Zhaoyang Liu, Ph.D.

• 8/16/2023 – present – Assistant Professor – Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
• 2022 – present – Assistant Professor – Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
• 2021 – 2022 – Research Associate, NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Fellow – The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
• 2016 – 2021 – Postdoctoral Researcher, NIH F32 Fellow – The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
• 2010 – 2014 – Ph.D. – University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
• 2008 – 2010 – Graduate Research Assistant – Miami University, Oxford, OH
• 2006 – 2008 – Undergraduate Researcher – Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China

• 2022 – Young Investigator Travel Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
• 2020 – ORS/RJOS Young Female Investigator Travel Grant, Orthopaedic Research Society
• 2019 – New Investigator Recognition Awards (NIRA), Orthopaedic Research Society
• 2014 – Young Investigator Travel Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
• 2012 – Young Investigator Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
• 2010 – Graduate Travel Award, Miami University
• 2009-2010 – Academic Challenge Grant, Miami University
• 2009-2010 – CMSB Student Travel Grant-In-Aid, Miami University
• 2008 – Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award, Nanjing Agricultural University
• 2007 – National Fellowship, Ministry of Education of China
• 2004-2006 – Outstanding Undergraduate Fellowship, Nanjing Agricultural University

Analyzing the role of cAMP and STAT3 signaling in cartilage homeostasis and osteoarthritis development – Grant # R00 AR077090

• Principal Investigator: Zhaoyang Liu, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
• Period: 03/14/2023-02/28/2026
• Goal: To utilize mouse genetics, combined with modern genomics and pharmacological approaches, to define the role of cAMP and STAT3 signaling in articular cartilage homeostasis and OA pathogenesis, which may accelerate our diagnosis and treatment of human OA.

Investigating the ADGRG6/GPCR signaling pathway in cartilage homeostasis and musculoskeletal disorders

• Principal Investigator: Zhaoyang Liu, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at USC, Start-up Fund from Provost
• Period: 06/01/2022-6/01/2025
• Goal: This proposal investigates the functional role of a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) named ADGRG6 in cartilage maintenance and multiple musculoskeletal disorders.

1. Bian F, Hansen V, Feng HC, He J, Chen Y, Feng K, Ebrahimi B, Gray RS, Chai Y, Wu CL, Liu Z. The G protein-coupled receptor ADGRG6 maintains mouse growth plate homeostasis through IHH signaling. J Bone Miner Res. 2024 Oct 29;39(11):1644-1658. doi: 10.1093/jbmr/zjae144. PMID: 39236220; PMCID: PMC11523133.

2. Liu Z, Hussien AA, Wang Y, Heckmann T, Gonzalez R, Karner CM, Snedeker JG, Gray RS. (2021) An adhesion G protein-coupled receptor is required in cartilaginous and dense connective tissues to maintain spine alignment. eLife. 2021 Jul 28;10:e67781. doi: 10.7554/eLife.67781. PMID: 34318745; PMCID: PMC8328515.

3. Makki N, Zhao J, Liu Z, Eckalbar WL, Ushiki A, Khanshour AM, Wu J, Rios J, Gray RS, Wise CA, Ahituv N. (2021) Genomic characterization of the adolescent idiopathic scoliosis-associated transcriptome and regulome. Hum Mol Genet. 2021 Jan 21;29(22):3606-3615. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa242. PMID: 33179741; PMCID: PMC7823110.

4. Liu Z, Easson GWD, Zhao J, Makki N, Ahituv N, Hilton MJ, Tang SY, Gray RS. (2019) Dysregulation of STAT3 signaling is associated with endplate-oriented herniations of the intervertebral disc in Adgrg6 mutant mice. PLoS Genet. 2019 Oct 25;15(10):e1008096. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008096. PMID: 31652254; PMCID: PMC6834287.

5. Liu Z, Ramachandran J, Vokes SA, Gray RS. (2019) Regulation of terminal hypertrophic chondrocyte differentiation in Prmt5 mutant mice modeling infantile idiopathic scoliosis. Dis Model Mech. 2019 Dec 17;12(12):dmm041251. doi: 10.1242/dmm.041251. PMID: 31848143; PMCID: PMC6955203.

6. Ramachandran J, Liu Z, Gray RS, Vokes SA. (2019) PRMT5 is necessary to form distinct cartilage identities in the knee and long bone. Dev Biol. 2019 Dec 15;456(2):154-163. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.08.012. Epub 2019 Aug 20. PMID: 31442442; PMCID: PMC6884688.

7. Zheng Y, Liu C, Ni L, Liu Z, Mirando AJ, Lin J, Saijilafu, Chen D, Hilton MJ, Li B, Chen J. (2018) Cell type-specific effects of Notch signaling activation on intervertebral discs: Implications for intervertebral disc degeneration. J Cell Physiol. 2018 Jul;233(7):5431-5440. doi: 10.1002/jcp.26385. Epub 2018 Jan 19. PMID: 30025440; PMCID: PMC6092956.

8. Dar QA, Schott EM, Catheline SE, Maynard RD, Liu Z, Kamal F, Farnsworth CW, Ketz JP, Mooney RA, Hilton MJ, Jonason JH, Prawitt J, Zuscik MJ. (2017) Daily oral consumption of hydrolyzed type 1 collagen is chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory in murine posttraumatic osteoarthritis. PLoS One. 2017 Apr 6;12(4):e0174705. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174705. PMID: 28384173; PMCID: PMC5383229.

9. Li QQ, Liu Z, Lu W, Liu M. (2017) Interplay between Alternative Splicing and Alternative Polyadenylation Defines the Expression Outcome of the Plant Unique OXIDATIVE TOLERANT-6 Gene. Sci Rep. 2017 May 17;7(1):2052. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-02215-z. PMID: 28515442; PMCID: PMC5435732.

10. Wang C, Inzana JA, Mirando AJ, Ren Y, Liu Z, Shen J, O’Keefe RJ, Awad HA, Hilton MJ. (2016) NOTCH signaling in skeletal progenitors is critical for fracture repair. J Clin Invest. 2016 Apr 1;126(4):1471-81. doi: 10.1172/JCI80672. Epub 2016 Mar 7. PMID: 26950423; PMCID: PMC4811137.

11. Liu Z, Ren Y, Mirando AJ, Wang C, Zuscik MJ, O’Keefe RJ, Hilton MJ. (2015) Notch signaling in postnatal joint chondrocytes, but not subchondral osteoblasts, is required for articular cartilage and joint maintenance. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2016 Apr;24(4):740-51. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2015.10.015. Epub 2015 Oct 30. PMID: 26522700; PMCID: PMC4799757.

12. Liu Z, Chen J, Mirando AJ, Wang C, Zuscik MJ, O’Keefe RJ, Hilton MJ. (2015) A dual role for NOTCH signaling in joint cartilage maintenance and osteoarthritis. Sci Signal. 2015 Jul 21;8(386):ra71. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.aaa3792. PMID: 26198357; PMCID: PMC4607068.

13. Kohn A, Rutkowski TP, Liu Z, Mirando AJ, Zuscik MJ, O’Keefe RJ, Hilton MJ. (2015) Notch signaling controls chondrocyte hypertrophy via indirect regulation of Sox9. Bone Res. 2015 Aug 11;3:15021. doi: 10.1038/boneres.2015.21. PMID: 26558140; PMCID: PMC4640428.

14. Mirando AJ, Liu Z, Moore T, Lang A, Kohn A, Osinski AM, O’Keefe RJ, Mooney RA, Zuscik MJ, Hilton MJ. (2013) RBP-Jκ-dependent Notch signaling is required for murine articular cartilage and joint maintenance. Arthritis Rheum. 2013 Oct;65(10):2623-33. doi: 10.1002/art.38076. PMID: 23839930; PMCID: PMC4038327.

15. Zhou J, Gao Y, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Maltby KM, Liu Z, Lan Y, Jiang R. (2011) Osr2 acts downstream of Pax9 and interacts with both Msx1 and Pax9 to pattern the tooth developmental field. Dev Biol. 2011 May 15;353(2):344-53. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.03.012. Epub 2011 Mar 17. PMID: 21420399; PMCID: PMC3081931.

16. Liu K, Xu S, Xuan W, Ling T, Cao Z, Huang B, Sun Y, Fang L, Liu Z, Zhao N, Shen W. (2007) Carbon monoxide counteracts the inhibition of seed germination and alleviates oxidative damage caused by salt stress in Oryza sativa. Plant Science, Volume 172, Issue 3, 2007, Pages 544-555, ISSN 0168-9452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2006.11.007.

17. Cao ZY, Xuan W, Liu ZY, Li XN, Zhao N, Xu P, Wang Z, G RZ, Shen WB. (2007) Carbon monoxide promotes lateral root formation in rapeseed. J Integr Plant Biol. 2007;49(7):1070–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1672-9072.2007.00482.x.