Fu-Tong Liu, M.D., Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor and Chair Emeritus
Dr. Fu-Tong Liu is internationally known as a pioneer and leading investigator in the studies of the galectin family of animal lectins, which play important roles in many physiological and pathological processes. While Dr. Liu was department chair, the department grew rapidly in size and prestige, under his leadership. His current research is focused on the role of galectins in allergic inflammation, innate immunity, cancer progression, and wound healing. His research group also studies molecular and cellular mechanisms of allergic skin inflammation. Dr. Liu is interested in medical dermatology and has a particular interest in eczema, mast cell-mediated diseases (including urticaria and mastocytosis), and immunobullous disease.
Title: Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Chair Emeritus of Dermatology
Undergraduate Education: National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, B.S. 1970
Graduate Education: University of Chicago, Chicago Illinois, Ph.D. 1976
Medical Education: University of Miami School of Medicine (the Ph.D. to M.D. program), Miami, Florida, M.D. 1987
Residency: University of California-San Diego, San Diego, California 1990-93, Dermatology
Board Certifications:
American Board of Dermatology. 1993
Professional Memberships:
Association of American Physicians
American Academy of Dermatology
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association of Immunologists
American Chemical Society
American Society for Clinical Investigation
American Society for Investigative Pathology
Society of Investigative Dermatology
Positions and Employment
| 1979-1982 | Assistant Member, Department of Cellular and Developmental Immunology, Research Institute of Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, California |
| 1982-1990 | Associate Member/Member, Department of Immunology, Med. Biology Institute, La Jolla, California |
| 1990-1996 | Associate Member/Head, Allergy Research Section, Department of Molecular & Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California |
| 1993-2001 | Member, Division of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, California |
| 1996-2001 | Member and Head, Division of Allergy, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology |
| 2001-2012 | Professor and Chair (2001-2011), Distinguished Professor and Chair (2012), Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, California |
| 2010-present | Distinguished Research Fellow and Director, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taiwan |
| 2012-present | Distinguished Professor and Chair Emeritus, Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, California |
Honors
| 1979-1980 | National Research Service Award |
| 1982-1987 | Leukemia Society of America Scholar Award |
| 1985-1989 | NIH Allergy and Immunology Study Section |
| 1988-present | Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation |
| 1993-1997 | Associate Editor, Journal of Clinical Investigation |
| 1993-1997 | NIH Immunology and Transplantation Research Committee |
| 2004-present | Member, Association of American Physicians |
| 2004-present | Member, American Skin Association Medical/Scientific Advisory Committee |
| 2005 | Joan Oettinger Memorial Award (Cancer and Pulmonary Research), UC Davis |
| 2005-present | Selection Editor, Journal of Dermatologic Science |
| 2005-present | Editorial Board, Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology |
| 2006 | Lu Yau-Chin Memorial Lectureship, Taiwanese Dermatology Society |
| 2008-present | Reviewer Board, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology |
| 2012-present | Academician, Academia Sinica, Taiwan |
| 2013-present | Fellow, American Association for Advancement of Science |
Selected Peer-reviewed Publications (from a total of over 298 original research articles and reviews).
Yang, R.-Y., Hsu, D.K. and Liu, F.-T. Expression of galectin-3 modulates T cell growth and apoptosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 93:6737-6742, 1996.
Zuberi, R.I., Apgar,J.R., Chen, S.-S. and Liu, F.-T. A role for IgE in airway secretions: IgE immune complexes are more potent inducers than antigen alone of airway inflammation in a murine model. J Immunol 164:2667-2673, 2000.
Hsu, D.K., Yang, R.-Y., Pan, Z., Yu, L., Salomon, D.R., Fung-Leung W.-P., and Liu, F.-T. Targeted disruption of the galectin-3 gene results in attenuated peritoneal inflammatory responses. Am J Pathol 156:1073-1083, 2000.
Sano, H., Hsu, D.K., Yu, L., Apgar, J.R. Kuwabara, I., Yamanaka, T., Hirashima, M., Liu, F.-T. Human galectin-3 is a novel chemoattractant for monocytes and macrophages, J. Immunol 165:2156-2164, 2000.
Yang, R.-Y., Hsu, D.K., Yu, L., Ni, J., and Liu, F.-T. Cell cycle regulation by galectin-12, a new member of the galectin superfamily. J Biol Chem 276:20252-20261, 2001.
Kuwabara, I., Kuwabara, Y., Yang, R.-Y., Schuler, M., Green, D.R., Zuraw, B.L., Hsu, D.K., and Liu, F.-T. Galectin-7 (PIG1:p53-induced gene 1) exhibits pro-apoptotic function through JNK activation and mitochondrial cytochrome c release. J Biol Chem 277:3487-3497, 2002.
Mayr, S.I, Zuberi, R.I., Zhang, M., de Sousa-Hitzler, J., Ngo, K., Kuwabara, Y., Yu, L., Fung-Leung, W.-P., and Liu, F.-T. IgE-dependent mast cell activation potentiates airway responses in murine asthma models. J Immunol 169:2061-2068, 2002.
Sano, H., Hsu, D.K., Apgar,J.R., Yu, L., Sharma, B.B., Kuwabara, I., Izui, S., and Liu, F.-T. Critical role of galectin-3 in phagocytosis by macrophages. J Clin Invest 112:389-97. 2003.
Yang, R.Y., Hsu, D.K., Yu, L., Chen, H.-Y., and Liu, F.-T. Galectin-12 is required for adipogenic signaling and adipocyte differentiation. J Biol Chem 279:29761-6, 2004.
Ueda, S., Kuwabara, I. and Liu, F.-T. Suppressive effect of galectin-7 on tumor growth. Cancer Research 64:5672-6, 2004.
Zuberi, R., Hsu, D.K., Kalayci, O., Chen, H.-Y., Sheldon, H.K., Yu. L., Apgar, J., Kawakami, T., Lilly, C.M., and Liu, F.-T. Critical role for galectin-3 in airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in a murine model of asthma. Am J Pathol 165:2045-53, 2004.
Liu, F.-T. and Rabinovich, G.A. Galectins as novel modulators of tumor progression. Nature Reviews Cancer 5: 29-41, 2005.
Chen, H.-Y., Sharma, B.B, Yu, L., Zuberi, R., Weng, I.-C., Kawakami, Y., Kawakami, T., Hsu, D.K., and Liu, F.-T. Role of galectin-3 in mast cell functions. Galectin-3-deficient mast cells exhibit impaired mediator release and defective JNK expression. J Immunol 177:4991-7, 2006.
Saegusa, J., Hsu, D.K., Liu, W., Kuwabara, I., Kuwabara, Y., Yu, L., and Liu, F.-T. Galectin-3 protects keratinocytes from UVB-induced apoptosis by enhancing AKT activation and suppressing ERK activation. J Invest Dermatol 128:2403-11, 2008.
Cummings, R.D. and Liu, F.-T. Chapter 33 Galectins, In Essentials of Glycobiology, 2nd Ed. (Varki, A., et al. Ed. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press), 2008.
Hsu, D.K., Chen, H.-Y., Yu, L., Chernyavsky, A.I., Grando, S.A., and Liu, F.-T. Endogenous galectin-3 is localized in membrane lipid rafts and regulates migration of dendritic cells. J Invest Dermatol 129:573-83, 2009.
Saegusa, J., Hsu, D.K., Chen, H.-Y., Yu, L., Fermin, A., Fung, M.A., and Liu, F.-T. Galectin-3 is critical for the development of the allergic inflammatory response in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis. Am J Pathol 174:922-931, 2009.
Chen, H-Y., Fermin, A., Vardhana, S., Weng, I-C., Lo, K.F.R., Chang,E-Y., Maverakis, E., Yang, R.Y., Hsu, D.K., Dustin, M., and Liu, F.-T.Galectin-3 negatively regulates TCR-mediated CD4+ T cell activation at the immunological synapse, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA106:14496-14501, 2009.
Liu, F.-T. and Bevins, C.L. A Sweet Target for Innate Immunity. Nature Medicine 16:263-64, 2010.
Markowska A.I., Liu, F.-T., and Panjwani, N. Galectin-3 is an important mediator of VEGF- and bFGF-mediated angiogenic response. J Exp Med 207:1981-93, 2010.
Yang, R.-Y., Yu, L., Graham, J., Hsu, D.K., Lloyd, K.C., Havel, P.J., and Liu, F.-T. Ablation of a galectin preferentially expressed in adipocytes increases lipolysis, reduces adiposity, and improves insulin sensitivity in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108: 18696-701, 2011.
Choy, D.F., Hsu, D.K., Seshasayee, D., Fung, M.A., Modrusan, Z., Martin, F. Liu, F.T., and Arron, J.R. Comparative transcriptomic analyses of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis reveal shared neutrophilic inflammation. J Allergy Clin Immunol 130:1335-1343, 2012 (co-corresponding author).
Liu, W., Hsu, D.K., Chen, H.-Y., Yang, R.-Y., Carraway 3rd, K.L., Isseroff, R.R., and Liu, F.-T. Galectin-3 regulates intracellular trafficking of epidermal growth factor receptor through Alix and promotes keratinocyte migration. J Invest Dermatol 132:2828-37, 2012.
Fermin Lee, A, Chen, H.-Y., Wan, L., Wu, S.-Y, Yu, J.-S., Huang, A.C., Miaw, S.-C., Hsu, D.K., Wu-Hsieh, B.A., and Liu, F.-T. Galectin-3 modulates Th17 responses by regulating dendritic cell cytokines. Am J Pathol 183:1209-22, 2013
