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Mingyao Liu

Dr. Mingyao Liu received his B.S. and M.S. from Hunan Normal University in Hunan, China, and earned his Ph.D. in cell biology in 1992 from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. He was a postdoctoral fellow for two years in the Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Maryland, and held another postdoctoral position from 1994 to 1998 in the Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California. Dr. Liu joined the Institute of Biosciences and Technology's Center for Cancer Biology and Nutrition in January 1999 and is now an associate professor in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center.
Dr. Wallace McKeehan's Lab Homepage

Research interests of Mingyao Liu, Ph.D. -- GTP-protein coupled receptors, G-proteins, molecular basis of signal transduction, and mechanism of human stem cell differentiation.


We are interested in how cells receive and process information from their chemical and physical environments under normal and disease conditions. In particular, our research interests focus on understanding the biochemical properties and cellular functions of GTP-binding proteins (small and heterotrimeric), their receptors, and signaling pathways in cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. Our current projects include: 1) G-protein coupled receptors and signaling pathways in normal and tumor cells; 2) Biochemical properties and cellular functions of GTP-binding proteins, their regulators and effectors in normal and human disease conditions; 3) Molecular mechanisms of human stem cell differentiation. A multi-faceted approach (biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, genetics, and mouse models) is taken in our studies, with the ultimate goal of understanding the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and proliferation.

Representative Publications

Liu, M., and M.I. Simon (1996) Regulation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase of a G-protein mediated phospholipase C. Nature 382, 82-87.

Xia, C., Ma, W., Staford, L.J., Marcus, S., Xiong, W-C., and Liu, M. (2001). Regulation of the p21-activated kinase (PAK) by a novel human Gb-like WD-repeat protein, hPIP1. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98, 6174-6179.

Xia, C., Ma, W., Wang, F., Hua, S-B., and Liu, M. (2001) Identification of a novel prostate-specific G-protein coupled receptor in prostate cancer. Oncogene 20, 5903-5907.

Stafford, L.J., Xia, C., Ma, W., Cai, Y., and Liu, M. (2002). Identification and characterization of mouse metastasis-suppressor KiSS1 and its orphan G-protein coupled receptor. Cancer Research 62 (19), 5399-5404.

Guo, X., Stafford, L.J., Bryan, B., Xia, C., Ma, W., Wu, X., Liu, D., Songyang, Z., and Liu, M. 2003. A Rac/Cdc42 specific exchange factor, GEFT, mediates cell migration, proliferation and transformation. Journal of Biological Chemistry 278, 13207-13215.

Xia, C., Stafford, L.J., Ma, W., Cai, Y., Gong, L., Liu, C., Martin, J.F., and Liu, M. (2003). GGAPs, a new family of bifunctional GTP-binding and GTPase-activating proteins. Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) 23 (7), 2476-2488.