Xinran Liu, MD, PhD
Senior Research ScientistDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Appointments
Neuroscience
Primary
Additional Titles
Director of CCMI Electron Microscopy Core Facility, Center for Cellular and Molecular Imaging
Contact Info
Center for Cellular and Molecular Imaging
333 Cedar Street
New Haven, CT 06510
United States
Appointments
Neuroscience
Primary
Additional Titles
Director of CCMI Electron Microscopy Core Facility, Center for Cellular and Molecular Imaging
Contact Info
Center for Cellular and Molecular Imaging
333 Cedar Street
New Haven, CT 06510
United States
Appointments
Neuroscience
Primary
Additional Titles
Director of CCMI Electron Microscopy Core Facility, Center for Cellular and Molecular Imaging
Contact Info
Center for Cellular and Molecular Imaging
333 Cedar Street
New Haven, CT 06510
United States
About
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Titles
Senior Research Scientist
Director of CCMI Electron Microscopy Core Facility, Center for Cellular and Molecular Imaging
Appointments
Neuroscience
Senior Research ScientistPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Imaging
- Electron Microscopy
- Neuroscience
Education & Training
- Post doctoral training
- University of California San Diego (2000)
- PhD
- Nagoya University School of Medicine (1996)
- MD
- Shanghai Second Military Medical University (1985)
Research
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Overview
As one of the core facilities in the Medical School, We offer a wide range of services from conventional and immuno- electron microscopy to electron tomography. Our experienced staff routinely perform sample processing, sectioning and imaging for a set fee. Our facility is open to users who have had prior training in electron microscopy. The training on use of electron microscope and sample preparation is provided on a one-on-one basis throughout the year.
ORCID
0000-0002-1586-2151- View Lab Website
CCMI Electron Microscopy Core Facility
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Xinran Liu's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Xinran Liu's research output by year.
Claudia Espinosa-Garcia
Joerg Bewersdorf, PhD
Maohan Su
Naftali Kaminski, MD
Sameet Mehta, PhD
Upasna Srivastava
22Publications
1,207Citations
Publications
2026
Mitotic Cdc42 waves encode PI(3,4)P2 signaling and Golgi morphological state to control spindle scaling
Fung S, Xiao S, Bao Y, Graham M, Su M, Liu X, Bewersdorf J, Wu M. Mitotic Cdc42 waves encode PI(3,4)P2 signaling and Golgi morphological state to control spindle scaling. Science Advances 2026, 12: eaec7705. PMID: 42319936, PMCID: PMC13281794, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aec7705.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPI(3,4)P2Spindle scalingGenetic depletionPlasma membraneMitotic Golgi fragmentationPhosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphateSize-sensing mechanismAccurate cell divisionInositol polyphosphate-4-phosphatase type IIPosttranslational regulatory mechanismsMitotic waveGolgi fragmentationCell cortexSignaling proteinsCell divisionSpindle assemblyIntracellular organellesSpindle lengthCellular organizationRegulatory mechanismsINPP4BCell sizeSelf-organized wavesCellsBiological systems0231 Brain Transcriptomics and Synaptosome Proteomics Reveal Cellular Stress and Synapse-Specific Compensatory Changes Induced by Chronic Sleep Disruption
Espinosa-Garcia C, Kour D, Srivastava U, Malepati S, Kumar P, Parhizkar S, Jang W, Kumari R, Henley M, Liu X, Bitarafan S, Tobin B, Wood L, Faundez V, Rangaraju S. 0231 Brain Transcriptomics and Synaptosome Proteomics Reveal Cellular Stress and Synapse-Specific Compensatory Changes Induced by Chronic Sleep Disruption. Sleep 2026, 49: a101-a102. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsag091.0231.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsChronic SDSleep disruptionCellular stressAD riskGene expressionMale wild-type miceLabel-free quantitative mass spectrometryUnfolded protein responseWild-type miceAlzheimer's diseaseQuantitative mass spectrometryChronic sleep disruptionProgression of ADSleep lossGene Set Variation AnalysisBrain tissueMitochondrial proteinsSleep control groupP38 MAPK pathwaySD effectProtein responseTranscriptional responseBrain transcriptomeSynapse dysfunctionProteomic effectsQuantitative three-dimensional imaging of Coxiella burnetii infection by focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy
Botting J, Steiner S, Graham M, Liu X, Roy C, Liu J. Quantitative three-dimensional imaging of Coxiella burnetii infection by focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy. Infection And Immunity 2026, 94: e00007-26. PMID: 42053426, PMCID: PMC13248727, DOI: 10.1128/iai.00007-26.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHost cellsDot/Icm type IV secretion systemType IV secretion systemAnalysis of HeLa cellsIV secretion systemBiphasic developmental cycleVirulent intracellular pathogenInfected host cellsWild-type infectionSecretion systemEffector proteinsHomotypic fusionIntracellular lifestyleMutant phenotypeTn mutantsBiogenesis defectsFocused Ion Beam Scanning Electron MicroscopyLarge cell variantBacterial replicationIntracellular growthBacterial morphologyIntracellular pathogensHeLa cellsBiogenesisCell variantNeuroinflammatory stress preferentially impacts synaptic MAPK signaling and mitochondria in excitatory neurons
Espinosa-Garcia C, Srivastava U, Kumar P, Kour D, Malepati S, Tobin B, Xiao H, Sunna S, Bowen C, Cheng L, Bagchi P, Duong D, Whitworth T, Liu X, Seyfried N, Wood L, Faundez V, Rangaraju S. Neuroinflammatory stress preferentially impacts synaptic MAPK signaling and mitochondria in excitatory neurons. Molecular Neurodegeneration Advances 2026, 2: 17. PMID: 41953673, PMCID: PMC13053539, DOI: 10.1186/s44477-026-00024-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsSynaptic proteomeSynaptic compartmentsMAPK signalingDifferential centrifugationBiotinylated in vivoCo-expression network analysisBiochemical analysisRelevant to ADTherapeutically relevant insightsBiotinylated proteinsProtein modulesProtein translationMicroglial genesIn vivo modelsEffects of neuroinflammationSynapse-specific effectsProteome modulationSynaptic vesiclesMitochondrial functionNetwork analysisNeuroinflammatory stressCo-expressionMouse neuronsUltrastructural assaysNeuronal proteins
2025
All-optical visualization of specific molecules in the ultrastructural context of brain tissue
M’Saad O, Cairns A, Gulcicek J, Kasula R, Liao J, Kondratiuk I, Bewersdorf E, Kidd P, Falahati H, Gentile J, Niescier R, Watters K, Sterner R, Lee S, Guo X, Liu X, Desir G, De Camilli P, Rothman J, Koleske A, Biederer T, Kuan A, Bewersdorf J. All-optical visualization of specific molecules in the ultrastructural context of brain tissue. Nature Biotechnology 2025, 1-15. PMID: 41299044, DOI: 10.1038/s41587-025-02905-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsUltrastructural contextCellular organellesMolecular anatomyCell-specific antibodiesPostsynaptic densityAnatomical ultrastructureThree-dimensional contextNeuronal culturesImage volumesNeuronal circuitryProteinNanoscale distributionUltrastructureBrain tissue sectionsMolecular specificityTissue sectionsBrain ultrastructureSpecific moleculesBrain tissueOrganellesNeural connectionsAdvancing Biological Electron Microscopy: Innovative 3D-Printed Solutions for Automated Sample Processing
Zuo Z, Liu X. Advancing Biological Electron Microscopy: Innovative 3D-Printed Solutions for Automated Sample Processing. Microscopy And Microanalysis 2025, 31: ozaf048.450. DOI: 10.1093/mam/ozaf048.450.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTUG protein acts through a disordered region to organize the early secretory pathway
Parchure A, Tejada H, Xi Z, Kim Y, Su M, Yan Y, Julca-Zevallos O, Alcázar-Román A, Villemeur M, Liu X, Toomre D, Raote I, Bogan J. TUG protein acts through a disordered region to organize the early secretory pathway. Nature Communications 2025, 16: 5518. PMID: 40593538, PMCID: PMC12218103, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60691-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsRegulation of GLUT4 traffickingEarly secretory pathwayMembrane trafficking pathwaysSoluble cargo proteinsCentral regulatorN-terminal regionBiomolecular condensates in vitroCondensates in vitroNetwork of tubulesCOPII vesiclesCOPI vesiclesCis-GolgiGolgi morphologyCargo proteinsGLUT4 traffickingSecretory pathwayTrafficking pathwaysIntermediate compartmentDisordered regionsDeletionProteinVesiclesCollagen secretionPathwayGolgi
2024
Early adversity causes sex-specific deficits in perforant pathway connectivity and contextual memory in adolescent mice
Islam R, White J, Arefin T, Mehta S, Liu X, Polis B, Giuliano L, Ahmed S, Bowers C, Zhang J, Kaffman A. Early adversity causes sex-specific deficits in perforant pathway connectivity and contextual memory in adolescent mice. Biology Of Sex Differences 2024, 15: 39. PMID: 38715106, PMCID: PMC11075329, DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00616-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsLateral entorhinal cortexContextual fear conditioningDorsal hippocampusHippocampal developmentSex differencesFear conditioningEarly adversityLimited beddingSevere deficitsModel of early adversitySex-specific deficitsReelin-positive neuronsPerforant pathwayReelin-positive cellsDiffusion magnetic resonance imagingEx vivo diffusion magnetic resonance imagingContextual freezingContextual memoryAdolescent miceHippocampal functionLife adversityEntorhinal cortexHippocampusDeficitsAdolescent malesInterleukin-7-based identification of liver lymphatic endothelial cells reveals their unique structural features
Yang Y, Jeong J, Su T, Lai S, Zhang P, Garcia-Milian R, Graham M, Liu X, McConnell M, Utsumi T, Pereira J, Iwakiri Y. Interleukin-7-based identification of liver lymphatic endothelial cells reveals their unique structural features. JHEP Reports 2024, 6: 101069. PMID: 38966234, PMCID: PMC11222939, DOI: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2024.101069.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsCell surface structuresLymphatic endothelial cellsPublished single-cell RNA-sequencingRNA-seq analysisScRNA-seq analysisSingle-cell RNA sequencingLymphatic systemEndothelial cellsInterleukin-7RNA-seqScRNA-seqExpressed genesRNA sequencingTranscriptomic changesLow abundanceI/R liver injuryGenesIsolation protocolLiver cell typesCell typesIsolation methodLiver of miceHuman liver specimensHeterozygous miceMouse liverPhagosome-associated autophagosomes containing antigens and proteasomes drive TAP-independent cross-presentation
Sengupta D, Galicia-Pereyra R, Han P, Graham M, Liu X, Arshad N, Cresswell P. Phagosome-associated autophagosomes containing antigens and proteasomes drive TAP-independent cross-presentation. The Journal Of Immunology 2024, 212: 1063-1068. PMID: 38353614, PMCID: PMC10948299, DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200446.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsCross-PresentationTransporter associated with Ag processingExogenous AgCD8-positive T lymphocytesAntigenic peptidesMHC-I moleculesDendritic cellsProteasomal deliveryT lymphocytesCytosolic proteasomeActive proteasomesEndocytic compartmentsTAP-independentLumen of phagosomesSubcellular compartmentsEndoplasmic reticulumEndolysosomal vesiclesMHC-IAg processingBind to MHC-IProteasome
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- July 01, 2025Source: Nature Communications
TUG protein acts through a disordered region to organize the early secretory pathway
- April 01, 2021
Insulin Stimulates Production of Body Heat, New Study Finds
- March 07, 2021Source: Nature Metabolism
A new mechanism by which insulin regulates the production of body heat
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Center for Cellular and Molecular Imaging
333 Cedar Street
New Haven, CT 06510
United States