Education
Zhejiang
University,
Ph.D. 2009
Biography
Dr. Liao
received her
Bachelor of
Science in
Biochemistry
in 1999 and
Master of
Science in
Genetics in
2002 from
Zhejiang
University.
She worked as
researcher in
a biotech
company for
one year and
then became a
lecturer in
Zhejiang
Shuren
University
from 2003 to
2005. She
received her
Ph.D. in
Biochemistry
from Zhejiang
University in
2009. Dr. Liao
currently
trains as a
post-doctoral
researcher in
the laboratory
of Dr. Z. Tom
Wen at
Louisiana
State
University,
School of
Dentistry.
Research
Interests
Dr. Liao's
current
research
focuses on
characterization
of microbial
biofilms and
virulence
factors in Streptococcus
mutans.
Dental caries
is a
biofilm-related
infectious
disease and is
still the most
prevalent oral
disease. S.mutans
has been
regarded as
the major
etiologic
agent of
dental caries
due to its
ability to
initiate the
pathogenic
biofilm
formation. S.mutans
metabolizes
fermentable
substrates
during early
biofilm
formation and
synthesizes an
extracellular
polysaccharide
matrix which
can be used by
other oral
microbes. The
roles of S.mutans
in microbial
cell-cell
communication
and the
establishment,
persistence
and
competitiveness
of biofilms,
during the
growth of the
biofilm in
mixed-species
consortia are
still unclear.
A better
understanding
of these
questions will
eventually
lead to the
development of
novel and
effective
strategies for
oral diseases.
Dr. Liao also
works with Dr.
Xu in the
Department of
Comphrensive
Dentistry on
development of
novel
antibacterial
dental
composites.
Previously,
Dr. Liao
researched
Type III
Secretion
System Related
Genes in Leptospira
interrogans
serovar Lai
and their
pathogenic
potentials in
the laboratory
of Jie Yan at
Zhejiang
University in
Hangzhou,
China.
Research
Interests--Keywords
Streptococcus
mutans,
biofilms,
mixed-species,
cell-cell
communication,
dentalcaries
Selected
Publications
Bitoun, J.P.,
Liao,
S.,
McKey, B.A.,
Yao, X.,
Abranches, J.,
Beatty, W.L.,
Wen, Z.T. Psr
is involved in
Regulation of
Glucan
Production and
Double
Deficiency of
BrpA and Psr
is Lethal in
Streptococcus
mutans. (2013)
Microbiology
159(Pt
3):
493-506. PMID:
23288544 (co-first
author)
Bitoun,
J.P., Liao,
S.,
Yao, X., Xie,
G.G., and Wen,
Z.T. 2012. The
Redox-Sensing
Regulator Rex
Modulates
Central Carbon
Metabolism,
Stress
Tolerance
Response, and
Biofilm
Formation in
Streptococcus
mutans. PLoS
ONE
7(9):
e44766.
Fan, Y.,
Wen, Z.T., Liao,
S.,
Lallier, T.,
Hagan J.L.,
Twomley, J.T.,
Zhang, J.,
Sun, Z., Xu,
X. Novel
amelogenin-releasing
hydrogel for
remineralization
of enamel
artificial
caries. (2012)
J BIOACT
COMPAT POL.
DOI:
10.1177/0883911512458050.
Xu X, Wang
Y, Liao
S.,
Wen ZT, Fan Y.
Synthesis and
characterization
of
antibacterial
dental
monomers and
composites.
(2012) J
Biomed Mater
Res B Appl
Biomater
100(4):1151-62.
Bitoun,
J.P., Liao,
S.,
Yao, X., Ahn,
S.J., Isoda,
R., Nguyen,
A.H., Brady,
L.J., Burne,
R.A.,
Abranches, J.,
and Wen, Z.T.
2011. BrpA is
Involved in
Regulation of
Cell Envelope
Stress
Responses in
Streptococcus
mutans. Appl
Environ
Microbiol
78(8):
2914-22.
Liao,
S.,
Sun A, Ojcius
DM, Wu S, Zhao
J, Yan J.
Inactivation
of the fliY
gene encoding
a flagellar
motor switch
protein
attenuates
mobility and
virulence of
Leptospira
interrogans
strain Lai
(2009) BMC
Microbiology
9:253.
Li S,
Ojcius DM, Liao,
S.,
Li L, Xue F,
Dong H, Yan J.
Replication or
death:
distinct fates
of pathogenic
Leptospira
strain Lai
within
macrophages of
human or mouse
origin (2009)
Innate
Immunity
17(4):423.
Lou H, Liao,
S.,
Hu Y, Yan J.
Targeting
knockout of
Leptospira
interrogans
flagellum-associated
fliN gene and
pathogenic
function
alteration of
the mutant
(2009) Chinese
J Microbiol
Immunol 29(8).
Xu H, Ruan
P, Liao,
S.,
Yang P, Mao Y,
Li L, Yan J.
Prokaryotic
expression of
Leptospira
interrogans
fliH/I/Y/N
genes and
determination
of the protein
locations in
leptospiral
envelope(2008)
Chinese J
Microbiol
Immunol
28(7):597-601.