Xingqi Chen
Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor at Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology; Research programme: Molecular Tools and Functional Genomics; Research group Xingqi Chen
- Telephone:
- +46 18 471 40 72
- E-mail:
- xingqi.chen@igp.uu.se
- Visiting address:
- BMC, Husargatan 3
751 22 Uppsala - Postal address:
- IGP / BMC
Box 815
751 08 Uppsala
Short presentation
- Wallenberg Academy Fellow in Medicine, 2023
- Associate Professor / Senior Lecturer, From 2022-Nov, Uppsala University
- Associate Professor / BUL with tenure track, From 2022-June, Uppsala University
- Assistant Professor / BUL with tenure track, From 2019-0101 to 2022-June, Uppsala University
- March 2015- Dec 2018, Postdoc researcher in Dr. Howard Chang’s group at Stanford University
- 2009-2014 PhD training in medical science, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Keywords
- epigenetics
- gene expression
- single cell atac-seq
- chromatin biology
- atac-seq
- single cell biology
- functional genomics
Biography
- Wallenberg Academy Fellow in Medicine, 2023
- Associate Professor / Senior Lecturer, From 2022-Nov, Uppsala University
- Associate Professor / BUL with tenure track, From 2022-June, Uppsala University
- Assistant Professor / BUL with tenure track, From 2019-0101 to 2022-June, Uppsala University
- March 2015- Dec 2018, Postdoc researcher in Dr. Howard Chang’s group at Stanford University
- 2009-2014 PhD training in medical science, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
see more from: https://www.chenlabuppsala.com
Research
Research Focus
Research Overview
Recent advances in single-cell technologies—such as single-cell ATAC-seq and single-cell RNA-seq—have made it possible to explore cellular heterogeneity by profiling epigenetic, transcriptional, and protein-level information at single-cell resolution.
However, the analysis of a single molecular layer provides only a partial understanding of cellular identity. A cell’s state is determined by the complex interplay among the genome, epigenome, transcriptome, and proteome. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of cellular heterogeneity, our research aims to integrate multiple layers of molecular information—including nuclear architecture, epigenetics, transcriptomics, and proteomics—from the same individual cell, thereby reconstructing a detailed regulatory circuitry of cell function and fate.
The overarching goal of our research is to elucidate the mechanisms governing cell fate decisions during development and in human disease. We are developing state-of-the-art single-cell technologies to systematically characterize cellular heterogeneity and to identify the key regulatory factors that control specific cell fates.
A central question motivating our work is why cells in the human body, despite sharing an identical DNA sequence, adopt markedly different functional identities. For example, what determines why certain cells undergo malignant transformation while others remain normal? Similarly, what molecular mechanisms enable stem cells to differentiate into distinct cell types?
Our primary objective is to uncover the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate cell fate in the context of human disease. To address this, we pursue two major research directions:
- Deciphering the tumour microenvironment across multiple primary human cancer types using advanced single-cell technologies.
- Developing novel single-cell platforms to achieve deeper, more accurate, and multi-dimensional cellular analyses.
The insights generated from our research will provide a deeper understanding of cancer progression at the single-cell level and may contribute to the development of novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies. Our long-term goal is to identify actionable molecular targets for precision cancer therapy.

Publications
Selection of publications
Epigenetic insights into GABAergic development in Dravet Syndrome iPSC and therapeutic implications
Part of eLIFE, 2024
- DOI for Epigenetic insights into GABAergic development in Dravet Syndrome iPSC and therapeutic implications
- Download full text (pdf) of Epigenetic insights into GABAergic development in Dravet Syndrome iPSC and therapeutic implications
BRD2 compartmentalizes the accessible genome
Part of Nature Genetics, p. 481-491, 2022
Profiling chromatin accessibility in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples
Part of Genome Research, p. 150-161, 2022
- DOI for Profiling chromatin accessibility in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples
- Download full text (pdf) of Profiling chromatin accessibility in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples
Part of Nature Communications, 2022
- DOI for Cell-lineage controlled epigenetic regulation in glioblastoma stem cells determines functionally distinct subgroups and predicts patient survival
- Download full text (pdf) of Cell-lineage controlled epigenetic regulation in glioblastoma stem cells determines functionally distinct subgroups and predicts patient survival
Part of Nucleic Acids Research, 2021
- DOI for FACT-seq: profiling histone modifications in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples with low cell numbers
- Download full text (pdf) of FACT-seq: profiling histone modifications in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples with low cell numbers
Part of Nature Communications, 2021
- DOI for Focal amplifications are associated with chromothripsis events and diverse prognoses in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma
- Download full text (pdf) of Focal amplifications are associated with chromothripsis events and diverse prognoses in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma
3D ATAC-PALM: super-resolution imaging of the accessible genome
Part of Nature Methods, p. 430-436, 2020
Recent publications
Part of Nature Communications, 2025
- DOI for Precise mapping of single-stranded DNA breaks by sequence-templated erroneous DNA polymerase end-labelling
- Download full text (pdf) of Precise mapping of single-stranded DNA breaks by sequence-templated erroneous DNA polymerase end-labelling
Part of Cell Death and Disease, 2025
- DOI for Identification of a small molecule targeting EPLIN as a novel strategy for the treatment of pediatric neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma
- Download full text (pdf) of Identification of a small molecule targeting EPLIN as a novel strategy for the treatment of pediatric neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma
Part of Leukemia, p. 1086-1098, 2024
- DOI for Genome-wide DNA methylation-analysis of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm identifies distinct molecular features
- Download full text (pdf) of Genome-wide DNA methylation-analysis of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm identifies distinct molecular features
Epigenetic insights into GABAergic development in Dravet Syndrome iPSC and therapeutic implications
Part of eLIFE, 2024
- DOI for Epigenetic insights into GABAergic development in Dravet Syndrome iPSC and therapeutic implications
- Download full text (pdf) of Epigenetic insights into GABAergic development in Dravet Syndrome iPSC and therapeutic implications
Epigenetic regulation of cell state by H2AFY governs immunogenicity in high-risk neuroblastoma
Part of Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2024
- DOI for Epigenetic regulation of cell state by H2AFY governs immunogenicity in high-risk neuroblastoma
- Download full text (pdf) of Epigenetic regulation of cell state by H2AFY governs immunogenicity in high-risk neuroblastoma
All publications
Articles in journal
Part of Nature Communications, 2025
- DOI for Precise mapping of single-stranded DNA breaks by sequence-templated erroneous DNA polymerase end-labelling
- Download full text (pdf) of Precise mapping of single-stranded DNA breaks by sequence-templated erroneous DNA polymerase end-labelling
Part of Cell Death and Disease, 2025
- DOI for Identification of a small molecule targeting EPLIN as a novel strategy for the treatment of pediatric neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma
- Download full text (pdf) of Identification of a small molecule targeting EPLIN as a novel strategy for the treatment of pediatric neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma
Part of Leukemia, p. 1086-1098, 2024
- DOI for Genome-wide DNA methylation-analysis of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm identifies distinct molecular features
- Download full text (pdf) of Genome-wide DNA methylation-analysis of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm identifies distinct molecular features
Epigenetic insights into GABAergic development in Dravet Syndrome iPSC and therapeutic implications
Part of eLIFE, 2024
- DOI for Epigenetic insights into GABAergic development in Dravet Syndrome iPSC and therapeutic implications
- Download full text (pdf) of Epigenetic insights into GABAergic development in Dravet Syndrome iPSC and therapeutic implications
Epigenetic regulation of cell state by H2AFY governs immunogenicity in high-risk neuroblastoma
Part of Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2024
- DOI for Epigenetic regulation of cell state by H2AFY governs immunogenicity in high-risk neuroblastoma
- Download full text (pdf) of Epigenetic regulation of cell state by H2AFY governs immunogenicity in high-risk neuroblastoma
Part of PLoS Pathogens, 2024
- DOI for Porcine circovirus type 2 infection promotes the SUMOylation of nucleophosmin-1 to facilitate the viral circular single-stranded DNA replication
- Download full text (pdf) of Porcine circovirus type 2 infection promotes the SUMOylation of nucleophosmin-1 to facilitate the viral circular single-stranded DNA replication
Identification of ATF3 as a novel protective signature of quiescent colorectal tumor cells
Part of Cell Death and Disease, 2023
- DOI for Identification of ATF3 as a novel protective signature of quiescent colorectal tumor cells
- Download full text (pdf) of Identification of ATF3 as a novel protective signature of quiescent colorectal tumor cells
Heparanase Modulates Chromatin Accessibility
Part of Cells, 2023
- DOI for Heparanase Modulates Chromatin Accessibility
- Download full text (pdf) of Heparanase Modulates Chromatin Accessibility
Dormant SOX9-Positive Cells Facilitate MYC-Driven Recurrence of Medulloblastoma
Part of Cancer Research, p. 4586-4603, 2022
- DOI for Dormant SOX9-Positive Cells Facilitate MYC-Driven Recurrence of Medulloblastoma
- Download full text (pdf) of Dormant SOX9-Positive Cells Facilitate MYC-Driven Recurrence of Medulloblastoma
BRD2 compartmentalizes the accessible genome
Part of Nature Genetics, p. 481-491, 2022
Super-enhancers conserved within placental mammals maintain stem cell pluripotency
Part of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2022
- DOI for Super-enhancers conserved within placental mammals maintain stem cell pluripotency
- Download full text (pdf) of Super-enhancers conserved within placental mammals maintain stem cell pluripotency
Epigenomic priming of immune genes implicates oligodendroglia in multiple sclerosis susceptibility
Part of Neuron, p. 1193-1210, 2022
- DOI for Epigenomic priming of immune genes implicates oligodendroglia in multiple sclerosis susceptibility
- Download full text (pdf) of Epigenomic priming of immune genes implicates oligodendroglia in multiple sclerosis susceptibility
Profiling chromatin accessibility in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples
Part of Genome Research, p. 150-161, 2022
- DOI for Profiling chromatin accessibility in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples
- Download full text (pdf) of Profiling chromatin accessibility in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples
Part of Journal of Investigative Dermatology, p. 705-716, 2022
- DOI for Single-Cell Analysis Reveals Major Histocompatibility Complex II-Expressing Keratinocytes in Pressure Ulcers with Worse Healing Outcomes
- Download full text (pdf) of Single-Cell Analysis Reveals Major Histocompatibility Complex II-Expressing Keratinocytes in Pressure Ulcers with Worse Healing Outcomes
Part of Nature Communications, 2022
- DOI for Cell-lineage controlled epigenetic regulation in glioblastoma stem cells determines functionally distinct subgroups and predicts patient survival
- Download full text (pdf) of Cell-lineage controlled epigenetic regulation in glioblastoma stem cells determines functionally distinct subgroups and predicts patient survival
A Highly Sensitive Method to Efficiently Profile the Histone Modifications of FFPE Samples
Part of Bio-protocol, 2022
Part of Omics, p. 652-659, 2021
- DOI for The Thioesterase ACOT1 as a Regulator of Lipid Metabolism in Type 2 Diabetes Detected in a Multi-Omics Study of Human Liver
- Download full text (pdf) of The Thioesterase ACOT1 as a Regulator of Lipid Metabolism in Type 2 Diabetes Detected in a Multi-Omics Study of Human Liver
Part of Nucleic Acids Research, 2021
- DOI for FACT-seq: profiling histone modifications in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples with low cell numbers
- Download full text (pdf) of FACT-seq: profiling histone modifications in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples with low cell numbers
Part of CURRENT PROTOCOLS, 2021
- DOI for FFPE-ATAC: A Highly Sensitive Method for Profiling Chromatin Accessibility in Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Samples
- Download full text (pdf) of FFPE-ATAC: A Highly Sensitive Method for Profiling Chromatin Accessibility in Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Samples
Part of Nature Communications, 2021
- DOI for Focal amplifications are associated with chromothripsis events and diverse prognoses in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma
- Download full text (pdf) of Focal amplifications are associated with chromothripsis events and diverse prognoses in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma
Part of The FASEB Journal, 2021
3D ATAC-PALM: super-resolution imaging of the accessible genome
Part of Nature Methods, p. 430-436, 2020
Circular ecDNA promotes accessible chromatin and high oncogene expression
Part of Nature, p. 699-703, 2019
Articles, review/survey
Chapters in book
ATAC-See: A Tn5 Transposase-Mediated Assay for Detection of Chromatin Accessibility with Imaging
Part of Chromatin Accessibility, p. 285-291, Humana Press, 2023