The University of Western Australia

W/Prof Jiake Xu

Winthrop Professor/Head of Molecular Laboratory
School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Contact details

Address

School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
The University of Western Australia (M504)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

9346 2739

Fax

9346 2891

Email

jiake.xu@uwa.edu.au

Location

Room 1.4H, M Block, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands

Qualifications

MB BS Guangzhou, PhD W.Aust.

Biography

Dr Jiake Xu is currently Winthrop Professor and Head of Laboratory in the School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Western Australia.

He is also a founding Fellow, Faculty of Science, the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia, and has been appointed the President-elect of the Australian and New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society (ANZORS).

He finished his medical training in Guangzhou Medical College in China in 1985. After completing his PhD studies at UWA in 1994, he carried out his postdoctoral research at Stanford University from 1994 to 1998. He returned to UWA in 1998, and has since undertaken research and teaching in the Schools of Surgery and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

His current research activities are focused on gene discovery, molecular mechanisms of osteoclast functions and the intercellular communication between osteoclasts and osteoblasts, which have significant implication in bone diseases; including osteoporosis, Paget's disease of bone and malignancy-related osteolysis.

Key research

•Osteoimmunology, osteolysis, and mechanisms of bone resorption.

•RANKL signalling transduction pathways and transcription program

•Screening of natural compounds for the treatment of osteoporosis

•Deciphering the molecular basis of musculoskeletal diseases using ENU-induced mutant mice

•Osteoclast and osteoblast intercellular communication

Publications

Prof Xu has published papers in journals; including PNAS, Mol. Cell. Biol. , J Biol. Chem. , J Bone Miner Res. , Am J Pathol, and Molecular Endocrinology . Recent selected publications include:
1. Feng H, Cheng T, Pavlos N, Yip KH, Seeber R, Eidne K, Zheng MH, Xu J (2008) Cytoplasmic terminus of a vacuolar type proton pump accessory subunit Ac45 is required for proper interaction with V0 domain subunits and efficient osteoclastic bone resorption. J Biol Chem. 9;283(19):13194-204.
2. Feng H, Cheng T, Steer JH, Joyce DA, Pavlos NJ, Leong C, Kular J, Liu J, Feng X, Zheng MH, Xu J. (2009) MEF2 and MITF cooperate with NFATC1 to transactivate the V-ATPase D2 promoter during RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis. J Biol Chem. 22;284(21):14667-76.
3. Cheng T, Pavlos NJ, Wang C, Tan JW, Lin JM, Cornish J, Zheng MH, Xu J. (2009) Mutations within the TNF-like core domain of RANKL impair osteoclast differentiation and activation. Mol Endocrinol. 23(1):35-46.
4. Xu J, Wu HF, Ang ESM, Yip K, Woloszyn M, Zheng MH, Tan RX (2009) NF-kB modulators in osteolytic bone diseases. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 20(1):7-17.
5. Rea SL, Walsh JP, Ward L, Magno AL, Ward BK, Shaw B, Layfield R, Kent GN, Xu J, Ratajczak T. (2009) Sequestosome 1 Mutations in Paget's Disease of Bone in Australia: Prevalence, Genotype/Phenotype Correlation and a Novel Non-UBA Domain Mutation (P364S) Associated with Increased NF-kappaB Signaling Without Loss of Ubiquitin-Binding. J Bone Miner Res. 24(7):1216-23.
6. Pavlos, N. J. Cheng, T. S. Qin, A. Ng, P. Y. Feng, H. T. Ang, E. S. Carrello, A. Sung, C. H. Jahn, R. Zheng, M. H. Xu, J (2011) Tctex-1, a novel interaction partner of Rab3D, is required for osteoclastic bone resorption. Mol. Cell. Biol 31(7):1551-64.
7. Chim SM, Qin A, Tickner J, Pavlos NJ, Davey T, Wang H, Guo Y, Zheng MH, Xu J. (2011) EGFL6 promotes endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis through the activation of ERK. J Biol Chem. 286(25):22035-46.
8. Guo J, Ren F, Wang Y, Li S, Gao Z, Wang X, Ning H, Wu J, Li Y, Wang Z, Chim SM, Xu J, Chang Z. (2012) miR-764-5p promotes osteoblast differentiation through inhibition of CHIP/STUB1 expression. J Bone Miner Res. 2012 Mar 9.
9. Thomas E, Lee-Pullen T, Rigby P, Hartmann P, Xu J, Zeps N. (2012) Receptor Activator of NF-κB Ligand Promotes Proliferation of a Putative Mammary Stem Cell Unique to the Lactating Epithelium. Stem Cells. 30(6):1255-64.

Roles, responsibilities and expertise

Prof Xu has served as the treasurer and a scientific program committee member for the Australian and New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society (ANZORS) since 2003, and as an elected member of the Board of Directors for the International Chinese Hard Tissue Society (ICHTS) since 2005. He also serves as a committee member in the Research Committee of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS).

Memberships

He is a member of the following organisations:

• American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR)
  
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
  
• Australian & New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society
  
• Australian & New Zealand Orthopedic Research Society
  
• International Bone and Mineral Society
  
• International Chinese Hard Tissue Society

Honours and awards

Career Enhancement Award by the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) in 2005;

Excellence in Teaching Awards by UWA in 2006;

Endeavour Executive Award by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) in 2010.

Teaching

Teaching and teaching Coordinator for
PATH2201
PATH3302
Honours Program

Current external positions

•Founding Fellow, Faculty of Science, the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia
•Panel member and assessor for the National Health and Medical Research Council, and Australian Research Council
•Grant assessor for the National Cancer Foundation and the Australian Dental Research Foundation
•Chair, the Australia Chinese Association for Biomedical Sciences WA Inc. (ACABS, WA)
•President-elect, the Australian and New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society (ANZORS)

RFCD

FOR 110316, SEO 920116

Research profile

Research profile and publications