Xiaohui Lyu

Dr. Xiaohui Lyu is one of the Nankai University Hundred Young Academic Leaders. He obtained his Ph.D. from China Agricultural University, followed by postdoctoral research at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the United States. He joined Nankai University in May 2023. His research group focuses on brain development and related diseases, with related findings published in journals including Nature, Nature Communications, Stem Cell Reports, and EMBO Reports.

2007–2012 Ph.D., China Agricultural University

2012–2015 Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 2015–2020 Research Associate, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA. 2020–2023 Tsinghua University. 2023–Present Professor, Nankai University.

The mammalian neocortex is an extraordinarily complex and highly organized structure responsible for higher-order brain functions such as consciousness, cognition, emotion, and memory. The formation of the neocortex is a tightly regulated process, and any disruption in this process can lead to severe neurodevelopmental disorders.

Our research group employs mouse genetics and cerebral organoid culture systems, combined with techniques including lineage tracing, whole-brain 3D reconstruction, single-cell sequencing, and brain slice electrophysiology, to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the structural and functional assembly of the mammalian neocortex. 

Main Research Directions:

1.Mechanisms regulating neuronal expansion, spatial organization, and precise functional circuit assembly in the neocortex.

2.Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, Down syndrome, and intellectual disability and deciphering their shared molecular and cellular features.

Selected Publications

1. Shen Z, Yang J, Zhang Q, Wang K, Lv X, Hu X, Ma J, Shi SH. How variable progenitor clones construct a largely invariant neocortex. National Science Reveiw. 2024;11:nwad247. 

2. Lin Y, Zhang XJ, Yang J, Li S, Li L, Lv X, Ma J, Shi SH. Developmental neuronal origin regulates neocortical map formation. Cell Reports. 2023;42(3):112170.

3. Lv X, Li S, Li J, Yu X, Ge X, Li B, Hu S, Lin Y, Zhang S, Yang J, Zhang X, Yan J, Joyner AL, Shi H, Wu Q, Shi SH. Patterned cPCDH expression regulates fine organization of the neocortex. Nature. 2022;612:503-511.    

4. Lv X, Ren S, Zhang X, Shen Z, Ghosh T, Xianyu A, Gao P, Li Z, Lin S, Yu Y, Zhang Q, Groszer M, Shi SH. TBR2 coordinates neurogenesis expansion and precise microcircuit organization via Protocadherin 19 in the mammalian cortex. Nature Communications. 2019;10(1):3946.

5. Jiang H#, Lv X#, Lei X#, Yang Y, Yang X, Jiao J. Immune regulator MCPIP1 modulates TETs expression during early neocortical development. Stem Cell Reports. 2016;7:439-453. (Co-first author)

6. Lv X, Jiang H, Liu Y, Lei X, Jiao J. MicroRNA-15b promotes neurogenesis and inhibits neural progenitor proliferation by directly repressing TET3 during early neocortical development. EMBO Reports. 2014;15:1305-1314. 

7. Lv X, Jiang H, Li B, Liang Q, Wang S, Zhao Q, Jiao J. The crucial role of Atg5 in cortical neurogenesis during early brain development. Scientific Reports. 2014;4:6010.

8. Wang S, Li B, Qiao H, Lv X, Liang Q, Shi Z, Xia W, Ji F, Jiao J. Autophagy-related gene Atg5 is essential for astrocyte differentiation in the developing mouse cortex. EMBO Reports. 2014;15:1053-1061.

9. Ji F, Lv X, Jiao J. The role of microRNAs in neural stem cells and neurogenesis. Journal of Genetics and Genomics. 2013;40:61-66.

Member of the Division of Neural Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Chinese Society for Neuroscience

Neurobiology (Undergraduate course)

Advances in Cell Biology (Graduate course)