Yuru Liu, PhD

Research Interests

The normal alveolar epithelium is composed of two types of cells: flat type I cells, which comprise 95% of the gas-exchange surface, and cuboidal type II cells that secrete pulmonary surfactant. Injury of alveoli activates programs in potent type II cells that result in proliferation and differentiation into type I cells leading to alveolar barrier repair. Thus, type II cells function as “facultative stem cells” that have a crucial role in repair of the alveolar surface. We use mouse lung injury models to define sub-population of type II cells for the progenitor cell function. We also use genetic models to define the proteins responsible for transition of type II cells to type I cells required for recovery from alveolar injury. We are currently focusing on three areas: 1) The factors that induce the progenitor cells phenotype of type II cell. 2)The interactions of type II cells with surrounding stem cell niche. 3)The consequences of functionally disrupting activated type II cells in the mechanism of chronic lung diseases.

Postdoctoral, Lab technician and Predoctoral Student positions currently available
Please send CVs to yuruliu@uic.edu

• Chen Q, Hirai H, Chan M, Zhang J, Cho M, Randell SH, Kadur Lakshminarasimha Murthy P, Rehman J and Liu Y. (2024) Characterization of perivascular alveolar epithelial stem cells and niche in lung homeostasis and cancer. Stem Cell Reports. 2024 May 7:S2213-6711(24)00116-4. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2024.04.009.
• Chen Q, Rehman J,  Chan M, Fu P, Dudek SM, Natarajan V, Malik AB and Liu Y. Angiocrine sphingosine-1-phosphate activation of S1PR2-YAP signaling axis in alveolar type II cells is essential for lung repair Cell Reports, 2020. 31(13):107828. PMCID: PMC7371431
• Finn J, Sottoriva K, Pajcini KV, Kitajewski JK, Chen C, Zhang W, Malik AB and Liu Y. Dlk1-mediated temporal regulation of notch signaling is required for differentiation of alveolar type II to type I cells during lung repair. Cell Reports, 2019, Mar 12;26(11):2942-2954. PMCID: PMC6464111
• Chen, Q., Suresh Kumar, V., Finn, J., Jiang, D., Liang, J., Zhao, Y. Y., Liu, Y. CD44-high alveolar type II cells show stem cell properties during steady-state alveolar homeostasis.  Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2017 Jul 1;313(1): L41-L51. PMCID: PMC5538873.
• Liu Y, Suresh Kumar V, Zhang W, Rehman J, Malik AB. Activation of type II cells into regenerative Sca-1+ cells during alveolar repair. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2015 Jul;53 (1):113-24 PMCID: PMC4566105. (Selected by F1000)
• Chignalia AZ, Vogel SM, Reynolds AB, Mehta D, Dull RO, Minshall RD, Malik AB and Liu Y. p120-catenin expressed in alveolar type II cells is essential for the regulation of lung innate immune response. Am J Pathol185(5):1251-63, 2015. PMCID: PMC4419206.
• Liu Y, Sadikot RT, Adami GR, Kalinichenko VV, Pendyala S, Natarajan V, Zhao YY, and Malik AB. FoxM1 mediates the progenitor function of type II epithelial cells in repairing alveolar injury induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Exp Med. 208:1473-84, 2011. PMCID: PMC3135362.

B.M. Nanjing University; Medicine (1993).
Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Developmental Genetics (2000).
Postdoc, Duke University & Vanderbilt University; Developmental Biology of Lung (2004).
Postdoc, University of Chicago; Developmental Biology of Lung (2007).

Member, American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Member, International Society for Stem Cell Research