Alison Xie, PhD

Professional Titles

• Associate Professor

Recognitions

• Faculty Professionalism Award, Department of surgery, School of Medicine, CU-AMC (2024)
• Young Investigator Award, The Society for Basic Urologic Research (SBUR) (2023)
• Early-career Faculty Research Development Award, Ludeman Center for Women's Health Research (2023)

Research Interests

Publications

• Satellite glial translatome reprograms to favor mitochondrial and vesicular signaling under pelvic pain conditions. Yesupatham SK, Granley A, Xie AX* (Submitted to Cell Reports)
• Development of ex vivo pelvic ganglion-whole bladder model for studying autonomic control of detrusor contractions. Spreitzer EJ†, Deuel DO†, Tuttle TJ, Calve S, Xie AX* (Submitted to Neurourology and Urodynamics)
• Sensory satellite glial Gq-GPCR activation provides visceral pain relief in animal models of chronic pelvic pain. Yesupatham SY, Xie AX* (In preparation for Frontiers in Pain Research)
• Yesupatham SK, Malykhina AP, Xie AX. Transcriptome profiling suggests molecular sexual dimorphism in lumbosacral dorsal root ganglia and sex-specific mechanisms underlying visceral pain. Physiol Genomics. 2026 Jan 1;58(1):12-31. PubMed PMID: 41223072
• Yesupatham SK, Malykhina AP, Xie AX. Transcriptome profiling suggests molecular sexual dimorphism in lumbosacral dorsal root ganglia and sex-specific mechanisms underlying visceral pain. Physiol Genomics. 2026 Jan 1;58(1):12-31. PubMed PMID: 41223072
• Yesupatham SK, Granley, A, Xie AX*. “Satellite glial translatome reprograms to favor mitochondrial and vesicular signaling under pelvic pain conditions”. *Corresponding author. Submitted to Cell Report.
• Spreitzer EJ, Deuel D, Calve S, Xie AX*. “Development of a murine pelvic ganglia-bladder preparation for the study of neural control of micturition”. *Corresponding author. Submitted to Neurourology and Urodynamics.
• Yesupatham SK, Xie AX*. “Sensory Satellite Glial Gq-GPCR Activation Alleviates Visceral Pain”. *Corresponding author. Pending submission to Frontiers in Pain Research (Abstract accepted).
• Yesupatham SK, Xie AX*. “Gap junction dysregulation in satellite glial cells is a key driving in visceral hypersensitivity”, ASN Annual Meeting. April 18 - 22, 2026. Saint Charles, Missouri.
• Yesupatham SK, Xie AX*. “New insights into sex-specific visceral pain mechanisms”, American Physiology Summit. April 23 - 26, 2026. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• Spreitzer EJ, Deuel D, Calve S, Xie AX*. “Development of a murine pelvic ganglia-bladder preparation for the study of neural control of micturition”. American Physiology Summit. April 23 - 26, 2026. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• Yesupatham SK, Xie AX*. “Male and female satellite glial cells exhibit distinct gene translation likely driven by sex hormones and chromosome complement”, National Conference on Women’s Health and Sex Differences Research. October 21 - 23, 2026. Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• Xie AX, Iguchi N, Malykhina AP. Long-term follow-up of TREK-1 KO mice reveals the development of bladder hypertrophy and impaired bladder smooth muscle contractility with age. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2024 Jun 1;326(6):F957-F970. PubMed PMID: 38601986
• Clarkson TC, Iguchi N, Xie AX, Malykhina AP. Differential transcriptomic changes in the central nervous system and urinary bladders of mice infected with a coronavirus. PLoS One. 2022;17(12):e0278918. PubMed PMID: 36490282
• Xie AX, Iguchi N, Clarkson TC, Malykhina AP. Pharmacogenetic inhibition of lumbosacral sensory neurons alleviates visceral hypersensitivity in a mouse model of chronic pelvic pain. PLoS One. 2022;17(1):e0262769. PubMed PMID: 35077502
• Xie AX†*, Taves S†, McCarthy KD. Nuclear factor Kappa B-COX2 pathway activation in non-myelinating Schwann cells is necessary for the maintenance of neuropathic pain in mice. Front Cell Neurosci., 14 January 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2021.782275.
• Iguchi N, Carrasco A Jr, Xie AX, Pineda RH, Malykhina AP, Wilcox DT. Functional constipation induces bladder overactivity associated with upregulations of Htr2 and Trpv2 pathways. Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 13;11(1):1149. PubMed PMID: 33441874
• Xie AX*, Madayag A, Minton SK, McCarthy KD, Malykhina AP. Sensory satellite glial Gq-GPCR activation alleviates inflammatory pain via peripheral adenosine 1 receptor activation. Sci Rep. 2020 Aug 25;10(1):14181. PubMed PMID: 32843670
• Xie AX†, Pan XQ†, Meacham RB, Malykhina AP. The Expression of Transcription Factors Mecp2 and CREB Is Modulated in Inflammatory Pelvic Pain. Front Syst Neurosci. 2018;12:69. PubMed PMID: 30687029
• Xie AX*, Lee JJ, McCarthy KD. Ganglionic GFAP+ glial Gq-GPCR signaling enhances heart functions in vivo. JCI Insight. 2017 Jan 26;2(2):e90565. PubMed PMID: 28138563
• Xie AX*, Chaia A, McCarthy KD. Targeting sympathetic glia for treating cardiovascular diseases. Receptors &Clinical Investigation 2017; 4: e1572. doi: 10.14800/rci.1572;
• Annis RP, Swahari V, Nakamura A, Xie AX, Hammond SM, Deshmukh M. Mature neurons dynamically restrict apoptosis via redundant premitochondrial brakes. FEBS J. 2016 Dec;283(24):4569-4582. PubMed PMID: 27797453
• Xie AX, Petravicz J, McCarthy KD. Molecular approaches for manipulating astrocytic signaling in vivo. Front Cell Neurosci. 2015;9:144. PubMed PMID: 25941472
• Sun MY, Devaraju P, Xie AX, Holman I, Samones E, Murphy TR, Fiacco TA. Astrocyte calcium microdomains are inhibited by bafilomycin A1 and cannot be replicated by low-level Schaffer collateral stimulation in situ. Cell Calcium. 2014 Jan;55(1):1-16. PubMed PMID: 24262208
• Xie AX, Lauderdale K, Murphy T, Myers TL, Fiacco TA. Inducing plasticity of astrocytic receptors by manipulation of neuronal firing rates. J Vis Exp. 2014 Mar 20;(85). PubMed PMID: 24686723
• Agulhon C, Boyt KM, Xie AX, Friocourt F, Roth BL, McCarthy KD. Modulation of the autonomic nervous system and behaviour by acute glial cell Gq protein-coupled receptor activation in vivo. J Physiol. 2013 Nov 15;591(22):5599-609. PubMed PMID: 24042499
• Xie AX, Sun MY, Murphy T, Lauderdale K, Tiglao E, Fiacco TA. Bidirectional scaling of astrocytic metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling following long-term changes in neuronal firing rates. PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e49637. PubMed PMID: 23166735
• Carson MJ, Crane J, Xie AX. Modeling CNS microglia: the quest to identify predictive models. Drug Discov Today Dis Models. 2008;5(1):19-25. PubMed PMID: 19444332
• Wang H, Xie X, Li X, Chen B, Zhou Y. Functional degradation of visual cortical cells in aged rats. Brain Res. 2006 Nov 29;1122(1):93-8. PubMed PMID: 17010946
• Jia F, Wei H, Li X, Xie X, Zhou Y. Short-term synaptic plasticity in the rat geniculo-cortical pathway during development in vivo. Neurosci Lett. 2006 May 1;398(1-2):73-7. PubMed PMID: 16406670
• Xie X, Wang H, Chen B, Zhou Y. “Neural response characteristic of neuron to flashing stimulus in visual cortex of young rats”. Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics. 2005,32(11):1088-1092
• Jia F, Xie X, Zhou Y. Short-term depression of synaptic transmission from rat lateral geniculate nucleus to primary visual cortex in vivo. Brain Res. 2004 Mar 26;1002(1-2):158-61. PubMed PMID: 14988046

Professional Memberships

• American Urological Association, Member
• Society for Basic Urologic Research, Member
• American Society of Neurochemistry, Member
• Colorado Clinical Translational Science Institute, Faculty member
• Neuroscience Graduate Program, Faculty member
• Medical Scientist Training Program, Faculty member
• Integrated Physiology Program, Faculty member
• American Physiological Society, Member
• South Central Section of the AUA, Faculty member