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Xiaoyu "Tracy" Cai, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine Lung regeneration, inflammation resolution & aging

The Cai Lab is focused on uncovering the molecular mechanisms that regulate stem cell plasticity in lung regeneration, aging, and age-related chronic diseases. In the lung, alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells function as stem cells, self-renewing and differentiating into alveolar type 1 (AT1) cells. These processes maintain lung homeostasis and promote tissue repair after injury. However, during aging, the regenerative capacity of AT2 cells declines, accompanied by lineage infidelity, characterized by aberrant airway differentiation and the accumulation of damage-associated progenitors in the alveoli. These epithelial remodeling events contribute to the pathogenesis of many chronic lung diseases. To address these challenges, the Cai Lab utilizes cutting-edge approaches, including multicellular 3D organoid cultures, single-cell multiome, and mouse genetics, to identify both intrinsic regulators and extrinsic signals from the AT2 niche that control AT2 plasticity. Through collaborations with clinicians, we strive to translate our fundamental discoveries into clinical solutions, bridging the gap from bench to bedside.

https://tracycailab.com/

 

 

Education

  • Bachelor of Medicine, Peking University, China (2012)
  • Master of Science, Peking University, China (2015)
  • D. Biology of Aging, University of Southern California & Buck Institute for Research on Aging (2021)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Genentech Inc. (2024)

Publications/Research Listings

  1. Cai XT, Jia M, Heigl T, Shamir ER, Wong AK, Hall BM, Arlantico A, Menon HG, Darmanis S, Brightbill HD, Garfield DA, Rock JR. IL-4-induced Sox9 confers lineage plasticity to aged adult lung stem cells. Cell Rep. 2024 Jul 31; 43(8):114569.
  2. Bhat KP,…, Cai XT, et al. CRISPR activation screens identify the SWI/SNF ATPases as suppressors of ferroptosis. Cell Rep. 2024 Jun 25; 43(6):114345.
  3. Lu Tc,…, Cai XT, et al. Aging Fly Cell Atlas identifies exhaustive aging features at cellular resolution. Science. 2023 Jun 16; 380(6650):eadg0934.
  4. Li H,…, Cai XT, et al. Fly Cell Atlas: A single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of the adult fruit fly. Science. 2022 Mar 4; 375(6584):eabk2432.
  5. Cai XT, Li H, Borch Jensen M, Maksoud E, Borneo J, Liang Y, Quake SR, Luo L, Haghighi P, Jasper H. Gut cytokines modulate olfaction through metabolic reprograming of glia. Nature. 2021 Aug; 596(7870):97-102.
  6. Tracy Cai X, Li H, Safyan A, Gawlik J, Pyrowolakis G, Jasper H. AWD regulates timed activation of BMP signaling in intestinal stem cells to maintain tissue homeostasis. Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 5;10(1):2988).