Fengzhu Xiong
Group leaderResearch summary
Tissue morphogenesis by mechanics and cell dynamics
What forces drive tissue morphogenesis? Embryos are made of soft materials consisting of cells with limited mechanical capacities, yet they develop in a robust and coordinated manner and produce large-scale deformations (morphogenesis). We are interested in the ways in which developing tissues produce and respond to mechanical forces in order to achieve the correct shape and pattern.

Selected publications
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Kunz D et al. (2023) Downregulation of extraembryonic tension controls body axis formation in avian embryos. Nat Commun 14, 3266. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38988-3.
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Chan CU et al. (2023) Direct force measurement and loading on developing tissues in intact avian embryos. Development 150(9):dev201054. DOI: 0.1242/dev.201054.
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Moon LD & Xiong F (2021) Mechanics of neural tube morphogenesis. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.09.009.
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Xiong F et al. (2020) Mechanical Coupling Coordinates the Co-elongation of Axial and Paraxial Tissues in Avian Embryos. Developmental Cell 55:354–366.e5. DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.08.007.
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Oginuma M et al. (2020) Intracellular pH controls WNT downstream of glycolysis in amniote embryos. Nature 584:98–101. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2428-0.
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Xiong F et al. (2014) Interplay of Cell Shape and Division Orientation Promotes Robust Morphogenesis of Developing Epithelia. Cell 159:415–427. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.09.007.
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Xiong F et al. (2013) Specified Neural Progenitors Sort to Form Sharp Domains After Noisy Shh Signaling. Cell 153:550–561. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2013.03.023.
Biography
Fengzhu Xiong PhD
Wellcome Sir Henry Dale Fellow, Wellcome-Beit Prize Fellow, Member of the University Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience
Fengzhu earned his BS degree at Tsinghua University and his PhD degree at Harvard University. His PhD dissertation work with Prof Sean Megason focused on imaging and modelling of cell dynamics to understand pattern formation and morphogenesis during development.
He developed live imaging and single cell tracking in zebrafish embryonic neural tube, which led to the discovery of a novel cell sorting process that promotes the boundaries between neural progenitor domains (Xiong et al., 2013). In parallel, he developed a theory study of the interplay between cell shapes and divisions in the embryonic surface epithelium. Using a geometry model, this study explained how an epithelial morphology can robustly emerge from a mechanically coupled group of cells that only follow simple local rules, thus bridging the cell and tissue levels (Xiong et al., 2014).
Fengzhu then conducted his postdoctoral training with Profs Olivier Pourquié and L. Mahadevan at Harvard, shifting focus to tissue mechanics. He found that, in the forming body axis, the axial organs including (notochord, neural tube) are compressed by the flanking paraxial mesoderm. They in turn push cells in the caudal progenitor domain into the paraxial mesoderm, sustaining the latter’s growth. These coupled mechanical interactions form a positive feedback loop analogous to an internal combustion engine (Xiong et al., 2020).
Fengzhu’s research group at the Gurdon Institute now develop novel physical tools and models to uncover basic principles of morphogenesis, using the early avian embryo as a model system.
Notable achievements and honours
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2022-2027UKRI Horizon / ERC Starting Grant
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2019-2024Sir Henry Dale Fellowship
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2019Wellcome-Beit Prize
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2018-2022Pathway to Independence Award, NIH
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2015-2017Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship
Research group
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Dr Lakshmi Balasubramaniam
Research Associate
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Yixin Dai
PhD Student
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Ana Hernandez Rodrigues
PhD Student
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Dr Fengtong Ji
Research Associate
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Yisha Lan
PhD Student
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Dr Susie McLaren
Research Associate
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Lauren Moon
PhD Student
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Joana Vidigueira
Research Assistant