Liu (Xin) Lab | UT Southwestern, Dallas, Texas

Our Research

Xin Liu Lab is interested in understanding the regulation of transcription and chromatin dynamics underlying many fundamental biological processes including differentiation, development, and oncogenesis.

The current research of the laboratory is focused on elucidating the molecular and biophysical basis of chromatin organization, including chromatin looping and heterochromatin formation during gene activation and silencing, with a combined approach of structural biology, biochemistry, and chemical biology.

Meet the Principal Investigator

Xin Liu, Ph.D.

Dr. Liu is a Professor in the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences. He is also a Professor in the Departments of Biophysics and Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research.

Dr. Liu did his graduate research in the laboratory of Dr. Ronen Marmorstein at the Wistar Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, where he carried out structural and functional studies on the retinoblastoma and p300/CBP tumor suppressor proteins and their regulation by viral oncoproteins. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2007. Dr. Liu was a Jane Coffin Childs postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Roger Kornberg at Stanford University from 2008 to 2011, where he studied the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription.

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Meet the Lab Members

Matthew Bratkowski

Postdoctoral Researcher

Liangying Jiao

Lab Member

Banupriya Mukundan

Postdoctoral Researcher

Chengkun Wang

Postdoctoral Researcher

Siming Chen

Postdoctoral Researcher

Xin Yang

Lab Member

Murtada Shubbar

Lab Tech

Qi Zhang

Undergraduate Student

Publications

CK2-mediated phosphorylation of SUZ12 promotes PRC2 function by stabilizing enzyme active site.

Gong L, Liu X, Jiao L, Yang X, Lemoff A, Liu X, 2022 Nov Nat Commun 1 13 6781

A partially disordered region connects gene repression and activation functions of EZH2.

Jiao L, Shubbar M, Yang X, Zhang Q, Chen S, Wu Q, Chen Z, Rizo J, Liu X, 2020 Jul Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

A Dimeric Structural Scaffold for PRC2-PCL Targeting to CpG Island Chromatin.

Chen S, Jiao L, Liu X, Yang X, Liu X, 2020 Jan Mol. Cell

Unique Structural Platforms of Suz12 Dictate Distinct Classes of PRC2 for Chromatin Binding.

Chen S, Jiao L, Shubbar M, Yang X, Liu X 2018 Mar Mol. Cell 5 69 840-852.e5

Conserved RNA-binding specificity of polycomb repressive complex 2 is achieved by dispersed amino acid patches in EZH2.

Long Y, Bolanos B, Gong L, Liu W, Goodrich KJ, Yang X, Chen S, Gooding AR, Maegley KA, Gajiwala KS, Brooun A, Cech TR, Liu X 2017 Nov Elife 6

Polycomb repressive complex 2 in an autoinhibited state.

Bratkowski M, Yang X, Liu X 2017 08 J. Biol. Chem. 32 292 13323-13332

Structural basis of histone H3K27 trimethylation by an active polycomb repressive complex 2.

Jiao L, Liu X 2015 Oct Science 6258 350 aac4383

Disabling Uncompetitive Inhibition of Oncogenic IDH Mutations Drives Acquired Resistance.

Lyu J, Liu Y, Gong L, Chen M, Madanat YF, Zhang Y, Cai F, Gu Z, Cao H, Kaphle P, Kim YJ, Kalkan FN, Stephens H, Dickerson KE, Ni M, Chen W, Patel P, Mims AS, Borate U, Burd A, Cai SF, Yin CC, You MJ, Chung SS, Collins RH, DeBerardinis RJ, Liu X, Xu J, 2022 Oct Cancer Discov

PRC2, Chromatin Regulation, and Human Disease: Insights From Molecular Structure and Function.

Liu X, Liu X, 2022 Front Oncol 12 894585

Posttranslational regulation of FOXA1 by Polycomb and BUB3/USP7 deubiquitin complex in prostate cancer.

Park SH, Fong KW, Kim J, Wang F, Lu X, Lee Y, Brea LT, Wadosky K, Guo C, Abdulkadir SA, Crispino JD, Fang D, Ntziachristos P, Liu X, Li X, Wan Y, Goodrich DW, Zhao JC, Yu J, 2021 Apr Sci Adv 15 7

A Structural Perspective on Gene Repression by Polycomb Repressive Complex 2.

Liu X, 2021 Subcell Biochem 96 519-562

An Evolutionarily Conserved Structural Platform for PRC2 Inhibition by a Class of Ezh2 Inhibitors.

Bratkowski M, Yang X, Liu X, 2018 06 Sci Rep 1 8 9092

Structural dissection of an interaction between transcription initiation and termination factors implicated in promoter-terminator crosstalk.

Bratkowski M, Unarta IC, Zhu L, Shubbar M, Huang X, Liu X 2017 Nov J. Biol. Chem.

Developing EZH2-Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer.

Frankel AE, Liu X, Minna JD 2016 Sep Cancer Discov 9 6 949-52

Structural analysis of an active fungal PRC2.

Jiao L, Liu X 2016 May Nucleus 0

Astemizole Arrests the Proliferation of Cancer Cells by Disrupting the EZH2-EED Interaction of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2.

Kong X, Chen L, Jiao L, Jiang X, Lian F, Lu J, Zhu K, Du D, Liu J, Ding H, Zhang N, Shen J, Zheng M, Chen K, Liu X, Jiang H, Luo C 2014 Nov J. Med. Chem. 22 57 9512-21

Catalytic Mechanism of Histone Acetyltransferase p300: From the Proton Transfer to Acetylation Reaction.

Zhang X, Ouyang S, Kong X, Liang Z, Lu J, Zhu K, Zhao D, Zheng M, Jiang H, Liu X, Marmorstein R, Luo C 2014 Feb J Phys Chem B 8 118 2009-19

Architecture of an RNA polymerase II transcription pre-initiation complex.

Murakami K, Elmlund H, Kalisman N, Bushnell DA, Adams CM, Azubel M, Elmlund D, Levi-Kalisman Y, Liu X, Gibbons BJ, Levitt M, Kornberg RD 2013 Nov Science 6159 342 1238724

Formation and Fate of a Complete 31-Protein RNA Polymerase II Transcription Preinitiation Complex.

Murakami K, Calero G, Brown CR, Liu X, Davis RE, Boeger H, Kornberg RD 2013 Mar J. Biol. Chem. 9 288 6325-32

RNA polymerase II transcription: Structure and mechanism.

Liu X, Bushnell DA, Kornberg RD 2012 Sep Biochim. Biophys. Acta

Tfb6, a previously unidentified subunit of the general transcription factor TFIIH, facilitates dissociation of Ssl2 helicase after transcription initiation.

Murakami K, Gibbons BJ, Davis RE, Nagai S, Liu X, Robinson PJ, Wu T, Kaplan CD, Kornberg RD 2012 Mar Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 13 109 4816-21

Initiation complex structure and promoter proofreading.

Liu X, Bushnell DA, Silva DA, Huang X, Kornberg RD 2011 Jul Science 6042 333 633-7

Lock and key to transcription: Sigma-DNA interaction.

Liu X Bushnell DA Kornberg RD 2011 Dec Cell 6 147

Structure of an RNA polymerase II-TFIIB complex and the transcription initiation mechanism.

Liu X, Bushnell DA, Wang D, Calero G, Kornberg RD 2010 Jan Science 5962 327 206-9

The structural basis of protein acetylation by the p300/CBP transcriptional coactivator.

Liu X, Wang L, Zhao K, Thompson PR, Hwang Y, Marmorstein R, Cole PA 2008 Feb Nature 7180 451 846-50

Molecular basis for bre5 cofactor recognition by the ubp3 deubiquitylating enzyme.

Li K, Ossareh-Nazari B, Liu X, Dargemont C, Marmorstein R 2007 Sep J. Mol. Biol. 1 372 194-204

Structure of the retinoblastoma protein bound to adenovirus E1A reveals the molecular basis for viral oncoprotein inactivation of a tumor suppressor.

Liu X, Marmorstein R 2007 Nov Genes Dev. 21 21 2711-6

Multiple roles for acetylation in the interaction of p300 HAT with ATF-2.

Karanam B, Wang L, Wang D, Liu X, Marmorstein R, Cotter R, Cole PA 2007 Jul Biochemistry 28 46 8207-16

When viral oncoprotein meets tumor suppressor: a structural view.

Liu X, Marmorstein R 2006 Sep Genes Dev. 17 20 2332-7

Structure of the human Papillomavirus E7 oncoprotein and its mechanism for inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor.

Liu X, Clements A, Zhao K, Marmorstein R 2006 Jan J. Biol. Chem. 1 281 578-86

A mechanism-based inactivator for histone demethylase LSD1.

Culhane JC, Szewczuk LM, Liu X, Da G, Marmorstein R, Cole PA 2006 Apr J. Am. Chem. Soc. 14 128 4536-7

Contact Us

Xin Liu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacology

Phone: 214-648-2493
Lab Phone: 214-648-4516

Mailing Address
UT Southwestern Medical Center
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75390-9041