Xin Gu, PhD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Academic Titles

Assistant Professor, Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School

Research Program Affiliation

Member, Lymphoma and Myeloma

Member, Cancer Cell Biology

Research Abstract

The Gu Lab focuses on elucidating how cells regulate proteasomal degradation independently of ubiquitination. We discovered a non-canonical proteolysis mechanism, the midnolin-proteasome pathway, that bypasses ubiquitination to selectively degrade numerous stimulus-responsive and cell-type specific transcription factors including EGR1, IRF4, Fos, NeuroD1, STAT3, and NR4A1. The Gu lab will characterize the midnolin-proteasome pathway using biochemical, structural, and cellular experiments. Additionally, genetically engineered animal models will be used to determine the roles of midnolin in organismal physiology and pathology. The long-term goal is to manipulate the midnolin-proteasome pathway either genetically or pharmacologically to target oncogenic transcription factors of interest for proteasomal degradation as a potential therapy.