Shanghai Institut of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Principal Investigator

LIU XingPh.D.

Academic title：Principal Investigator
Discipline：Immune Response and Immunotherapy
Departments：Anti-infection and Anti-tumor Immunity
Phone：86-21-54923080
E-mail：xingliu@siii.cas.cn
Mailing Address：Life Science Research Building, 320 Yueyang Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200031, P.R. China

Curriculum Vitae

Academic Experience

2018-present, Principle investigator, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, CAS

2016-2018, Instructor, Harvard Medical School
2014-2016, Postdoctoral fellow, Harvard Medical School (Charles A King Fellowship)

2012-2014, Postdoctoral fellow, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS

Education

2007-2012, Ph.D., Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS
2003-2007, B.S., East China Normal University (ECNU)

Research Direction

Our lab has been focusing on investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms during host anti-pathogen immune responses, aiming to identify novel regulators and mediators, and thus providing therapeutic targets and strategies for associated inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as sepsis. One of our major focuses is pyroptosis, an programmed inflammatory cell death triggered by cytosolic sensing of invasive infection and danger signals. Gasdermins (GSDMs), a family of homologous pore-forming proteins, were recently identified as key executioners of pyroptosis. Our previous work (and others) identified the N-terminal fragments of GSDMD (GSDMD-NT) liberated via inflammatory caspase cleavage assemble in cell membranes and form pores, disrupting cell membrane integrity and trigger pyroptosis. In another study, we screened 3,752 small molecules and identified disulfiram, a drug approved by FDA for treating alcohol addiction, as an inhibitor of GSDMD pore formation. Disulfiram blocks pyroptosis and cytokine release in cells and lipopolysaccharide-induced septic death in mice, providing new therapeutic indications for repurposing this safe drug to counteract inflammation and human diseases. Currently we are working on elucidating in depth the regulation and function of GSDMs at the root of host-pathogen interactions as well as their function in associated human diseases; Meanwhile, we are employing unbiased genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screen, high-throughput small molecules screen and structure-based drug design and optimization, to identify novel regulators or mediators involved in host defense against microbial pathogen infection.

Research Progress

Selected Publications (*Corresponding author)

Bai Y, Pan Y, and Liu X*. Mechanistic insights into gasdermin-mediated pyroptosis. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2025; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-025-00837-0 (IF 112.7)

Miao R*, Jiang C, Chang W, … Zhang P*, Liu X* and Lieberman J*. Gasdermin D permeabilization of mitochondrial inner and outer membranes accelerates and enhances pyroptosis. Immunity. 2023; 56(11):2523-41. (IF 32.4)

Bai Y, Min R, Chen P, Mei S, Deng F, Zheng Z, Jiang C, Miao R, Wu Z, Zhang P, Pan Y, Lieberman J* and Liu X*. Disulfiram blocks inflammatory TLR4 signaling by targeting MD-2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023, 120(31): e2306399120. (IF 11.1)

Deng W, Bai Y, Deng F, Pan Y, Mei S, Zheng Z, Min R, Wu Z, Li W, Miao R, Zhang Z, Kupper T, Lieberman J and Liu X*. Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin B cleaves GSDMA and triggers pyroptosis. Nature. 2022; 602:496-502. (IF 64.8)

Zheng Z, Deng W, Bai Y, Miao R, Mei S, Zhang Z, Pan Y, Wang Y, Min R, Deng F, Wu Z, Li W, Chen P, Ma T, Lou X, Lieberman J*and Liu X*. The lysosomal Rag-Ragulator complex licenses RIPK1- and Caspase-8-mediated pyroptosis by Yersinia. Science. 2021; 372, eabg0269. (IF 56.9)

Liu X*, Xia S, Zhang Z, Wu H*, Lieberman J*. Channeling inflammation: gasdermins in physiology and disease. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2021; 20:384-405. (IF 120.1)

Hu J, Liu X*, Xia S, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Zhao J, Ruan J, Luo X, Lou X, Bai Y, Wang J, Hollingsworth L, Magupalli V, Zhao L, Luo H, Kim J, Lieberman J* and Wu H*. Disulfiram inhibits pyroptosis by blocking gasdermin D pore formation. Nat. Immunol. 2020; (7):736-745. (IF 30.5)

Liu X*, Lieberman J*. Knocking 'em Dead: Pore-Forming Proteins in Immune Defense. Annu Rev Immunol. 2020; 38:455-485. (IF 29.7)

Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Xia S, Kong Q, Li S, Liu X, Junqueira C, Meza-Sosa K, Mok T, Ansara J, Sengupta S, Yao Y, Wu H, Lieberman J. Gasdermin E suppresses tumor growth by activating anti-tumor immunity. Nature. 2020; 579(7799):415-420. (IF 64.8)

Liu X, Fu R, Pan Y, Meza-Sosa K, Zhang Z and Lieberman J. PNPT1 Release from Mitochondria during Apoptosis Triggers Decay of Poly(A) RNAs. Cell. 2018; 174(1):187-201. (IF 64.5)

Ruan J, Xia S, Liu X, Lieberman J, and Wu H. Cryo-EM structure of the Gasdermin A3 membrane pore. Nature. 2018; 557(7703):62-67. (IF 64.8)

Liu X, Zhang Z, Ruan J, Pan Y, Magupalli V, Wu H, and Lieberman J. Inflammasome-activated Gasdermin D causes pyroptosis by forming membrane pores. Nature. 2016; 535: 153-158. (IF 64.8)

Wittrup A, Ai A, Liu X, Hamar P, Trifonova R, Charisse K, Manoharan M, Kirchhausen T, and Lieberman J. Visualizing lipid-formulated siRNA release from endosomes and target gene knockdown. Nat. Biotechnol. 2015; 33(8), 870–876. (IF 46.9)

Laboratory Members

Principal Investigator: LIU Xing

Research Associate/Assistant: LOU Xiwen, KANG He

Postdoctoral Fellows: DENG Wanyan, ZHENG Zengzhang, LI Wu, CHEN Pengcheng

Ph. D. Candidates: BAI Yang, DENG Fan, MIN Rui, WU Zeyu, ZHONG Ling