Xin Liu, Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Professor Endowed Title W. W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research Schools Medical School | Graduate School Departments Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences | Biophysics | Obstetrics and Gynecology Graduate Programs Molecular Biophysics Biography Dr. Liu is a Professor in the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Biophysics. He is W.W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research of the UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Liu did his graduate research with Dr. Ronen Marmorstein at the Wistar Institute and University of Pennsylvania, where he received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2007. Dr. Liu was a Jane Coffin Childs postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Roger Kornberg at Stanford University from 2008 to 2011. Dr. Liu joined the faculty of UT Southwestern in 2011. Dr. Liu studies the molecular and biophysical mechanisms of chromatin, epigenetics and transcription in development and disease. A current focus is to understand how the developmentally regulated heterochromatin is established, maintained and inherited. To achieve this goal, the Liu lab uses various research tools, such as biochemical reconstitution, X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, proteomics and genomics by next-generation sequencing, to study large assemblies of relevant protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid chromatin complexes. Education Undergraduate Nanjing University - China (2000), Biochemistry Graduate School University of Pennsylvania (2007), Chemistry Research Interest Chromatin and Epigenetics Chromatin Dysregulation in Disease Non-coding RNAs Structural Biology Publications Featured Publications EPOP restricts PRC2.1 targeting to chromatin by directly modulating enzyme complex dimerization. Gong L, Liu X, Yang X, Yu Z, Bhat MY, Chen S, Lemoff A, Xing C, Liu X, Nat Commun 2026 Jan CK2-mediated phosphorylation of SUZ12 promotes PRC2 function by stabilizing enzyme active site. Gong L, Liu X, Jiao L, Yang X, Lemoff A, Liu X, Nat Commun 2022 Nov 13 1 6781 A partially disordered region connects gene repression and activation functions of EZH2. Jiao L, Shubbar M, Yang X, Zhang Q, Chen S, Wu Q, Chen Z, Rizo J, Liu X, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2020 Jul A Dimeric Structural Scaffold for PRC2-PCL Targeting to CpG Island Chromatin. Chen S, Jiao L, Liu X, Yang X, Liu X, Mol. Cell 2020 Jan Unique Structural Platforms of Suz12 Dictate Distinct Classes of PRC2 for Chromatin Binding. Chen S, Jiao L, Shubbar M, Yang X, Liu X Mol. Cell 2018 Mar 69 5 840-852.e5 Conserved RNA-binding specificity of polycomb repressive complex 2 is achieved by dispersed amino acid patches in EZH2. Long Y, Bolanos B, Gong L, Liu W, Goodrich KJ, Yang X, Chen S, Gooding AR, Maegley KA, Gajiwala KS, Brooun A, Cech TR, Liu X Elife 2017 Nov 6 Polycomb repressive complex 2 in an autoinhibited state. Bratkowski M, Yang X, Liu X J. Biol. Chem. 2017 08 292 32 13323-13332 Structural basis of histone H3K27 trimethylation by an active polycomb repressive complex 2. Jiao L, Liu X Science 2015 Oct 350 6258 aac4383 Emerging structural insights into PRC2 function in development and disease. Bhat MY, Liu X, Trends Biochem Sci 2026 Feb 51 2 172-186 EZH2 PROTACs outperform catalytic inhibitors in prostate cancer by targeting a methylation-independent function of PRC2. Xie W, Chu Q, Brea L, Zeng G, Wang Y, Lu X, Zheng M, Ley CR, Lei Z, Shi H, Zhu JL, Gong L, Martin MC, Shi X, Gritsina G, Grigorescu AA, Chandonnet H, Liu X, Zhao JC, Schiltz GE, Yu J, Oncogene 2026 Feb 45 5 636-649 Results 1-10 of 35 1 2 3 4 Next Last Honors & Awards Rita Allen ScholarRita Allen Foundation (2012) CPRIT Scholar in Cancer ResearchCancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (2011) W.W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical ResearchUT Southwestern Medical Center (2011) Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral FellowshipThe Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research (2008) Dr. Monica H.M. Shander AwardThe Wistar Institute (2006)
