Education |General Research Interest
Selected Research | Projects Selected Publications
TCSVM Faculty

Xingmin Sun
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health
Infectious Diseases
Phone: 508-887-4252
Fax: 508-839-7911
Email:xingmin.sun@tufts.edu
Dept. URL: http://www.tufts.edu/vet/idgh/

Education

PhD - University of Kiel, Germany - 2002
MSc - Nanjing Agricultural University, China - 1994
BSc - Nanjing Agricultural University, China - 1991

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General Research Interest

My general research interest is microbial pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, inflammatory and immune response against pathogen infections, and development of immunotherapies.

My current research focus is on the pathogenesis of Clostridium difficile.  C. difficile infection (CDI) has become a significant public health threat in the past decade. Toxins TcdA and TcdB are two major virulent factors of C. difficile. We are investigating C. difficile toxin-mediated signal transduction, leading to the production of proinflammatory mediators, such as TNF-α. We are also developing preventive and therapeutic approaches targeting C. diffcile toxins and proinflammatory mediators in CDI. We have established several animal models of CDI.

Research Sponsor Interest

  • Privately Funded Research
  • Federally Funded Research

Selected Research Projects

  1. Signaling pathway of TNF-α production and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). The major goal is to elucidate the signaling pathway of toxin-mediated TNF-α production and develop a novel therapy against CDI by targeted blocking of TNF-α production.

  2. Development of novel therapeutic agents against C. difficile infection.

  3. Regulation of C. difficile toxin production.

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Selected Publications

  1. Steele J., K. Chen, X. Sun, Y. Zhang, H. Wang, S. Tzipori & H. Feng (2012).  Systemic dissemination of Clostridium difficile toxins A and B is associated with severe, fatal disease in animal models. J Infect Dis. 205(3):384-91.

  2. Wang H., X. Sun, Y. Zhang, S. Li, K. Chen, L. Shi, W. Nie, R. Kumar, S. Tzipori, J. Fang, T. Savidge & H. Feng (2012). Development of vaccines against Clostridium difficile infection. (Accepted by Infection Immun.).

  3. Wu, J.,  Z. Lu, M. Nie, H. Zhou, X. Sun, X. Xue, J. Bi, G. Fang (2012). Optimization of Cryopreservation Procedures for Porcine Endothelial Progenitor Cells.  J Biosci Bioeng.  113(1):117-23.

  4. Sun X., H. Wang, Y. Zhang, K. Chen, B. Davis & H. Feng (2011). A mouse relapse model of Clostridium difficile infection. Infection Immun. 79(7):2856-64.

  5. Sun X., T. Savidge & H. Feng (2010). The enterotoxicity of Clostridium difficile toxins. Toxins. 2(7), 1848-1880. (Invited review).

  6. Sun X., X. He, S. Tzipori, R. Gerhard & H. Feng (2009). Essential role of the glucosyltransferase activity in Clostridium difficile toxin-induced secretion of TNF-α by macrophages. Microb Pathog. 46(6):298-305.

  7. He X., X. Sun*, S. Tzipori, H. Feng (2009). Antibody-enhanced, Fc{gamma}R-mediated endocytosis of Clostridium difficile toxin A. Infection Immun. 77(6):2294-303. *Co-first author.

  8. He X., J. Steele, X. Sun, S. Tzipori & H. Feng (2009). An ultrasensitive and rapid immunocytotoxicity method for detecting Clostridium difficile toxins. J Microbiol Methods. 78(1):97-100.

  9. Yang, G., B. Zhou, J. Wang, X. He, X. Sun, W. Nie, S. Tzipori & H. Feng (2008). Expression of recombinant Clostridium difficile toxin A and B in Bacillus megaterium. BMC Microbiol. 8:192.

  10. Sun X., A. Göhler, K. J. Heller & H. Neve (2006). The ltp gene of temperate Streptococcus thermophilus phage TP-J34 confers superinfection exclusion to Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactococcus lactis. Virology 350 (1): 146-157.

  11. Sun X., D. F. Mierke, T. Biswas, S. Y. Lee, A. Landy & M. Radman-Livaja (2006). Architecture of the 99 bp DNA – Six Protein Regulatory Complex of the λ att Site. Mol Cell. 24(4):569-80. (This paper was highlighted on the cover of the journal.)

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