Current Projects

RIGERR
BIOinformatics

The Liang group studies molecular systems medicine.  The current work in our group 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 multidisciplinary, translational research platform where we integrate human research with animal, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC), and other model system research using approaches of physiology, multi-omics, single-cell and spatial omics, big data analysis, genome editing, genetics, biochemistry, and molecular and cell biology.

(Epi)genomics and precision medicine

Current projects include studies of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of blood pressure regulation, hypertensive end organ damage, and kidney disease and biomarkers of coronary artery disease.

Representative publications

  1. Liu, Y., Pandey, R., Qiu, Q. et al. Chromatin interaction maps of human arterioles reveal mechanisms for the genetic regulation of blood pressure. Nat Commun 2025: 16, 6577
  2. Xue H, Mishra MK, Liu Y, Liu P, Grzybowski M, Pandey R, Usa K, Vanden Avond MA, Bala N, Alli AA, Cowley AW Jr, Qiu Q, Greene AS, Rao S, O’Meara CC, Geurts AM, Liang M. Physiological role and mechanisms of action for a long noncoding haplotype region. Cell Rep. 2025 Jun 24;44(6):115805.
  3. Widlansky ME, Liu Y, Tumusiime S, Hofeld B, Khan N, Aljadah M, Wang J, Anger A, Qiu Q, Therani B, Liu P, Liang M.  Coronary plaque sampling reveals molecular insights into coronary artery disease.  Circ Res 2023; 133(6):532-534.
  4. 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; 101(4):766-778.
  5. Kotchen TA, Cowley AW Jr, Liang M.  Ushering hypertension into the new era of precision medicine.  JAMA 2016; 315: 343-4.

Regulatory RNA

Current projects include studies of miR-204 and other regulatory RNAs in the development of hypertension and related tissue injury.

Representative 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; 10: e8046.
  3. Tian Z, Greene AS, Pietrusz JL, Matus IR, Liang M. MicroRNA-target pairs in the rat kidney identified by microRNA microarray, proteomic, and bioinformatic analysis. Genome Res. 2008; 18: 404-11.

Cellular metabolism

Current projects include studies of renal metabolomics and regulatory roles of metabolic intermediaries in the development of hypertension and related tissue injury.

Representative 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.