CRISPR-Cas systems are initially discovered as the adaptive immune systems of bacteria and archaea. They have been reprogrammed as a powerful tool for genome editing. Now, they are versatile toolkit with broad application in numerous fields. However, there are still fundamental questions unanswered regarding their biological features and technical limitations. Our long-term goal is to study the molecular mechanism of CRISPR-Cas systems, develop and optimize CRISPR based tools, as well as other novel gene-editing tools, and eventually apply the tools in combating diseases, especially the human microbiome related ones. In the following few years, we will focus on developing tools for studying gut microbiota and their roles in human health. The gained knowledge will be applied on developing novel therapeutics for alleviating or even curing diseases.

Postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University (USA) & Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (Germany)

Ph.D. in Microbiology at Iowa State University (USA)

   

• Liao C, Sharma S, Svensson SL, Kibe A, Weinberg Z, Alkhnbashi SO, Bischler T, Backofen R, Caliskan N, Sharma CM, Beisel CL. (2022) Spacer prioritization in CRISPR-Cas9 immunity is enabled by the leader RNA. Nature Microbiology. doi: 10.1038/s41564-022-01074-3

• Liao C, Beisel CL. (2021) The tracrRNA in CRISPR Biology and Technologies. Annual review of genetics. doi: 10.1146/annurev-genet-071719-022559.

• Liao C, Ttofali F, Slotkowski RA, Denny SR, Cecil, TD, Leenay, RT, Keung, AJ, Beisel, CL. (2019) Modular one-pot assembly of CRISPR arrays enables library generation and reveals factors influencing crRNA biogenesis. Nature Communications. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10747-3.

• ​Liao C, Slotkowski RA, Achmedov T, Beisel CL. (2019) The Francisella novicida Cas12a is sensitive to the structure downstream of the terminal repeat in CRISPR arrays. RNA Biology. doi: 10.1080/15476286.2018.1526537.

• Liao C, Slotkowski RA, Beisel, CL. (2019) CRATES: A one-step assembly method for Class 2 CRISPR arrays. Methods in Enzymology. doi:10.1016/bs.mie.2019.04.011.

• Liao C, Liang X, Yang F, Soupir ML, Howe AC, Thompson ML, Jarboe LR. (2017) Allelic Variation in Outer Membrane Protein A and Its Influence on Attachment of Escherichia coli to Corn Stover. Frontiers in Microbiology. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00708.

• Liao C, Liang X, Soupir ML, Jarboe LR. (2015) Cellular, Particle and Environmental Parameters Influencing Attachment in Surface Waters: A Review. Journal of Applied Microbiology. doi: 10.1111/jam.12860

• Wu WY*, Mohanraju p*, Liao C, Adiego-Pérez B, Creutzburg SCA, Makarova KS, Keessen K, Khan TS, Prinsen S, Yan WX, Migur A, Laffeber C, Scott DA, Lebbink JHG, Koonin EV, Beisel CL, Oost JVD. (2022) The miniature CRISPR-Cas12m effector binds DNA to block transcription. Molecular Cell. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.11.003

• Collins SP*, Rostain W*, Liao C, Beisel CL. (2021) Sequence-independent RNA sensing and DNA targeting by a split domain CRISPR-Cas12a gRNA switch. Nucleic Acids Research. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkab100

• Jacobsen T, Ttofali F, Liao C, Manchalu S, Gray BN, Beisel CL. (2020) Characterization of Cas12a nucleases reveals distinct PAM profiles between closely-related orthologs. Nucleic Acids Research. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkaa272

• Jacobsen T, Liao C, Beisel CL. (2019) The Acidaminococcus sp. Cas12a nuclease recognizes GTTV and GCTV as non-canonical PAMs. FEMS Microbiology Letters. doi: 10.1093/femsle/fnz085.

• Liang X, Liao C, Soupir ML, Jarboe LR, Thompson ML, Dixon PM. (2017) Escherichia coli attachment to model particulates: The effects of bacterial cell characteristics and particulate properties. PLOS One. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184664.

• Liang X, Liao C, Thompson ML, Soupir ML, Jarboe LR, Dixon PM. (2016) E. coli Surface Properties Differ between Stream Water and Sediment Environments. Frontiers in Microbiology. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01732

• Li S, Hanlon R, Wise H, Pal N, Brar H, Liao C, Gao H, Perez E, Zhou L, Tyler BM, Bhattacharyya MK. (2021) Interaction of Phytophthora sojae effector Avr1b with E3 ubiquitin ligase GmPUB1 is required for recognition by soybeans carrying Phytophthora resistance Rps1-b and Rps1-k genes. Frontiers in Plant Science. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.725571

Study biology of CRISPR-Cas system;

Develop and optimize gene-editing tools;

Investigate how microbes affect human health.