
Mingyu Liang, MB, PhD
Professor and Kohler Co. Chair in Physiology; Director, Center of Systems Molecular Medicine; Vice-Chair for Interdisciplinary and Translational Research
Locations
- Physiology
Contact Information
Education
Postdoctoral Fellow, Nephrology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, 2000
Postdoctoral Fellow, Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2002
MB - Medicine, Shanghai Medical University, 1994
Honors and Awards
2017: Distinguished Lectureship in Physiological Genomics Research, American Physiological Society
2015-2020: Center Director, American Heart Association Strategically Focused Hypertension Research Center (including basic, clinical and population research)
2012: Henry Pickering Bowditch Award, American Physiological Society
2009: Outstanding Teacher of the Year, MCW Graduate School
1994: Outstanding Graduate, Shanghai Municipality
Associate Editor: Physiol Genomics (2007-2015); Compr Physiol (2017-present)
Editorial board: J Am Soc Nephrol; Hypertension
Research Interests
Genetics and Genomics | Molecular and Cellular Physiology | Renal Physiology
I am a molecular systems medicine researcher. The current work in my laboratory focuses on three areas: (epi)genomics and precision medicine, regulatory RNA, and cellular metabolism, as they relate to hypertension and cardiovascular and kidney diseases. We have a translational, multidisciplinary, and programmatic research platform in our laboratory where we integrate human research with research in animals, human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), and other model systems using approaches of physiology, genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, genome editing, and big data analysis.
For a complete list of our laboratory’s publications since 2002, search PubMed for “Mingyu Liang”.
Research Area 1: (Epi)genomics and precision medicine
We develop innovative approaches to precision medicine for common cardiovascular and renal diseases with a particular focus on the incorporation of tissue functional genomic analysis. We study molecular regulatory networks, including genomic and epigenomic mechanisms, underlying physiology and disease.
Selected publications:
1. Williams AM, Jensen DM, Pan X, Liu P, Liu J, Huls S, Regner KR, Iczkowski KA, Wang F, Li J, Gallan AJ, Wang T, Baker MA, Liu Y, Lalehzari N, Liang M. Histologically resolved small RNA maps in primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis indicate progressive changes within glomerular and tubulointerstitial regions. Kidney Int. 2022. Online ahead of print.
2. Mishra MK, Liang EY, Geurts AM, Auer PWL, Liu P, Rao S, Greene AS, Liang M, Liu Y. Comparative and Functional Genomic Resource for Mechanistic Studies of Human Blood Pressure-Associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. Hypertension 2020; 75: 859-868.
3. Baker MA, Davis SJ, Liu P, Pan X, Williams AM, Iczkowski KA, Gallagher ST, Bishop K, Regner KR, Liu Y, Liang M. Tissue-Specific MicroRNA Expression Patterns in Four Types of Kidney Disease. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017; 28: 2985-2992.
4. Kotchen TA, Cowley AW Jr, Liang M. Ushering hypertension into the new era of precision medicine. JAMA 2016; 315: 343-4.
Research Area 2: Regulatory RNA
The general significance of microRNAs in the regulation of gene expression, cellular function, and disease development is widely recognized. However, the specific role of many microRNAs, and other regulatory RNA such as long non-coding RNA, in physiological and disease processes remain unknown. Our laboratory investigates the role of regulatory RNA in hypertension and cardiovascular and renal injury in humans and model systems.
Selected publications:
1. Cheng Y, Wang D, Wang F, Liu J, Huang B, Baker MA, Yin J, Wu R, Liu X, Regner KR, Usa K, Liu Y, Zhang C, Dong L, Geurts AM, Wang N, Miller SS, He Y, Liang M. Endogenous miR-204 protects the kidney against chronic injury in hypertension and diabetes. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2020; 31: 1539-1554.
2. Widlansky ME, Jensen DM, Wang J, Liu Y, Geurts AM, Kriegel AJ, Liu P, Ying R, Zhang G, Casati M, Chu C, Malik M, Branum A, Tanner MJ, Tyagi S, Usa K, Liang M. miR-29 contributes to normal endothelial function and can restore it in cardiometabolic disorders. EMBO Mol Med 2018; e8046.
3. Mladinov D, Liu Y, Mattson DL, Liang M. MicroRNAs contribute to the maintenance of cell-type-specific physiological characteristics: miR-192 targets Na+/K+-ATPase β1. Nucleic Acids Res. 2013; 41: 1273-83.
4. Xu X, Kriegel AJ, Liu Y, Usa K, Mladinov D, Liu H, Fang Y, Ding X, Liang M. Delayed ischemic preconditioning contributes to renal protection by upregulation of miR-21. Kidney Int. 2012; 82: 1167-75.
5. Liu Y, Taylor NE, Lu L, Usa K, Cowley AW Jr, Ferreri NR, Yeo NC, and Liang M. Renal medullary microRNAs in Dahl salt-sensitive rats: miR-29b regulates several collagens and related genes. Hypertension 2010; 55: 974-82.
6. Tian Z, Greene AS, Pietrusz JL, Matus IR, and Liang M. microRNA-target pairs in rat kidneys identified through microRNA microarray, proteomic, and bioinformatic analysis. Genome Res 2008; 18: 404-411.
Research Area 3: Cellular metabolism
Our laboratory routinely combines exploratory approaches and hypothesis-driven approaches to discover novel disease mechanisms in humans and animal models. Recent discoveries that we are exploring in depth include novel roles of abnormalities in cellular metabolism in the development of hypertension and tissue injury.
Selected publications:
1. Tian Z, Liang M. Renal Metabolism and Hypertension. Nat Commun. 2021; 12: 963.
2. Cheng Y, Song H, Pan X, Xue H, Wan Y, Wang T, Tian Z, Hou E, Lanza IR, Liu P, Liu Y, Laud PW, Usa K, He Y, Liang M. Urinary Metabolites Associated with Blood Pressure on a Low- or High-Sodium Diet. Theranostics 2018; 8: 1468-1480.
3. Hou E, Sun N, Zhang F, Zhao C, Usa K, Liang M, Tian Z. Malate and Aspartate Increase L-arginine and Nitric Oxide and Attenuate Hypertension. Cell Rep. 2017; 19: 1631-1639.
4. Tian Z, Liu Y, Usa K, Mladinov D, Fang Y, Ding X, Greene AS, Cowley AW Jr, Liang M. Novel Role of Fumarate Metabolism in Dahl Salt-Sensitive Hypertension. Hypertension 2009; 54: 255-60.
Please contact Dr. Liang if you are interested in a post-doctoral fellow or pre-doctoral student position in his laboratory.
Publications
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Renal metabolism and hypertension.
(Tian Z, Liang M.) Nat Commun. 2021 02 11;12(1):963 PMID: 33574248 PMCID: PMC7878744 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85101144154 02/13/2021
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(Sun X, Yi J, Yang J, Han Y, Qian X, Liu Y, Li J, Lu B, Zhang J, Pan X, Liu Y, Liang M, Chen E, Liu P, Lu Y.) Theranostics. 11 March 2021;11(11):5346-5364 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85102449346 03/11/2021
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(Liu Y, Han Y, Zhou L, Pan X, Sun X, Liu Y, Liang M, Qin J, Lu Y, Liu P.) Genomics. 2020 11;112(6):4567-4576 PMID: 32712292 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85089382545 07/28/2020
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Small RNAs pack a punch in human kidney disease.
(Williams AM, Liang M.) Kidney Int. 2020 08;98(2):275-277 PMID: 32709285 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85087919832 07/28/2020
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OncotRF: an online resource for exploration of tRNA-derived fragments in human cancers.
(Yao D, Sun X, Zhou L, Amanullah M, Pan X, Liu Y, Liang M, Liu P, Lu Y.) RNA Biol. 2020 08;17(8):1081-1091 PMID: 32597311 PMCID: PMC7577240 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85087512616 07/01/2020
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(Kidambi S, Wang T, Chelius T, Nunuk I, Agarwal P, Laud P, Mattson D, Cowley AW Jr, Liang M, Kotchen T.) Sci Rep. 2020 07 15;10(1):11685 PMID: 32669581 PMCID: PMC7363933 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85087974638 07/17/2020
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Endogenous miR-204 Protects the Kidney against Chronic Injury in Hypertension and Diabetes.
(Cheng Y, Wang D, Wang F, Liu J, Huang B, Baker MA, Yin J, Wu R, Liu X, Regner KR, Usa K, Liu Y, Zhang C, Dong L, Geurts AM, Wang N, Miller SS, He Y, Liang M.) J Am Soc Nephrol. 2020 07;31(7):1539-1554 PMID: 32487559 PMCID: PMC7350998 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85087468924 06/04/2020
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Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis.
(Zheng Z, Chen E, Lu W, Mouradian G, Hodges M, Liang M, Liu P, Lu Y.) Compr Physiol. 2020 03 12;10(2):767-783 PMID: 32163201 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85081944090 03/13/2020
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(Mishra MK, Liang EY, Geurts AM, Auer PWL, Liu P, Rao S, Greene AS, Liang M, Liu Y.) Hypertension. 2020 03;75(3):859-868 PMID: 31902252 PMCID: PMC7035167 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85081142576 01/07/2020
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Epigenetic Modifications in T Cells: The Role of DNA Methylation in Salt-Sensitive Hypertension.
(Dasinger JH, Alsheikh AJ, Abais-Battad JM, Pan X, Fehrenbach DJ, Lund H, Roberts ML, Cowley AW Jr, Kidambi S, Kotchen TA, Liu P, Liang M, Mattson DL.) Hypertension. 2020 02;75(2):372-382 PMID: 31838911 PMCID: PMC7058976 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85077761000 12/17/2019
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(Geng X, Song N, Zhao S, Xu J, Liu Y, Fang Y, Liang M, Xu X, Ding X.) Cell Death Discov. 2020;6:19 PMID: 32257391 PMCID: PMC7118150 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85083166086 04/08/2020
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(Parashar D, Geethadevi A, Aure MR, Mishra J, George J, Chen C, Mishra MK, Tahiri A, Zhao W, Nair B, Lu Y, Mangala LS, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Lopez-Berestein G, Camara AKS, Liang M, Rader JS, Ramchandran R, You M, Sood AK, Kristensen VN, Mills GB, Pradeep S, Chaluvally-Raghavan P.) Cell Rep. 2019 12 24;29(13):4389-4406.e10 PMID: 31875548 PMCID: PMC7380555 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85076674271 12/26/2019