In general, my research interests span several disciplines including reproductive physiology, endocrinology, cell and molecular biology. My current research is mainly related to the environmental influence on animal reproduction. Specifically students in my laboratory use fishes as research models to study the effects of environmental factors (pollutants or endocrine-disrupting chemicals) on gene expression, protein synthesis, steroid production, and sex differentiation. Since the general mechanisms controlling the reproductive process in fish and humans are similar, the information obtained from the studies with fish may also help us better understand how environmental factors affect human reproduction.

Liu, Z., Soh, J., Lalli, E., Mrotek, J.J., Sassone-Corsi, P., and Stocco, D.M. 1999. Heat shock-induced inhibition of StAR messenger RNA levels parallels inhibition of steroidogenesis in MA-10 cells. (in preparation)

Sridaran, R., Philip, G.H, Liu, Z. and D.M. Stocco 1999. Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) in the rat corpus luteum: its inhibition by a GnRH agonist. Biol. Reprod. (submitted).

King, R.S., Liu, Z., Soh, J., Eimerl S., Orly, J. and D.M. Stocco 1999. Effects of disruption of the mitochondrial electrochemical gradient on steroidogenesis and steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein. J. Steroid Biochem. & Mol. Biol. 69:143-154.

Wang, X., Liu, Z. Eimerl S., Timberg R., Weiss A.M., Orly J., and D.M. Stocco 1998. Effect of truncated forms of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein on the intramitochondrial cholesterol transfer. Endocrinology 139: 3903-3912.

Liu, Z. and D.M. Stocco 1997. Heat shock-induced inhibition of acute steroidogenesis in MA-10 cells is associated with inhibition of the synthesis of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein. Endocrinology. 138: 2722-2728.

Arakane, F., Sugawara, T., Nishino, H., Liu, Z., Holt, J.A., Pain, D., Stocco, D.M., Miller, W.L. and J.F. Strauss, III 1996. Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) retains activity in the absence of its mitochondrial import sequence: implications for the mechanism for StAR action. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 93: 13731-13736.

Bosmann, H.B., Hales, K.H., Li, Xiangquan, Liu, Z., Stocco, D.M. and D.B. Hales 1996. Acute in vivo inhibition of testosterone by endotoxin parallels loss of steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein in Leydig cells. Endocrinology. 137: 4522-4525.

Liu, Z. and R. Patino 1993. High-affinity binding of progesterone to the plasma membrane of Xenopus oocytes: characteristics of binding and hormonal and developmental control. Biol. Reprod. 49: 980-988.

WAESO Grant, 1999.
Teaching Technology Innovation Grant, 1999.
Internal Research Grant, 1998.
National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1995 - 1998.
Best Presentation Award, Ninth Student Research Day, TTU, 1997.
Student Presentation Award, annual meeting of SSEBM, 1991.
Student of Excellence Award, Shanghai Fisheries University, 1982.

The following is a list of courses that I am teaching in the Department of Biology at Eastern New Mexico University:

Biol 152 General Biology II: biology systems of animals and plants, cell structure, and function, nucleic acid biochemistry, and biotechnology (F)

Biol 222 Introduction to Cell Biology: cell structure and function. (F)

Biol 370 Cellular Energetics and Metabolism: intracellular transport of molecules and signal transduction pathways. (Alt S)

Biol 380 Endocrinology: structure of endocrine glands inhumans, cellular synthesis and secretion and metabolism of chemical messengers, the hormones. (Alt F)

Biol 425/525 Molecular Biology: nucleic acid chemistry and recombinant DNA technology. (S)

Biol 425/525L Molecular Biology Laboratory: experimental techniques in isolating and manipulating of DNA. (S)

Biol 426/526 Protein Structure and Function: Chemical/spatial structures of protein and its relationships to cellular functions; methods for isolating and characterizing biological functions of proteins. (Alt S)

Biol 427/527 Developmental Genetics: genetic control of animal development. (Alt F)

Biol 492 Undergraduate Seminar: selected topics of biology and presentation skills. (S, F)

Biol 579 Individual Research: research projects related to environmental biology, reproductive biology, and molecular biology.

Biol 592 Graduate Seminar: selected topics in modern biology, presentation skills, and graduate programs. (S)

Biol 599 Master’s Thesis: research projects related to environmental biology, reproductive biology, and molecular biology.

In my research laboratory, the following graduate students are currently working in various projects for their M.S. theses.

  Luis Garza
  Wataru Aizu
  Stephanie Parrish
  Octavio Gayton
  Amanda Ledwon

Department of Biology
Eastern New Mexico University
Station # 33
Portales, NM 88130

Office: RH 102
Office Phone: 505-562-2495
Lab: RH 224
Lab Phone: 505-562-2908
FAX: 505-562-2192
Email: zhiming.liu@enmu.edu