Join Professor Bailong Xiao of Tsinghua University for a research seminar as part of the Force Talk series exploring mechanobiology.

Abstract

PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 function as bona fide mechanoreceptors that mediate the sense of gentle touch, proprioception, blood pressure, tactile pain and regulate the development and functions of cardiovascular, bone and brain. Combining cryo-EM structure determination, mutagenesis, electrophysiology, mouse genetics and pharmacology, we have aimed to systematically understand how PIEZOs function as mechanically activated cation channels to effectively convert piconewton-scale forces into selective cation permeation. In this talk, I will present our current understanding of PIEZOs with a particular focus on their unique structural designs, physical principles and gating dynamics that might enable them to serve as versatile and professional mechanosensors.

Speaker

Dr Bailong Xiao is a Professor at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Tsinghua University, as well as a Principal Investigator at the Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, the IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and the Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure. He obtained his B.S. degree from the Sun Yat-Sen University in China in 2001, and did his PhD study in the University of Calgary in Canada with Dr Wayne Chen from 2001 to 2006, focusing on the structure-function relationship of the cardiac Ryanodine Receptor. From 2007 to 2012, he conducted his postdoctoral training with the 2021 Nobel Laureate Dr Ardem Patapoutian at the Scripps Research Institute in the United States, where he made contributions to the establishment of the mechanically activated PIEZO channel family and the identification of STIM1 as a novel temperature sensor. After joining the faculty of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Tsinghua University in 2013 as an Assistant Professor, he has established a multidisciplinary research program to advance the understanding of the structure-function relationships as well as physiological and pharmacological regulations of PIEZO channels.

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Mechanics of Life Leverhulme DSP Force Talks Series

Force Talks is a seminar series hosted by the Mechanics of Life Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme at King's College London. We are honoured to welcome world leaders in mechanobiology.

The series aims to showcase the rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field of mechanobiology and mechanical forces. We welcome those from academia and industry to attend and take part in the discussions.

The programme is funded by the Leverhulme Trust doctoral scholarship grant "Understanding the mechanics of life".

Learn more about the Mechanics of Life Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme