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Liang GE Ph.D.

Associate Professor

2001-2005 B.S. Shandong Normal University

2005-2011 Ph.D. Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, SIBS, CAS

2011-2015 Postdoctoral Fellow University of California, Berkeley

2015-2017 Research Specialist University of California, Berkeley

2017- Associate Professor/Principal Investigator School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University and Center for Life Sciences

Research interest

The nature of life is maintenance of metabolic homeostasis against the challenges from the environment. We are interested in understanding a fundamental question in cell biology: how cells maintain homeostasis in response to stresses. We focus on investigating three interconnected cellular processes: autophagy (a key mechanism for clearance and renewal of cellular components in response to stress), unconventional secretion (a recently identified ER-Golgi trafficking-independent secretion process under stress conditions), and organelle interaction (coordinated action of organelles through membrane contact to cope with stress). We employ cutting-edge techniques of cell biology, biochemistry, mouse model, and computational biology to study the mechanism and coordination of the three cellular processes, as well as to understand their biological functions and the related human diseases.

Selected publications

1. Xinyu Ma, Caijing Lu, Yuting Chen, Shulin Li, Ningjia Ma, Xuan Tao, Ying Li, Jing Wang, Min Zhou, Yong-Bin Yan, Pilong Li, Kartoosh Heydari, Haiteng Deng, Min Zhang*, Cong Yi*, and Liang Ge*. CCT2 is an aggrephagy receptor for clearance of solid protein aggregates. Cell (2022) 185:1325-1345 (Highlighted in Nature Reviews Cell Biology [Paulina Strzyz. Chaperoning solid aggregates for autophagy. Nature Reviews Cell Biology (2022)] and by Christian Behrends in Molecular Cell [Dorothee Dormann & Christian Behrends. Only solid waste, please! Molecular Cell (2022) 82:1408-1410]).

2. Shulin Li, Rui Yan, Jialu Xu, Shiqun Zhao, Xinyu Ma, Qiming Sun, Min Zhang, Ying Li, Jun-Jie Gogo Liu, Liangyi Chen, Sai Li, Ke Xu, and Liang Ge*. A new type of ERGIC-ERES membrane contact mediated by TMED9 and SEC12 is required for autophagosome biogenesis. Cell Research (2022) 32:119–138. (Highlighted by David Rubinsztein [Claudia Puri & David C. Rubinsztein. TMED9–SEC12, an important “contact” for autophagy. Cell Research (2022) 32:111–112])

3. Min Zhang#, Lei Liu#, Xubo Lin, Yang Wang, Qing Guo, Ying Li, Shulin Li, Yuxin Sun, Di Zhang, Xiachen Lv, Li Zheng and Liang Ge*. A translocation pathway for vesicle-mediated unconventional protein secretion. Cell (2020) 181:637-652. Selected for F1000Prime; Highlighted by Jayanta Debnath [Tan A. Nguyen & Jayanta Debnath. Unconventional secretion: cargo channeling by TMED10. Cell Research (2020)]

4. Liang Ge*, Min Zhang, Sam Kenny, Anandita Mathur, Dawei Liu, Miharu Maeda, Kota Saito, Ke Xu, and Randy Schekman. Remodeling of ER-exit sites initiates a membrane supply pathway for autophagosome biogenesis. EMBO Rep. (2017) 18(9):1586-1603. Selected for F1000Prime

5. Min Zhang, Sam Kenny, Liang Ge, Ke Xu and Randy Schekman. Translocation of interleukin-1β into a vesicle intermediate in autophagy-mediated secretion. eLife (2015) Nov;10.7554/eLife.11205. Selected for F1000Prime

6. Liang Ge, Min Zhang and Randy Schekman. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and COPII generate LC3 lipidation vesicles from the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment. eLife (2014) Nov 28; 3:e04135.

7. Liang Ge, David Melville, Min Zhang and Randy Schekman. The ER-Golgi intermediate compartment is a key membrane source for the LC3 lipidation step of autophagosome biogenesis. eLife (2013) Aug 6; 2:e00947. Selected for F1000Prime and highlighted by Daniel Klionsky [Amélie Bernard and Daniel J Klionsky. Defining the membrane precursor supporting the nucleation of the phagophore. Autophagy (2014) 10(1):1-2].

Awards

Vice Director of Subcellular Structure and Function Section, Biophysical Society of China

Deputy Secretary-General of Organelle Research Section, Cell Biology Society of China

NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) (2015-2017)

Jane Coffin Child Foundation Fellowship (2013-2015)

Human Frontier Science Program Fellowship (2012)

Contact information

Tel：+86-10-62789019(lab)