Baoyu Liu

Baoyu Liu, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Pathology

Lab

My research focuses on T cell antigen recognition and how it determines T cell responses. I use ultrasensitive two-dimensional (2D) methods to analyze T cell antigen recognition by measuring 2D kinetics of T cell receptor (TCR) and coreceptor (CD4/8) interacting with pMHC on live T cells at the single molecule/single cell level. I am currently working on a project looking at how diabetogenic CD8 T cells recognize beta-cell self-antigens and how 2D kinetics parameters correlate with type I diabetes. I am generally interested in the application of 2D methods to further our understanding of T cell antigen recognition in the broad context of viral infection, autoimmune diseases, and tumor immunology.

Research Statement

My research focuses on T cell antigen recognition and how it determines T cell responses. I use ultrasensitive two-dimensional (2D) methods to analyze T cell antigen recognition by measuring 2D kinetics of T cell receptor (TCR) and coreceptor (CD4/8) interacting with pMHC on live T cells at the single molecule/single cell level. I am currently working on a project looking at how diabetogenic CD8 T cells recognize beta-cell self-antigens and how 2D kinetics parameters correlate with type I diabetes. I am generally interested in the application of 2D methods to further our understanding of T cell antigen recognition in the broad context of viral infection, autoimmune diseases, and tumor immunology.

Education History

Undergraduate Fudan University
 BA
Graduate Training Fudan University
 MS
Doctoral Training Washington University in St. Louis
 PhD

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Hong J, Ge C, Jothikumar P, Yuan Z, Liu B, Bai B, Li K, Rittase W, Shinzawa M, Zhang Y, Palin A, Love P, Yu X, Salaita K, Evavold B, Singer A, Zhu (2018). A TCR mechanotransduction signaling loop induces negative selection in the thymus. Nature immunology, 19(12), 1379¿1390.
  2. Kolawole EM, Andargachew R, Liu B, Jacobs JR, Evavold B (2018). 2D Kinetic Analysis of TCR and CD8 Coreceptor for LCMV GP33 Epitopes. Frontiers in immunology, 9, 2348.
  3. Choi HK, Cong P, Ge C, Natarajan A, Liu B, Zhang Y, Li K, Rushdi MN, Chen W, Lou J, Krogsgaard M, Zhu (2023). Catch bond models may explain how force amplifies TCR signaling and antigen discrimination. Nature communications, 14(1), 2616.
  4. Bettini M, Scavuzzo MA, Liu B, Kolawole E, Guo L, Evavold BD, Borowiak M, Bettini M (2020). A Critical Insulin TCR Contact Residue Selects High-Affinity and Pathogenic Insulin-Specific T Cells. Diabetes, 69(3), 392-400.

Review

  1. Liu B, Kolawole EM, Evavold B (2021). Mechanobiology of T Cell Activation: To Catch a Bond. Annual review of cell and developmental biology, 37, 65-87.