Shared genetics of asthma and mental health disorders: a large-scale genome-wide cross-trait analysis.
Zhu Z, Zhu X, Liu CL, Shi H, Shen S, Yang Y, Hasegawa K, Camargo CA, Liang L.
Eur Respir J. 2019 12. 54(6). PMID: 31619474
Other Positions
Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Biostatistics
Biostatistics
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Overview
Our group focuses on developing the computational and statistical tools required for understanding human genetic variation, with a particular focus on complex human disease. We are currently working on the following areas:
(1) Analysis of gene expression and methylation data, particular eQTL/meQTL mapping using both microarray and RNA-seq data, gene expression/methylation network estimation and its association with disease and trait of interest.
(2) New statistical approaches for the analysis of next-generation sequencing data. Ongoing projects include high depth sequencing on ~4000 breast cancer case-control subjects from multiple populations. The goals include fine mapping causal loci responsible for breast cancer risk and developing optimal design for next-generation sequencing studies.
(3) New statistical framework to maximize the utility of multiple related phenotypes and elucidate how genetic and epigenetic variants and their interaction with environmental factors involve in pathogenesis of complex diseases and traits.
(4) Statistical model to integrate genome-wide eQTL/meQTL data with genome-wide association studies.
We are currently part of several large genetic studies, including the 1000 Genomes Project (www.1000genomes.org), genome-wide association studies for type-2 diabetes and related phenotypes and biomarkers, childhood asthma, atopic dermatitis, colorectal cancer, melanoma, global gene expression and methylation.
I am still maintaining my research website at CSG at the University of Michigan.
Program Coordinator: Zachary Schwartz, zschwartz@hsph.harvard.edu
Bibliography
RTeQTL: Real-Time Online Engine for Expression Quantitative Trait Loci Analyses.
Ma B, Huang J, Liang L.
Database (Oxford). 2014. 2014. PMID: 25037307
Extremely low-coverage sequencing and imputation increases power for genome-wide association studies.
Pasaniuc B, Rohland N, McLaren PJ, Garimella K, Zaitlen N, Li H, Gupta N, Neale BM, Daly MJ, Sklar P, Sullivan PF, Bergen S, Moran JL, Hultman CM, Lichtenstein P, Magnusson P, Purcell SM, Haas DW, Liang L, Sunyaev S, Patterson N, de Bakker PI, Reich D, Price AL.
Nat Genet. 2012 May 20. 44(6):631-5. PMID: 22610117
The origin, global distribution, and functional impact of the human 8p23 inversion polymorphism.
Salm MP, Horswell SD, Hutchison CE, Speedy HE, Yang X, Liang L, Schadt EE, Cookson WO, Wierzbicki AS, Naoumova RP, Shoulders CC.
Genome Res. 2012 Jun. 22(6):1144-53. PMID: 22399572
Genetic predisposition to dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes risk in two prospective cohorts.
Qi Q, Liang L, Doria A, Hu FB, Qi L.
Diabetes. 2012 Mar. 61(3):745-52. PMID: 22315312
Enigmatic sex disparities in cancer incidence.
Edgren G, Liang L, Adami HO, Chang ET.
Eur J Epidemiol. 2012 Mar. 27(3):187-96. PMID: 22212865
Gene-environment interactions in genome-wide association studies: a comparative study of tests applied to empirical studies of type 2 diabetes.
Cornelis MC, Tchetgen EJ, Liang L, Qi L, Chatterjee N, Hu FB, Kraft P.
Am J Epidemiol. 2012 Feb 01. 175(3):191-202. PMID: 22199026
Integrating pathway analysis and genetics of gene expression for genome-wide association study of basal cell carcinoma.
Zhang M, Liang L, Morar N, Dixon AL, Lathrop GM, Ding J, Moffatt MF, Cookson WO, Kraft P, Qureshi AA, Han J.
Hum Genet. 2012 Apr. 131(4):615-23. PMID: 22006220
Genome-wide association study identifies loci influencing concentrations of liver enzymes in plasma.
Chambers JC, Zhang W, Sehmi J, Li X, Wass MN, Van der Harst P, Holm H, Sanna S, Kavousi M, Baumeister SE, Coin LJ, Deng G, Gieger C, Heard-Costa NL, Hottenga JJ, Kühnel B, Kumar V, Lagou V, Liang L, Luan J, Vidal PM, Mateo Leach I, O'Reilly PF, Peden JF, Rahmioglu N, Soininen P, Speliotes EK, Yuan X, Thorleifsson G, Alizadeh BZ, Atwood LD, Borecki IB, Brown MJ, Charoen P, Cucca F, Das D, de Geus EJ, Dixon AL, Döring A, Ehret G, Eyjolfsson GI, Farrall M, Forouhi NG, Friedrich N, Goessling W, Gudbjartsson DF, Harris TB, Hartikainen AL, Heath S, Hirschfield GM, Hofman A, Homuth G, Hyppönen E, Janssen HL, Johnson T, Kangas AJ, Kema IP, Kühn JP, Lai S, Lathrop M, Lerch MM, Li Y, Liang TJ, Lin JP, Loos RJ, Martin NG, Moffatt MF, Montgomery GW, Munroe PB, Musunuru K, Nakamura Y, O'Donnell CJ, Olafsson I, Penninx BW, Pouta A, Prins BP, Prokopenko I, Puls R, Ruokonen A, Savolainen MJ, Schlessinger D, Schouten JN, Seedorf U, Sen-Chowdhry S, Siminovitch KA, Smit JH, Spector TD, Tan W, Teslovich TM, Tukiainen T, Uitterlinden AG, Van der Klauw MM, Vasan RS, Wallace C, Wallaschofski H, Wichmann HE, Willemsen G, Würtz P, Xu C, Yerges-Armstrong LM, Abecasis GR, Ahmadi KR, Boomsma DI, Caulfield M, Cookson WO, van Duijn CM, Froguel P, Matsuda K, McCarthy MI, Meisinger C, Mooser V, Pietiläinen KH, Schumann G, Snieder H, Sternberg MJ, Stolk RP, Thomas HC, Thorsteinsdottir U, Uda M, Waeber G, Wareham NJ, Waterworth DM, Watkins H, Whitfield JB, Witteman JC, Wolffenbuttel BH, Fox CS, Ala-Korpela M, Stefansson K, Vollenweider P, Völzke H, Schadt EE, Scott J, Järvelin MR, Elliott P, Kooner JS.
Nat Genet. 2011 Oct 16. 43(11):1131-8. PMID: 22001757
Ectopic expression of a LEA protein gene TsLEA1 from Thellungiella salsuginea confers salt-tolerance in yeast and Arabidopsis.
Zhang Y, Li Y, Lai J, Zhang H, Liu Y, Liang L, Xie Q.
Mol Biol Rep. 2012 Apr. 39(4):4627-33. PMID: 21947846
News
Plant-based low-carbohydrate diet linked with lower risk of premature death for people with type 2 diabetes
Following a low-carbohydrate diet comprised primarily of plant-based foods was significantly associated with lower risk of premature death among people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard Chan School.
How healthy lifestyles and cholesterol medications can work together to improve heart health
Combining healthy lifestyle habits, such as exercising, avoiding smoking, and eating healthy, can lead to positive changes in an individual’s cholesterol profile that are different but complementary to the effects of cholesterol-lowering medications, according to research led by…
Non-allergic asthma linked with increased risk of severe COVID-19
However, study finds allergic asthma did not significantly increase the risk of severe illness June 11, 2020–Adults with asthma who became infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 were at higher risk of developing severe illness compared with…
Newly identified ‘metabolic signature’ can determine adherence to Mediterranean diet, help predict CVD risk
For immediate release: May 14, 2020 Boston, MA – A newly identified “metabolic signature” can evaluate an individual’s adherence and metabolic response to the Mediterranean diet and help predict future risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to new…
Program explores molecular underpinnings of chronic diseases
December 4, 2019—For many years, epidemiological data has shown a link between obesity and asthma. While researchers have long hypothesized that obesity increases the risk of asthma, why or how that risk is increased isn’t entirely clear. A…
