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Cui-Wei (Tracy) Xie, M.D., Ph.D.

Work Address:
NPI 78-144
UCLA
760 Westwood Plaza
Box 77
Los Angeles, CA 90024 NPI 78-168
UCLA
760 Westwood Plaza
Box 77
Los Angeles, CA 90024

Affiliations
Affiliations
Professor, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Hatos Center for Neuropharmacology
Member, Brain Research Institute, Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology GPB Home Area, Neuroscience GPB Home Area
Research Interests
Dr. Cui-Wei (Tracy) Xie's research is mainly focused on regulation of synaptic and neural plasticity, both under physiological conditions and during aging, neurodegenerative diseases and drug dependence. Several ongoing research projects examine the effect of neurotrophins, Alzheimer's amyloid beta peptides, and histone acetylation on hippocampal long-term synaptic plasticity, and intracellular signaling pathways mediating their effects. Our goals are to understand how altered neural and synaptic plasticity may contribute to drug dependence or memory loss in aging and Alzheimer's disease, to identify the potential therapeutic targets and eventually develop treatment strategies for these conditions. We are also studying the cellular mechanisms of opiate dependence at single neuron and ion channel level, using opioid desensitization in sensory neurons as the model system. The major technical approaches used in the lab are electrophysiological recordings from brain slices and cultured neurons, in combination with biochemical, genetic and behavioral approaches. Current and potential research projects are as follows: 1) Epigenetic regulation of synaptic plasticity and memory in aging brain; 2) Amyloid beta peptide-induced synaptic dysfunction and its rescue by neurotrophins; 3) Physical exercise-induced neurotrophin expression and neurogenesis: its impact on synaptic plasticity and resistance to amyloid beta toxicity; 4) Involvement of hippocampal synaptic plasticity in opiate tolerance and dependence; 5) Regulation of G protein-coupled receptors by receptor phosphorylation, trafficking and dimerization, and the role of these processes in opioid desensitization and tolerance.
Biography

Dr. Tracy Xie is a professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. She earned her doctorate degree in medicine and physiology at Peking University, China. She received postdoctoral training in electrophysiology and molecular biology at National Institute of Health (NIH) and Duke University in North Carolina, where she studied regulation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity by endogenous neuropeptides. Since joining UCLA faculty in 1995, Dr. Xie has been studying cellular mechanisms of neural and synaptic plasticity, and implications of such mechanisms in drug dependence and memory loss related to aging and Alzheimer's disease. Her research is funded by grants from National Institute of Aging (NIA), National Institute on Drug abuse (NIDA), and Alzheimer's Association.

Publications

A selected list of publications:

Mittal Nitish, Tan Miao, Egbuta Onyemachi, Desai Nina, Crawford Cynthia, Xie Cui-Wei, Evans Christopher, Walwyn Wendy   Evidence that Behavioral Phenotypes of Morphine in ?-arr2-/- Mice Are Due to the Unmasking of JNK Signaling Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2012; 37(8): 1953-62.
Wu Zhongqi-Phyllis, Washburn Lorraine, Bilousova Tina V, Boudzinskaia Maia, Escande-Beillard Nathalie, Querubin Jyes, Dang Hoa, Xie Cui-Wei, Tian Jide, Kaufman Daniel L   Enhanced neuronal expression of major histocompatibility complex class I leads to aberrations in neurodevelopment and neurorepair Journal of neuroimmunology, 2011; 232(1-2): 8-16.
Li Huiyuan, Monien Bernhard H, Lomakin Aleksey, Zemel Reeve, Fradinger Erica A, Tan Miao, Spring Sean M, Urbanc Brigita, Xie Cui-Wei, Benedek George B, Bitan Gal   Mechanistic Investigation of the Inhibition of Abeta42 Assembly and Neurotoxicity by Abeta42 C-Terminal Fragments Biochemistry, 2010; 49(30): 6358-64.
Zeng Yan, Zhao Danyun, Xie Cui-Wei   Neurotrophins Enhance CaMKII Activity and Rescue Amyloid-beta-Induced Deficits in Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity Journal of Alzheimer's Disease , 2010; 21(3): 823-31.
Tan Miao, Walwyn Wendy M, Evans Christopher J, Xie Cui-Wei   p38 MAPK and beta-arrestin 2 mediate functional interactions between endogenous micro-opioid and alpha2A-adrenergic receptors in neurons The Journal of biological chemistry, 2009; 284(10): 6270-81.
Fradinger Erica A, Monien Bernhard H, Urbanc Brigita, Lomakin Aleksey, Tan Miao, Li Huiyuan, Spring Sean M, Condron Margaret M, Cruz Luis, Xie Cui-Wei, Benedek George B, Bitan Gal   C-terminal peptides coassemble into Abeta42 oligomers and protect neurons against Abeta42-induced neurotoxicity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2008; 105(37): 14175-80.
Guo Guang, Tong Yuying, Xie Cui-Wei, Lange Leslie A   Dopamine transporter, gender, and number of sexual partners among young adults European journal of human genetics : EJHG, 2007; 15(3): 279-87.
Walwyn, W. M. Wei, W. Xie, C. W. Chiu, K. Kieffer, B. L. Evans, C. J. Maidment, N. T.   Mu opioid receptor-effector coupling and trafficking in dorsal root ganglia neurons Neuroscience, 2006; 142(2): 493-503.
Zhao Danyun, Watson Joseph B, Xie Cui-Wei   Amyloid beta prevents activation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and AMPA receptor phosphorylation during hippocampal long-term potentiation Journal of neurophysiology, 2004; 92(5): 2853-8.
Xie Cui-Wei   Calcium-regulated signaling pathways: role in amyloid beta-induced synaptic dysfunction Neuromolecular medicine, 2004; 6(1): 53-64.
Israely Inbal, Costa Rui M, Xie Cui Wei, Silva Alcino J, Kosik Kenneth S, Liu Xin   Deletion of the neuron-specific protein delta-catenin leads to severe cognitive and synaptic dysfunction Current biology : CB, 2004; 14(18): 1657-63.
Walwyn, W. M. Keith, D. E., Jr. Wei, W. Tan, A. M. Xie, C. W. Evans, C. J. Kieffer, B. L. Maidment, N. T.   Functional coupling, desensitization and internalization of virally expressed mu opioid receptors in cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons from mu opioid receptor knockout mice Neuroscience, 2004; 123(1): 111-21.
Tan Miao, Groszer Matthias, Tan Aiko M, Pandya Amy, Liu Xin, Xie Cui-Wei   Phosphoinositide 3-kinase cascade facilitates mu-opioid desensitization in sensory neurons by altering G-protein-effector interactions The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2003; 23(32): 10292-301.
Chen Qi-Sheng, Wei Wei-Zheng, Shimahara Takeshi, Xie Cui-Wei   Alzheimer amyloid beta-peptide inhibits the late phase of long-term potentiation through calcineurin-dependent mechanisms in the hippocampal dentate gyrus Neurobiology of learning and memory, 2002; 77(3): 354-71.
Xie, C. W. Sayah, D. Chen, Q. S. Wei, W. Z. Smith, D. Liu, X.   Deficient long-term memory and long-lasting long-term potentiation in mice with a targeted deletion of neurotrophin-4 gene Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2000; 97(14): 8116-21.
Chen, Q. S. Kagan, B. L. Hirakura, Y. Xie, C. W.   Impairment of hippocampal long-term potentiation by Alzheimer amyloid beta-peptides J Neurosci Res, 2000; 60(1): 65-72.