Ya-Xiong Tao, PhD Assistant Professor of Physiology, joined the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. He obtained his PhD from the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.  He did post-doctoral training at the University of Louisville with Dr. Ch. V. Rao and at the University of Iowa with Dr. Deborah L. Segaloff.  He was Assistant Research Scientist at the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine before coming to Auburn.
334-844-4425 taoyaxi@vetmed.auburn.edu
Research Interests Research in the lab is directed to elucidate the structure-function relationships of G protein-coupled receptors, especially the neural melanocortin receptors, melanocortin-3 and -4 receptors.  These receptors are critically involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis.  Naturally occurring mutations in the genes for these receptors have been identified from obese patients.  Our current focus is two fold: 1. The molecular defects of the naturally occurring mutations identified from obese patients in these receptors; 2. The molecular mechanisms of ligand binding and receptor activation.  A multi-disciplinary approach, including pharmacological, molecular biological, and cell biological techniques, as well as computer modeling, is used for these studies. Selected Publications Fan ZC, Sartin JL, and Tao YX. (2008) Pharmacological analyses of two naturally occurring porcine melanocortin-4 receptor mutations in domestic pigs. Domest. Anim. Endocrinol. 34:383-390, 2008. Fan Z-C, Sartin JL, and Tao Y-X. (2007) Molecular cloning and pharmacological characterization of porcine melanocortin-3 receptor. J Endocrinol 196:139-148 Tao Y-X. (2007) Functional characterization of novel melanocortin-3 receptor mutations identified from obese subjects. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Basis of Disease 1772:1167-1174. Tao Y-X.  2008.  Inactivating melanocortin-4 receptor mutations and human obesity.  In Obesity and Energy Metabolism:  Research and Clinical Applications, Donohoue PA, Editor. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. Pages 45-58. Zhang M, Tao Y-X, Ryan GL, Feng X, Fanelli F and Segaloff DL (2007) Intrinsic differences in the response of the human lutropin receptor versus the human follitropin receptor to activating mutations. J. Biol. Chem. 282(35):25527-25539. Freitas KCM, Ryan G, Brito VN, Tao Y-X, Costa EMF, Mendonca BB, Segaloff D, and Latronico AC.  (2007)  Molecular analysis of the neuropeptide Y1 receptor gene in human idiopathic gonadotropin-dependent precocious puberty and isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.  Fertility and Sterility 87(3): 627-634.  Tao, Y-X.  (2006) Inactivating mutations of G protein-coupled receptors and diseases: Structure-function insights and therapeutic implications. Pharmacology and Therapeutics 111:949-973. Rong R, Tao Y-X, Cheung BMY, Xu A, Cheung GCN and Lam KSL  (2006)  Identification and functional characterization of three novel human melanocortin-4 receptor gene variants in an obese Chinese population. Clin Endocrinol 65:198-205. Tao, Y-X and Segaloff DL.  (2005)  Functional analyses of melanocortin-4 receptor mutations identified from patients with binge eating disorder and non-obese or obese subjects.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab 90:5632-5638. Tao Y-X.   (2005)  Molecular mechanisms of the neural melanocortin receptor dysfunction in severe early-onset obesity.  Mol Cell Endocrinol 239:1-14. Tao Y-X and Segaloff DL.  (2004)  Functional characterization of melanocortin-3 receptor variants identify a loss-of-function mutation involving an amino acid critical for G protein-coupled receptor activation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 89:3936-3942. Tao Y-X, Johnson NB and Segaloff DL.  (2004)  Constitutive and agonist-dependent self-association of the cell surface human lutropin receptor.  J Biol Chem 279:5904-5914. Donohoue PA, Tao Y-X, Collins M, Yeo GSH, O’Rahilly S and Segaloff DL.  (2003)  Deletion of codons 88-92 of the melanocortin-4 receptor gene: a novel deleterious mutation in an obese female. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88:5841-5845. Tao Y-X and Segaloff DL.  (2003)  Functional characterization of human melanocortin-4 receptor mutations associated with childhood obesity.  Endocrinology 144:4544-4551. Shinozaki H, Butnev V, Tao Y-X, Ang KL, Conti M and Segaloff DL.  (2003)  Desensitization of Gs-coupled receptor signaling by constitutively active mutants of the human lutropin/choriogonadotropin receptor.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88:1194-1204. Tao Y-X, Mizrachi D and Segaloff DL.  (2002)  Chimeras of the rat and human FSH receptors (FSHRs) identify residues that permit or suppress transmembrane 6 mutation-induced constitutive activation of the FSHR via rearrangements of hydrophobic interactions between helices 6 and 7.  Mol Endocrinol 16:1881-1892. Tao Y-X, Abell AN, Liu X, Nakamura K and Segaloff DL.  (2000)  Constitutive activation of G protein-coupled receptors as a result of substitution of a conserved leucine residue in transmembrane helix III.  Mol Endocrinol 14:1272-1282.