Email

xia.gao@bcm.edu

Positions

Assistant Professor

Pediatrics-Nutrition
Baylor College of Medicine

Assistant professor

Molecular and Cellular Biology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Education

PhD from University of Alberta

Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Duke University

Durham, North Carolina United States

Professional Statement

Nutritional input has direct impact on metabolism and metabolic health in humans, yet to what extent and how nutritional components influence the onset, development, and progression of diseases remains largely unknown. Further, can nutritional intervention be harnessed as standalone or adjunct therapy? We are interested in understanding the interactions of nutrition, metabolism, and metabolic disease, particularly amino acid metabolism in cancer and obesity.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Gao X, Lee K, Reid MA, Sanderson SM, Qiu C, Li S, Liu J, Locasale JW. "Serine Availability Influences Mitochondrial Dynamics and Function through Lipid Metabolism.." Cell Rep.. 2018; Pubmed PMID: 29590619
• Gemta LF, Siska PJ, Nelson ME, Gao X, Liu X, Locasale JW, Yagita H, Slingluff CL Jr, Hoehn KL, Rathmell JC, Bullock TNJ. "Impaired enolase 1 glycolytic activity restrains effector functions of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells.." Sci Immunol.. 2019; Pubmed PMID: 30683669
• Xu Q, Li Y, Gao X, Kang K, Williams JG, Tong L, Liu J, Ji M, Deterding LJ, Tong X, Locasale JW, Li L, Shats I, Li X. "HNF4α regulates sulfur amino acid metabolism and confers sensitivity to methionine restriction in liver cancer." Nat Commun.. 2020; Pubmed PMID: 32770044
• Gao X, Sanderson SM, Dai Z, Reid MA, Cooper DE, Lu M, Richie JP Jr, Ciccarella A, Calcagnotto A, Mikhael PG, Mentch SJ, Liu J, Ables G, Kirsch DG, Hsu DS, Nichenametla SN, Locasale JW. "Dietary methionine influences therapy in mouse cancer models and alters human metabolism." Nature. 2019 Aug; Pubmed PMID: 31367041

Memberships

Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center

Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health

member

Funding

Employing dietary methionine restriction to enhance chemotherapy efficacy - #RP210056

(08/31/2021 - 08/30/2026) Grant funding from Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas

Understanding methionine metabolism and its therapeutic potential in cancer - #R00 CA237618-01A1

Grant funding from NIH/NCI