Tutor Qualification:Doctoral supervisor

Department:Department of Physiology

E-mail：xujing68@mail.sysu.edu.cn

Research direction:Neuropathic pain; Glial cells; Mitochondrial transfer

Personal profile

Dr. Jing Xu received his Ph.D. in Physiology from Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University. From 2021 to 2026, he conducted postdoctoral research at Duke University in the United States and was subsequently promoted to Senior Research Associate. In 2026, he returned to Sun Yat-sen University as a faculty member and was appointed a Yat-sen Scholar. Dr. Xu’s research focuses on neuroscience and neuropathic pain. As an independent first author, he has published multiple research articles in leading international journals, including Nature, Neuron, PAIN, and Anesthesiology.

 

Research directions

Neuropathic pain and peripheral neuropathy caused by nerve injury, diabetes, chemotherapy, and other pathological conditions represent major challenges to human health. Glial cells support and regulate neuronal function through diverse mechanisms and play critical roles in pain signaling and modulation. Dr. Xu’s research focuses on the functions of glial cells in the nervous system and their roles in the regulation of pain. His research has uncovered previously underappreciated protective and regulatory functions of glial cells in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. First, his work demonstrated that satellite glial cells in the dorsal root ganglia can transfer mitochondria to sensory neurons, revealing a previously unknown mechanism of glia–neuron metabolic support in the peripheral nervous system. Second, his research showed that the orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR37L1 expressed by spinal astrocytes regulates synaptic transmission, uncovering a novel mechanism by which central glial cells modulate pain signaling. Together, these studies reveal previously unrecognized functions of peripheral and central glial cells, provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic pain, and identify potential therapeutic strategies for these disorders.

Current Research Directions: 1. Neuropathic pain and peripheral neurodegeneration; 2. Glial cell biology in the central and peripheral nervous systems; 3. Intercellular mitochondrial transfer and its roles in nervous system function.
 

 

Selected Publications

  1. Jing Xu, Yize Li, Charles Novak, Min Lee, Zihan Yan, Sangsu Bang, Aidan McGinnis, Sharat Chandra, Vivian Zhang, Wei He, Terry Lechler, Maria Pia Rodriguez Salazar, Cagla Eroglu, Matthew L Becker, Dmitry Velmeshev, Richard E Cheney, and Ru-Rong Ji. Mitochondrial transfer from glia to neurons protects against peripheral neuropathy. Nature. 2026. (Highlighted in Nature Neuronscience, Satellite glia fuel up neurons.Marin IA. 2026. Cell Research, Borrowed mitochondria, spared neurons. Im GB, Melero-Martin JM.. 2026.)

  2. Jing Xu, Zihan Yan, Sangsu Bang, Dmitry Velmeshev, Ru-Rong Ji. GPR37L1 identifies spinal cord astrocytes and protects neuropathic pain after nerve injury. Neuron. 2025 Apr 16;113(8):1206-1222.e6. (Preview in Neuron, Astrocytic GPR37L1: A new guardian against the onset and chronicity of neuropathic pain. Neuron. 2025 Apr 16;113(8):1121-1123.)

  3. Jing Xu, Shaoyong Song, Ru-Rong J. Do microglia Exist in the peripheral nervous system? The Innovation. 2025. June 18.

  4. Jing Xu, Sangsu Bang, Ouyang Chen, Yize Li, Aidan McGinnis, Qin Zhang, Ru-Rong Ji. Neuroprotectin D1 and GPR37 protect against chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and the transition from acute to chronic pain. Pharmacological Research. 2025 Jun:216:107746.

  5. Jing Xu, Aidan McGinnis, Ru-Rong Ji. Piezo2 mediates visceral mechanosensation: A new therapeutic target for gut pain? Neuron. 2023 Feb 15;111(4):450-452.

  6. Jing Xu, Xuxia Wei, Feng Gao, Xiongxiong Zhong, Ruixian Guo, Yun Ji, Xin Zhou, Jialiang Chen, Peiwen Yao, Xianguo Liu, Xuhong Wei. NADPH oxidase 2 derived ROS contributes to LTP of C-fiber evoked field potentials in spinal dorsal horn and persistent mirror-image pain following high frequency stimulus of the sciatic nerve. Pain, 2020 Apr;161(4):758-772.

  7. Jing Xu, Yi-Wei Feng, Ling Liu, Wei Wang, Xiong-Xiong Zhong, Xu-Hong Wei, Xian-Guo Liu. Liver X Receptor alpha Is Involved in Counteracting Mechanical Allodynia by Inhibiting Neuroinflammation in the Spinal Dorsal Horn. Anesthesiology. 2017 Sep;127(3):534-547.

  8. Yize Li, Sangsu Bang, Jasmine Ji, Jing Xu, Min Lee, Sharat Chandra, Charles N Serhan, Ru-Rong Ji. Protectin DX resolves fracture-induced postoperative pain in mice via neuronal signaling and GPR37-activated macrophage efferocytosis. J Clin Invest. 2026 Jan 16;136(2):e190754.

  9. Ran Guo, Ouyang Chen, Yang Zhou, Sangsu Bang, Sharat Chandra, Yize Li, Gang Chen, Rou-Gang Xie, Wei He, Jing Xu, Richard Zhou, Shaoyong Song, Kelsey L Person, Madelyn N Moore, Abigail R Alwin, Ivan Spasojevic, Michael R Jackson, Steven H Olson, Marc G Caron, Lauren M Slosky, William C Wetsel, Lawrence S Barak, Ru-Rong Ji. Arrestin-biased allosteric modulator of neurotensin receptor 1 alleviates acute and chronic pain. Cell. 2025 Aug 7;188(16):4332-4349.e21.

  10. Sangsu Bang, Changyu Jiang, Jing Xu, Sharat Chandra, Aidan McGinnis, Xin Luo, Qianru He, Yize Li, Zilong Wang, Xiang Ao, Marc Parisien, Lorenna Oliveira Fernandes de Araujo, Sahel Jahangiri Esfahani, Qin Zhang, Raquel Tonello, Temugin Berta, Luda Diatchenko, Ru-Rong Ji. Satellite glial GPR37L1 and its ligand maresin 1 regulate potassium channel signaling and pain homeostasis. J Clin Invest. 2024 Mar 26;134(9):e173537. doi: 10.1172/JCI173537.

  11. Thomas Buchheit, Yul Huh, Andrew Breglio, Sangsu Bang, Jing Xu, Yutaka Matsuoka, Ran Guo, Andrey Bortsov, Julio Reinecke, Peter Wehling, Tony Jun Huang, Ru-Rong Ji. Intrathecal administration of conditioned serum from different species resolves Chemotherapy-Induced neuropathic pain in mice via secretory exosomes. Brain Behav Immun. 2023 Jul:111:298-311. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.04.013. Epub 2023 May 5.

  12. Gang Chen, Jing Xu, Hao Luo, Xin Luo, Sandeep K Singh, Juan J Ramirez, Michael L James, Joseph P Mathew, Miles Berger, Cagla Eroglu, Ru-Rong Ji. Hevin/Sparcl1 drives pathological pain through spinal cord astrocyte and NMDA receptor signaling. JCI Insight. 2022 Dec 8;7(23):e161028. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.161028.

 

 

Recruitment

The Xu Lab is actively recruiting master’s and Ph.D. students, as well as postdoctoral fellows. We welcome highly motivated candidates with backgrounds in neuroscience, bioinformatics, and related fields to join our team. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Jing Xu at xujing68@mail.sysu.edu.cn