Chun-Yu Liu

We are conducting genetic research on psychiatric diseases, especially bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, using genomics and bioinformatics technologies. Positional cloning, candidate gene and whole genome association approaches are utilized to identify susceptibility genes of the diseases. Functional genomics and transgenic mouse studies are used to unravel mechanism of the identified susceptibility genes. Briefly, I have four major projects going on: 1) microRNA in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia: looking for variants in miRNAs that might be related to the diseases; 2) gene expression regulation in human brain: map gene expression controllers in brain; 3) CNVs and SNPs in whole genome association study of bipolar disorder: looking for SNP/CNV association with the disease; 4) G72 transgenic mice: study biochemical, genomic, and behavioral changes in a human BAC transgenic mice that may serve as a model for human psychiatric diseases.

We are conducting genetic research on psychiatric diseases, especially bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, using genomics and bioinformatics technologies. Positional cloning, candidate gene and whole genome association approaches are utilized to identify susceptibility genes of the diseases. Functional genomics and transgenic mouse studies are used to unravel mechanism of the identified susceptibility genes. Briefly, I have four major projects going on: 1) microRNA in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia: looking for variants in miRNAs that might be related to the diseases; 2) gene expression regulation in human brain: map gene expression controllers in brain; 3) CNVs and SNPs in whole genome association study of bipolar disorder: looking for SNP/CNV association with the disease; 4) G72 transgenic mice: study biochemical, genomic, and behavioral changes in a human BAC transgenic mice that may serve as a model for human psychiatric diseases.

Chunyu Liu, Lijun Cheng, Judith A. Badner, Dandan Zhang, David W Craig, Margot Redman, Elliot S. Gershon. Whole genome association mapping of gene expression in the human prefrontal cortex. Mol Psychiatry. 2009. (Accepted) 

Dandan Zhang, Lijun Cheng, Yudong Qian, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, John R. Kelsoe, Tiffany Greenwood, Caroline Nievergelt, Thomas B. Barrett, Rebecca McKinney, Nicholas Schork, Erin N. Smith, Cinnamon Bloss, John Nurnberger, Howard J. Edenberg, Tatiana Foroud, William Sheftner, William B. Lawson, Evaritus A. Nwulia, Maria Hipolito, William Coryell, John Rice, William Byerley, Francis McMahon, Thomas G. Schulze, Wade Berrettini, James B. Potash, Pamela L. Belmonte, Peter P. Zandi, Melvin McInnis, Sebastian Zöllner, David Craig, Szabolics Szelinger, Daniel Koller, Susan L. Christian, Chunyu Liu*, Elliot S. Gershon* Singleton deletions throughout the genome increase risk of bipolar disorder. Molecular Psychiatry.2009.14(4):376-80. (*co-corresponden 

Manjula Maheshwari, Jiajun Shi, Judith A. Badner, Andrew Skol, Virginia L.Willour, Donna M Muzny, David A Wheeler, Fowler R Gerald, Sevilla Detera-Wadleigh, Francis J. McMahon, James B. Potash, Elliot S. Gershon, Chunyu Liu*, Richard A. Gibbs. Common and rare variants of G72 in bipolar disorder. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2009. 150B(7):960-6. (corresponding author) 

Jiajun Shi, Judith A. Badner, Virginia L. Willour, James B. Potash, Elliot S. Gershon, Chunyu Liu. Further evidence for an association of G72/G30 with schizophrenia in Chinese. Schizophrenia Research. 2009 Feb;107(2-3):324-6 

Jiajun Shi, Elliot S. Gershon, and Chunyu Liu. Genetic associations with schizophrenia: meta-analyses of 12 “top” genes. Schizophrenia Research. 2008. 104(1-3):96-107. 

Jiajun Shi, Jacqueline K. Wittke-Thompson, Judith A. Badner, Eiji Hattori, James B. Potash, Virginia L. Willour, Francis J. McMahon, Elliot S. Gershon, and Chunyu Liu. Clock Genes may Influence Bipolar Disorder Susceptibility and Dysfunctional Circadian Rhythm. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2008 Oct 5;147B(7):1047-55. 

Jiajun Shi, Judith A. Badner, Eiji Hattori, James B. Potash, Virginia L. Willour, Francis J. McMahon, Elliot S. Gershon, and Chunyu Liu. Neurotransmission and bipolar disorder: a systematic family-based association study. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2008 Oct 5;147B(7):1270-7. 

Chunyu Liu, Jiajun Shi, Judith A. Badner, Hongwei Zou, Yudong Qian, Elliot S. Gershon. No Association of Trace Amine Receptor Genes with Bipolar Disorder. Molecular Psychiatry. 2007. 12(11):979-981 

Jiajun Shi, Judith A. Badner, Elliot S. Gershon, and Chunyu Liu. Allelic association of G72/G30 with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: a comprehensive meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Research. 2007. [Epub ahead of print] 

Fengxia Yao, Ruifang Zhang, Zanhua Zhu, Kun Xia, Chunyu Liu. MutScreener: primer design tool for PCR- direct sequencing. MutScreener: primer design tool for PCR- direct sequencing. Nucleic Acids Res. 2006. 34(Web Server issue):W660-4 

Ruifang Zhang, Zanhua Zhu, Hongming Zhu, Tu Nguyen, Fengxia Yao, Kun Xia, Desheng Liang, Chunyu Liu. SNP Cutter: A Comprehensive Tool for SNP PCR-RFLP Assay Design. Nucleic Acids Research. 2005. 33(Web Server issue):W489-92 

Eiji Hattori*, Chunyu Liu*, Judith A. Badner, Tom I. Bonner, Susan L. Christian, Manjula Maheshwari, Sevilla D. Detera-Wadleigh, Richard A. Gibbs, Elliot S. Gershon. Polymorphisms at the G72/G30 gene locus, on 13q33, are associated with bipolar disorder in two independent pedigree series. American Journal of Human Genetics. 2003. 72:1131-1140 (*equal contribution) 

Chunyu Liu, Tom I. Bonner, Tu Nguyen, Jennifer L. Lyons, Susan L. Christian, Elliot S. Gershon. DNannotator: annotation software tool kit for regional genomic sequences. Nucleic Acids Res. 2003. 31(13):3729-3735 

Chunyu Liu, Lijun Cheng, Judith A. Badner, Dandan Zhang, David W Craig, Margot Redman, Elliot S. Gershon. Whole genome association mapping of gene expression in the human prefrontal cortex. Mol Psychiatry. 2009. (Accepted) 

Dandan Zhang, Lijun Cheng, Yudong Qian, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, John R. Kelsoe, Tiffany Greenwood, Caroline Nievergelt, Thomas B. Barrett, Rebecca McKinney, Nicholas Schork, Erin N. Smith, Cinnamon Bloss, John Nurnberger, Howard J. Edenberg, Tatiana Foroud, William Sheftner, William B. Lawson, Evaritus A. Nwulia, Maria Hipolito, William Coryell, John Rice, William Byerley, Francis McMahon, Thomas G. Schulze, Wade Berrettini, James B. Potash, Pamela L. Belmonte, Peter P. Zandi, Melvin McInnis, Sebastian Zöllner, David Craig, Szabolics Szelinger, Daniel Koller, Susan L. Christian, Chunyu Liu*, Elliot S. Gershon* Singleton deletions throughout the genome increase risk of bipolar disorder. Molecular Psychiatry.2009.14(4):376-80. (*co-corresponden 

Manjula Maheshwari, Jiajun Shi, Judith A. Badner, Andrew Skol, Virginia L.Willour, Donna M Muzny, David A Wheeler, Fowler R Gerald, Sevilla Detera-Wadleigh, Francis J. McMahon, James B. Potash, Elliot S. Gershon, Chunyu Liu*, Richard A. Gibbs. Common and rare variants of G72 in bipolar disorder. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2009. 150B(7):960-6. (corresponding author) 

Jiajun Shi, Judith A. Badner, Virginia L. Willour, James B. Potash, Elliot S. Gershon, Chunyu Liu. Further evidence for an association of G72/G30 with schizophrenia in Chinese. Schizophrenia Research. 2009 Feb;107(2-3):324-6 

Jiajun Shi, Elliot S. Gershon, and Chunyu Liu. Genetic associations with schizophrenia: meta-analyses of 12 “top” genes. Schizophrenia Research. 2008. 104(1-3):96-107.