Xu Congling (徐从玲)

Address: School of Life Sciences and Technology Tongji University 1239 Siping Road Yangpu District

Shanghai, 200092 P.R.China

Email: conglingxu@tongji.edu.cn

General info

Address: School of Life Sciences and Technology Tongji University 1239 Siping Road Yangpu District

Shanghai, 200092 P.R.China

Email: conglingxu@tongji.edu.cn

Education:

BSc (2011)Yantai University,

PhD (2012–2018)Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine,

Postdoctoral research (2018–2023)Fudan University Cancer Hospital 

Honors and Awards:

PhD, Professor and doctoral advisor at Tongji University (Young 100 Talent Program, A track)

Joint-appointed professor at Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital (affiliated with Tongji University)

2024Chief Scientist (Youth) of the National Key R&D Program, Ministry of Science and Technology

2024Recipient of the National Natural Science Foundation’s Excellent Young Scientist Fund

2024Winner of the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission’s Youth Science Star Award (Class A,

2024Awarded the Shanghai Oriental Talent Program-Young Talent Award

Research interests

1. Transcriptional regulation in physiological states

Focus on mechanistic control of transcription by RNA polymerase II.

Discovery of INTAC complex governing early transcription termination (Science, 2020).

Identified stabilization roles between single-stranded DNA-binding complex SOSS and INTAC in regulating R-loop levels for genome integrity (Nature, 2023).

Demonstrated how SPT5 maintains RNA polymerase II stability, regulates transcription cycling, and enhances enhancer activity (Molecular Cell, 2021).

These findings received featured commentary in journals like Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, Cancer Discovery, Molecular Cell, and Science Bulletin.

2. Transcriptional control during early mammalian embryonic development

Investigates how transcription factor complexes coordinate with chromatin states to define lineage specification in early embryos.

Emphasis on understanding transcription machineries’ roles in the first cell fate decisions forming trophoblast and inner cell mass.

Research publications

1. Xu C*#, Zhou QX#, Zheng H#, Song A#, Zhao WY, Xu TT, Xiong Y, Zhang YJ, Huang Z, Xu Y*, Cheng J*, Chen FX*. DSS1 is required for Integrator-PP2A transcription. Nat Commun. 2025. (doi:10.1038/s41467-025-61257-4)

2. Fan P#, Shang XY#, Song A#, Chen S#, Mao RY, Chen J, Wang Z, Zheng H, Tao B, Xu W, Jiang W, Yang H, Xu C, Zhang P*, Jiang H*, Chen FX*. Catalytic-independent functions of Integrator-PP2A complex (INTAC) confer sensitivity to BET inhibition. Nat Chem Biol, 2025 Jan 14. (doi: 10.1038/s41589-024-01807-x)

3. Xu C*#, Zhou QX#, Zheng H#, Song A#, Zhao WY, Xiong Y, Huang Z, Xu Y*, Cheng J*, Chen FX*. Stabilization of Integrator/INTAC by the small but versatile DSS1 protein. bioRxiv. 2024. (https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.25.581915)

4. Shang XY#, Xu C*, Chen FX*. From snapshots to a movie: Capturing eukaryotic transcription initiation at single-nucleotide resolution. Science Bulletin. 2024 Jan 23: S2095-9273(24)00057-4.

5. Fan P#, Shang XY#, Song A#, Chen S#, Mao RY, Chen J, Wang Z, Zheng H, Tao B, Xu W, Jiang W, Yang H, Xu C, Zhang P*, Jiang H*, Chen FX*. Catalytic-independent functions of INTAC in conferring sensitivity to BET inhibition. bioRxiv. 2024.

6. Wang J, Xu C, Zhang Z*, Chen FX*. Mechanisms of SOSS-Integrator-PP2A complex in attenuating R-loops and promoting genome stability. Clinical and Translational Medicine. 2024 Jan;14(1): e1519.

7. Y. Du, Y.-R. Wang, Q.-Y. Bao, X.-X. Xu, C. Xu, S. Wang, Q. Liu, F. Liu, Y.-L. Zeng, Y.-J. Wang, W. Liu, Y. Liu, S.-X. Yu, Y.-C. Chen, C. Wang, W. Zhang, H. Gao, H. Luo, B. Liu, G. Jing, M. Guo, F. X. Chen, Y.-J. Liu, Personalized Vascularized Tumor Organoid-on-a-Chip for Tumor Metastasis and Therapeutic Targeting Assessment. Adv. Mater. 2024, 2412815. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202412815

8. Xu C#, Li C#, Chen J#, Xiong Y#, Qiao Z, Fan P, Li C, Ma S, Liu J, Song A, Tao B, Xu T, Xu W, Chi Y, Xue J, Wang P, Ye D, Gu H, Zhang P, Wang Q, Xiao R, Cheng J, Zheng H, Yu X, Zhang Z, Wu J, Liang K, Liu YJ, Lu H*, Chen FX*. R-loop-dependent promoter-proximal termination ensures genome stability. Nature. 2023 Aug 9. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06515-5.

9. Hu S#, Peng L#, Xu C#, Wang Z, Song A, and Chen FX. SPT5 stabilizes RNA polymerase II, orchestrates transcription cycles, and maintains the enhancer landscape.  Molecular Cell. 2021 Nov 4;81(21):4425-4439.e6.

10. Zheng H#, Qi Y#, Hu S#, Cao X#, Xu C#, Yin Z, Chen X, Li Y, Liu W, Li J, Wang J, Wei G, Liang K, Chen FX*, Xu Y*. Identification of Integrator-PP2A complex (INTAC), an RNA polymerase II phosphatase. Science. 2020 Nov 27;370(6520): eabb5872.

11. Xu C#, Wang X#, Zhou Y, et al. Synergy between arsenic trioxide and JQ1 on autophagy in pancreatic cancer. Oncogene.2019;38(47):7249-7265.10

12. Li K#, Xu C#, Du Y#, Junaid M, Kaushik AC, Wei DQ*. Comprehensive epigenetic analyses reveal master regulators driving lung metastasis of breast cancer. J Cell Mol Med. 2019;23(8):54155431.

13. Wang X#, Fan H, Xu C, et al. KDM3B suppresses APL progression by restricting chromatin accessibility and facilitating the ATRA-mediated degradation of PML/RARα. Cancer Cell Int. 2019;19:256.

14. Jiang G#, Wang X#, Sheng D, Zhou L, Liu Y, Xu C, et al. Cooperativity of co-factor NR2F2 with Pioneer Factors GATA3, FOXA1 in promoting ERα function. Theranostics. 2019;9(22):6501-6516.

15. Li S#, Liu X#, Zhou Y, Acharya A, Savkovic V, Xu C, et al. Shared genetic and epigenetic mechanisms between chronic periodontitis and oral squamous cell carcinoma. Oral Oncol. 2018; 86:216-224.