Topic:  Autophagy: a new target in AD research

Reporter:  Dr. Yang Liu, Saarland University, Germany

Time:  Nov 6, 2014, 10:00 AM

Location: Meeting Room, Institute of Neuroscience, Soochow University

Introduction of reporter:

Dr. Yang Liu graduated from Peking Union Medical College (8-year class) in 1999. After the practice as a neurologist in Zhejiang University the First Hospital for 2 years, he started his research career as a post-doctoral fellow in University of Heidelberg and University of Göttingen, Germany. In 2005, he got a life-long position as a group leader in Department of Neurology, University of Saarland, Germany. His interest is to investigate the pathogenic role of microglia in neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer's disease. He has published a serial of papers on the pathogenic effects of microglial activation in Alzheimer's disease mouse models, such as: (Dr. Liu is the corresponding author for all listed papers)

1: Liu Y, Liu X, Hao W, Decker Y, Schomburg R, Fülöp L, Pasparakis M, Menger MD, Fassbender K. IKKβ Deficiency in Myeloid Cells Ameliorates Alzheimer's Disease-Related Symptoms and Pathology. J Neurosci. 2014 Sep 24;34(39):12982-99.

2: Xie K, Liu Y, Hao W, Walter S, Penke B, Hartmann T, Schachner M, Fassbender K. Tenascin-C deficiency ameliorates Alzheimer's disease-related pathology in mice.

Neurobiol Aging. 2013 Oct;34(10):2389-98.

3: Liu S, Liu Y, Hao W, Wolf L, Kiliaan AJ, Penke B, Rübe CE, Walter J, Heneka MT, Hartmann T, Menger MD, Fassbender K. TLR2 is a primary receptor for Alzheimer's amyloid β peptide to trigger neuroinflammatory activation. J Immunol.

2012 Feb 1;188(3):1098-107.

4: Hao W, Liu Y, Liu S, Walter S, Grimm MO, Kiliaan AJ, Penke B, Hartmann T, Rübe CE, Menger MD, Fassbender K. Myeloid differentiation factor 88-deficient bone marrow cells improve Alzheimer's disease-related symptoms and pathology. Brain. 2011 Jan;134(Pt 1):278-92.

5: Liu Y, Walter S, Stagi M, Cherny D, Letiembre M, Schulz-Schaeffer W, Heine H,

Penke B, Neumann H, Fassbender K. LPS receptor (CD14): a receptor for phagocytosis of Alzheimer's amyloid peptide. Brain. 2005 Aug;128(Pt 8):1778-89.