Leyuan Xu, PhD
Assistant ProfessorCards
About
Research
Publications
2025
Design of precision therapeutics for a CKD risk allele by targeting Shroom3-Rock interaction.
Reghuvaran A, Kumar A, Lin Q, Rajeevan N, Banu K, Sun Z, Shi H, Barsotti G, Tanvir EM, Pell J, Perincheri S, Wei C, Bharathan B, Planoutene M, Eichmann A, Mas V, Zhang W, Cantley LG, Xu L, Das B, He JC, Menon MC. Design of precision therapeutics for a CKD risk allele by targeting Shroom3-Rock interaction. Nat Commun 2025 PMID: 41469391, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67854-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchEngineering polyamidoamine dendrimer nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery to proximal tubular cells after renal ischemia/reperfusion injury
Li X, Cantley L, Xu L. Engineering polyamidoamine dendrimer nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery to proximal tubular cells after renal ischemia/reperfusion injury. Journal Of Controlled Release 2025, 388: 114323. PMID: 41101700, PMCID: PMC12548566, DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.114323.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAcute kidney injuryPT cellsGlomerular filtration barrierProximal tubulesPost-ischemia/reperfusion injuryTreatment of acute kidney injuryTargeted deliveryTherapeutic agentsDendrimer nanoparticlesEffective therapeutic optionRenal ischemia/reperfusion injuryDelivery of therapeutic agentsTargeted delivery of therapeutic agentsPro-inflammatory gene expressionFiltration barrierProximal tubular cellsTubular epithelial cellsUninvolved organsCell-specific drug deliveryRenal functionGene expressionTherapeutic optionsKidney injurySingle doseMice 7
2024
Adamts1 and Cyst Expansion in Polycystic Kidney Disease
Kakade V, Akman Z, Motrapu M, Cassini M, Xu L, Moeckel G, Somlo S, Cantley L. Adamts1 and Cyst Expansion in Polycystic Kidney Disease. Journal Of The American Society Of Nephrology 2024, 36: 559-570. PMID: 39514301, PMCID: PMC11975248, DOI: 10.1681/asn.0000000557.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutosomal dominant polycystic kidney diseasePolycystic kidney diseaseKidney diseaseLoss of Pkd1Cyst growthInterstitial macrophage accumulationDominant polycystic kidney diseaseInterstitial mononuclear cellsReduced cyst growthDetectable phenotypeMembrane remodelingMotif 1Progressive cyst growthIsoforms of versicanSimultaneous deletionPKD2 geneTubular basement membraneDisintegrin and metalloproteinaseRNA sequencingBasement membrane remodelingPKD1Thrombospondin motifs 1Cystic enlargementMacrophage accumulationCystic dilatationVCAM-1 mediates proximal tubule-immune cell cross talk in failed tubule recovery during AKI-to-CKD transition
Melchinger I, Guo K, Li X, Guo J, Cantley L, Xu L. VCAM-1 mediates proximal tubule-immune cell cross talk in failed tubule recovery during AKI-to-CKD transition. American Journal Of Physiology. Renal Physiology 2024, 327: f610-f622. PMID: 39116349, PMCID: PMC11483080, DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00076.2024.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAcute kidney injuryChronic kidney diseaseVCAM-1 expressionProximal tubule cellsVCAM-1Tubule cellsKidney Precision Medicine ProjectProinflammatory cytokinesAcute kidney injury to chronic kidney diseaseModel of chronic kidney diseaseExpression of vascular cell adhesion protein 1Cell adhesion pathwaysInflammatory response to injuryInjured proximal tubule cellsVascular cell adhesion protein 1Mouse model of chronic kidney diseaseRisk of progressionChronic kidney disease transitionIncreased immune cell adhesionVCAM-1-positive cellsOverexpression of VCAM-1Inhibition of NF-kB signalingActivation of NF-kBImmune cell adhesionSingle-cell transcriptome analysis
2023
Analysis of the human kidney transcriptome and plasma proteome identifies markers of proximal tubule maladaptation to injury
Wen Y, Su E, Xu L, Menez S, Moledina D, Obeid W, Palevsky P, Mansour S, Devarajan P, Cantley L, Cahan P, Parikh C, Project K, Injury T. Analysis of the human kidney transcriptome and plasma proteome identifies markers of proximal tubule maladaptation to injury. Science Translational Medicine 2023, 15: eade7287. PMID: 38091407, PMCID: PMC11405121, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.ade7287.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThe ASSESS-AKI Study found urinary epidermal growth factor is associated with reduced risk of major adverse kidney events
Menez S, Wen Y, Xu L, Moledina D, Thiessen-Philbrook H, Hu D, Obeid W, Bhatraju P, Ikizler T, Siew E, Chinchilli V, Garg A, Go A, Liu K, Kaufman J, Kimmel P, Himmelfarb J, Coca S, Cantley L, Parikh C. The ASSESS-AKI Study found urinary epidermal growth factor is associated with reduced risk of major adverse kidney events. Kidney International 2023, 104: 1194-1205. PMID: 37652206, PMCID: PMC10840723, DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2023.08.007.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMajor adverse kidney eventsUEGF/CrUrinary epidermal growth factorAdverse kidney eventsChronic kidney diseaseEpidermal growth factorKidney eventsKidney failureEGF expressionUrinary EGF/CrAcute Kidney Injury studyGrowth factorIschemia-reperfusion injuryProportional hazards regressionTubular healthKidney atrophyObservational cohortHospitalized participantsTubular functionClinical findingsHazards regressionKidney diseaseClinical variablesProgressive atrophyUrinary EGFLongitudinal biomarkers and kidney disease progression after acute kidney injury
Wen Y, Xu L, Melchinger I, Thiessen-Philbrook H, Moledina D, Coca S, Hsu C, Go A, Liu K, Siew E, Ikizler T, Chinchilli V, Kaufman J, Kimmel P, Himmelfarb J, Cantley L, Parikh C, Consortium T. Longitudinal biomarkers and kidney disease progression after acute kidney injury. JCI Insight 2023, 8: e167731. PMID: 36951957, PMCID: PMC10243801, DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.167731.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAcute kidney injuryIschemic reperfusion injuryKidney disease progressionKidney injuryTubular healthDisease progressionChronic kidney disease (CKD) incidenceCox proportional hazards regressionMurine acute kidney injuryKidney disease incidenceUrine KIM-1Proportional hazards regressionCKD progressionCKD transitionUrine uromodulinIncident CKDComposite outcomeKidney atrophyProspective cohortReperfusion injuryHazards regressionKIM-1Prognostic valueMCP-1Initial insult
2022
Urine Uromodulin as a Biomarker of Kidney Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis
Melchinger H, Calderon-Gutierrez F, Obeid W, Xu L, Shaw MM, Luciano RL, Kuperman M, Moeckel GW, Kashgarian M, Wilson FP, Parikh CR, Moledina DG. Urine Uromodulin as a Biomarker of Kidney Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis. Clinical Journal Of The American Society Of Nephrology 2022, 17: 1284-1292. PMID: 35948365, PMCID: PMC9625093, DOI: 10.2215/cjn.04360422.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInterstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophyUrine uromodulinTubular atrophyThick ascending limbUrine albuminSerum creatinineKidney biopsyTubulointerstitial fibrosisMultivariable linear regression modelsTime of biopsyKidney's thick ascending limbAcademic medical centerHuman kidney biopsiesKidney tubulointerstitial fibrosisTubular healthMultivariable analysisHistologic featuresHistologic findingsHistologic changesKidney fibrosisIndependent associationFibrotic modelMultivariable modelMedical CenterMurine modelImmune-mediated tubule atrophy promotes acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease transition
Xu L, Guo J, Moledina DG, Cantley LG. Immune-mediated tubule atrophy promotes acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease transition. Nature Communications 2022, 13: 4892. PMID: 35986026, PMCID: PMC9391331, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32634-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAcute kidney injuryKidney injuryT cellsChronic kidney disease transitionIschemia-reperfusion kidney injuryKidney disease transitionChronic kidney diseaseDepletion of neutrophilsGlomerular filtration rateT cell recruitmentTubular cell lossMacrophage persistenceProinflammatory neutrophilsTubule damageKidney atrophyContralateral kidneyNeutrophil numbersContralateral nephrectomyKidney diseaseTubule atrophyFiltration rateCell recruitmentMore macrophagesDay 14Day 5Arginase-1 Is Required for Macrophage-Mediated Renal Tubule Regeneration
Shin NS, Marlier A, Xu L, Doilicho N, Linberg D, Guo J, Cantley LG. Arginase-1 Is Required for Macrophage-Mediated Renal Tubule Regeneration. Journal Of The American Society Of Nephrology 2022, 33: 1077-1086. PMID: 35577558, PMCID: PMC9161787, DOI: 10.1681/asn.2021121548.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsIschemia-reperfusion injuryTubular cell proliferationArginase-1Contralateral nephrectomyRenal repairFl/Littermate controlsTubular cellsReceptor 1GM-CSFRenal tubular cell proliferationRenal tubule regenerationMacrophage scavenger receptor 1Mannose receptor 1Cell proliferative responsesCell proliferationScavenger receptor 1Coculture of macrophagesDead cell debrisKidney injuryKidney repairRenal responseProinflammatory activationTubule regenerationMouse survival
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