Introduction:

Dr. Liao received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan where he worked with Prof. Julie S. Biteen on single-molecule dynamics in bacterial cells. After completing his Ph.D., he joined the lab of Prof. Michael J. Rust at the University of Chicago as a postdoctoral scholar to study biological oscillators and self-organizing processes in bacteria. His research has emphasized that even relatively simple biochemical networks can give rise to complex spatiotemporal phenomena and sophisticated stress-adaptation strategies in bacteria. He started his independent career at HKUST in 2023, where his lab continues to investigate the relationship between gene regulatory networks and emergent properties in bacteria using experimental and computational approaches.

Research Question

Microbial systems biology and biophysics

Our lab is generally interested in understanding how emergent properties in bacteria arise from naturally occurring biochemical networks. Our current research efforts mainly focus on two types of emergent behaviors: (1) temporal signal processing in single bacterial cells and (2) phenotypic heterogeneity in isogenic bacterial populations. We are studying how nonlinearity and stochasticity of the underlying biochemical processes are connected to the observed phenotypes, and the growth advantages these emergent behaviors confer upon the organism. We are particularly interested in investigating these phenomena under fluctuating or stressful conditions such as nutrient limitation and antibiotic attacks, as they often reveal unexpected insights regarding why these natural biochemical networks have been selected by evolution. We pursue these fundamental biology questions using a combination of techniques, including bacterial genetics, advanced microscopy, computational image analysis, microfluidics and mathematical modeling. Eventually, we hope our findings will inspire novel strategies to control bacterial growth and to improve biological circuit design.

Representative Publications

1. Liao and M.J. Rust, “The Circadian Clock Ensures Successful DNA Replication in Cyanobacteria”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 118, e2022516118 (2021).
2. Pattanayak, Y. Liao, E.W.J. Wallace, B. Budnik, D.A. Drummond, M.J. Rust, “Daily Cycles of Reversible Protein Condensation in Cyanobacteria”, Cell Reports, 32 108032 (2020).
3. Liao and M.J. Rust, “The Min oscillator defines sites of asymmetric cell division in cyanobacteria during stress recovery”, Cell Systems, 7 471-481 (2018).
4. Liao, Y. Li, J.W. Schroeder, L.A. Simmons and J.S. Biteen, “Single-molecule DNA polymerase dynamics at a bacterial replisome in live cells”, Biophysical Journal, 111 2562-2569 (2016).
5. Liao*, J.W. Schroeder*, B. Gao, L.A. Simmons and J.S. Biteen, “Single-molecule motions and interactions in live cells reveal target-search dynamics in mismatch repair”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 112, E6898-E6906 (2015). *equal contributions