、转换及编码这些激励的能量和信息呢？综合运用电生理、生化、分子生物学及光学成像，以及生物物理建模、工程设计及分析等多种方法，我们以发现离子通道与离子信号的新机制、新现象和重要病生理为己任，同时基于离子通道开拓生物医学工程创新和物质世界新认知。

当前的具体研究方向包括:

1) 钙通道/信号蛋白复合体结构-功能研究（CaV1及TRPP）；

2) 钙振荡及特殊钙响应的功能及机制（CaV1及TRPP）；

3）兴奋性细胞的可塑性：钙通道/钙信号活动依赖性的分子及细胞机制（CaV1)；

4）利用这些基础研究的新进展，开发离子-通道相关的新工具、新方法和新仪器，催生新的发现，推动新的应用 (CaV1及TRPP)。

Our research has been in the field of ion channels and ionic signaling, mainly focusing on calcium channels (voltage-gated calcium channels CaV and transient receptor potential channels TRP) and calcium signaling. Major interests are on in-depth gating mechanisms in relation with cell signaling (the couplings of Stimulus-Structure-Gating-Signaling) for CaV1 and TRPP channels. We are particularly attracted by the amazing capabilities of the ion-channel system, curious about how exactly the stimuli (i.e., energy/information) are transduced or encoded at atomic (e.g., ions), molecular (e.g., proteins) and cellular (e.g., neurons) levels? The methodologies utilized in the lab include electrophysiology, optical imaging, molecular & structural biology, biophysical modeling, and engineering design & analysis. Our mission is to discover new phenotypes & mechanisms and key pathological relevance, meanwhile to develop de novo tools/methods based on our scientific discoveries.

Exemplary projects currently being pursued by students/postdocs include:

1) structure-function analysis of voltage- and ligand-gated calcium channels;

2) molecular/cellular information processing by ion-channel system such as electrical/calcium oscillations in neurons;

3）plasticity of excitable cells, e.g., channel activity-gene transcription coupling mediated by calcium channels and calcium signals

4）de novo tool, methods and instruments based on scientific discoveries on ion-channels, expected to foster new discoveries and applications.

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Opto-chemogenetic inhibition of L-type CaV1 channels in neurons through a membrane-assisted molecular linkage (In Press, Cell Reports Methods)

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Chronic Ca2+ imaging of cortical neurons with long-term expression of GCaMP-X (2022)

GCaMP7-X plasmids are now available through addgene!

pEGFP-N1-GCaMP7b-XC , ID: 178361 [1].

pEGFP-N1-GCaMP7b-XN , ID: 178362 [2].