Qiang Liu, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Life Sciences
University of Science & Technology of China
443 Huangshan Street, Hefei City, Anhui 230027, P.R.China
Email: liuq2012@ustc.edu.cn
Education and Appointment
B.A., Biochemistry, Shandong University, China, 2000
Ph.D., Neuroscience, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Science, 2005
Postdoc, Washington University in St. Louis, USA, 2011
Research Associate, University of Pennsylvania, USA, 2012
Professor, University of Science & Technology of China, 2012
Research Interest:
One of the central questions in Neuroscience is how the brain learns, receives and stores information as memory. My laboratory is interested in elucidating the physiological mechanisms underlying learning and memory, and also pathogenic mechanisms underlying neurological disorders affecting learning and memory. To achieve this, we’re combining multidisciplinary tools to investigate the processes underlying learning and memory in molecular, cellular, circuit and animal levels. Specifically, we’re exploring 1) how lipid metabolism in the brain affects learning and memory in both physiological and pathological conditions; 2) whether the non-coding RNA network is involved in the regulation of learning and memory; 3) the relationship between brain energy homeostasis and learning and memory.
Representative Publications

1. Liu Q, Zerbinatti CV, Zhang J, Hoe HS, Wang B, Cole SL, Herz J, Muglia L, Bu G. Amyloid Precursor Protein Regulates Brain Apolipoprotein E and Cholesterol Metabolism through Lipoprotein Receptor LRP1. Neuron 56:66-78, 2007.

2. Liu Q, Zhang J, Zerbinatti C, Zhan Y, Kolber BJ, Herz J, Muglia LJ, Bu G. Lipoprotein receptor LRP1 regulates leptin signaling and energy homeostasis in the adult central nervous system. PLoS Biology. 9(1): e1000575, 2011.

3. Berg MG, Singh LN, Younis I, Liu Q, Pinto AM, Kaida D, Zhang Z, Cho S, Sherrill-Mix S, Wan L, Dreyfuss G. U1 snRNP Determines mRNA Length and Regulates Isoform Expression. Cell. 150: 53-64, 2012.

4. Zhang YW, Wang R, Liu Q, Zhang H, Liao FF, Xu H. Presenilin/gamma-secretase-dependent processing of beta-amyloid precursor protein regulates EGF receptor expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 104:10613-10618, 2007.

5. Liu Q, Zhang J, Trotter J, Cheng C, Han X, Weeber EJ, Bao J, Herz J, Bu G. Lipoprotein receptor LRP1 regulates age-dependent synaptic and neuronal degeneration by modulating brain lipid metabolism. J. Neurosci. 30:17068-17078. 2010.

6. Liu Q, Zhang J, Zhu H, Qin C, Chen Q, Zhao B. Dissecting the signaling pathway of nicotine-mediated neuroprotection in a mouse Alzheimer disease model. FASEB J 21:61-73, 2007.

7. Jacob CO, Eisenstein M, Dinauer MC, Ming W, Liu Q, John S, Quismorio FP Jr, Reiff A, Myones BL, Kaufman KM, McCurdy D, Harley JB, Silverman E, Kimberly RP, Vyse TJ, Gaffney PM, Moser KL, Klein-Gitelman M, Wagner-Weiner L, Langefeld CD, Armstrong DL, Zidovetzki R. Lupus-associated causal mutation in neutrophil cytosolic factor 2 (NCF2) brings unique insights to the structure and function of NADPH oxidase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 109:E59-67，2012.

8. Kanekiyo T, Zhang J, Liu Q, Liu CC, Zhang L, Bu G. Heparan Sulphate Proteoglycan and the Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein 1 Constitute Major Pathways for Neuronal Amyloid-{beta} Uptake. J.Neurosci. 31: 1644-1651, 2011.

9. Zhang J, Liu Q, Chen Q, Liu NQ, Li FL, Lu ZB, Qin C, Zhu H, Huang YY, He W, Zhao BL. Nicotine attenuates beta-amyloid-induced neurotoxicity by regulating metal homeostasis. FASEB J 20:1212-1214, 2006.

10. Liu Q, Zhang J, Tran H, Verbeek MM, Reiss K, Estus S, Bu G. LRP1 shedding in human brain: roles of ADAM10 and ADAM17. Mol Neurodegener. 4:17, 2009.