Xiaochun Li, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Endowed Title Rita C. and William P. Clements, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research

Department Molecular Genetics | Biophysics

Graduate Programs Cell and Molecular Biology, Molecular Biophysics

Education

Undergraduate: Tsinghua University (2008), Chemistry
Graduate School: Tsinghua University (2012), Life Sciences

Research Interest

Cholesterol Metabolism
Hedgehog signaling pathway
Lysosomal membrane proteins and lysosomal storage diseases

Publications

Featured Publications

Structural basis for human sterol isomerase in cholesterol biosynthesis and multidrug recognition.: Long T, Hassan A, Thompson BM, McDonald JG, Wang J, Li X, Nat Commun 2019 Jun 10 1 2452
Cryo-EM structure of oxysterol-bound human Smoothened coupled to a heterotrimeric G_i.: Qi X, Liu H, Thompson B, McDonald J, Zhang C, Li X, Nature 2019 Jun
Structural basis for PtdInsP2-mediated human TRPML1 regulation: Fine M, Schmiege P, Li X Nat Commun 2018 Oct 9 1 4192
Two Patched molecules engage distinct sites on Hedgehog yielding a signaling-competent complex.: Qi X, Schmiege P, Coutavas E, Li X Science 2018 Aug
Structures of human Patched and its complex with native palmitoylated sonic hedgehog.: Qi X, Schmiege P, Coutavas E, Wang J, Li X Nature 2018 Jul
Human TRPML1 channel structures in open and closed conformations.: Schmiege P, Fine M, Blobel G, Li X Nature 2017 Oct 550 7676 366-370
The regulatory mechanism of mammalian TRPMLs revealed by cryo-EM.: Schmiege P, Fine M, Li X FEBS J. 2018 Mar
3.3 Å structure of Niemann-Pick C1 protein reveals insights into the function of the C-terminal luminal domain in cholesterol transport.: Li X, Lu F, Trinh MN, Schmiege P, Seemann J, Wang J, Blobel G Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2017 Aug 114 34 9116-9121
Triazoles inhibit cholesterol export from lysosomes by binding to NPC1.: Trinh MN, Lu F, Li X, Das A, Liang Q, De Brabander JK, Brown MS, Goldstein JL Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2016 Dec
Clues to the mechanism of cholesterol transfer from the structure of NPC1 middle lumenal domain bound to NPC2.: Li X, Saha P, Li J, Blobel G, Pfeffer SR Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2016 Aug

Honors & Awards

Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award
(2019)
Tri-Institutional (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center, Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine) Breakout Prize for Junior Investigators
(2017)
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Fellow of the Life Sciences Research Foundation
(2014-2017)
C.H. Li Memorial Scholar Fund Award, Rockefeller University
(2013-2013)