Molecular Signaling Section
Established in 1997
Ji-Liang Gao, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Scientist
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Major Areas of Research
- Immune cell trafficking
- Gene therapy of WHIM syndrome through gene editing
Program Description
We are interested in the factors that mediate immune cell migration. Chemoattractant receptors, including chemokine receptors and classic pattern recognition receptors such as N-formyl peptide receptors, are a subset of G protein-coupled receptors responsible for mediating cell migration. Our research began with the genetic cloning and identification of these receptors, progressing to the characterization of their biological roles in animal models through the creation of knockout mice.
Recently, our focus turned to the chemokine receptor CXCR4-related human genetic disease WHIM syndrome and found that chemokine receptor CXCR4 haploinsufficiency enhances hematopoietic stem cell engraftment. Currently, our efforts are directed towards gene-editing technology to cure WHIM syndrome by silencing the disease allele of CXCR4.
Biography
Education
Ph.D., 1990, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
M.S., 1984, Chinese Academy of Science, China
B.S., 1982, University of Science and Technology of China, China
Languages Spoken
MandarinDr. Gao obtained his Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1990, where he did an additional one-year postdoctoral research training. He joined NIAID in 1991 as a visiting associate and continued as a senior staff fellow. He became a staff scientist in 1998 and a senior associate scientist in 2021.
Selected Publications
Gao JL, Owusu-Ansah A, Yang A, Yim E, McDermott DH, Jacobs P, Majumdar S, Choi U, Sweeney CL, Malech HL, Murphy PM.CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Cxcr4 disease allele inactivation for gene therapy in a mouse model of WHIM syndrome. Blood. 2023 Jul 6;142(1):23-32.
McDermott DH, Gao JL, Liu Q, Siwicki M, Martens C, Jacobs P, Velez D, Yim E, Bryke CR, Hsu N, Dai Z, Marquesen MM, Stregevsky E, Kwatemaa N, Theobald N, Long Priel DA, Pittaluga S, Raffeld MA, Calvo KR, Maric I, Desmond R, Holmes KL, Kuhns DB, Balabanian K, Bachelerie F, Porcella SF, Malech HL, Murphy PM. Chromothriptic cure of WHIM syndrome. Cell. 2015 Feb 12;160(4):686-699.
Gao JL, Weaver JD, Tuo J, Wang LQ, Siwicki M, Despres D, Lizak M, Schneider EH, Kovacs W, Maminishkis A, Chen K, Yoshimura T, Ming Wang J, Chao Chan C, Murphy PM. Leukocyte chemotactic receptor Fpr1 protects against aging-related posterior subcapsular cataract formation. FASEB J. 2021 Feb;35(2):e21315.
Gao JL, Schneider EH, Dimitrov EL, Haun F, Pham TM, Mohammed AH, Usdin TB, Murphy PM. Reduced fear memory and anxiety-like behavior in mice lacking formylpeptide receptor 1. Behav Genet. 2011 Sep;41(5):724-33.
Gao JL, Wynn TA, Chang Y, Lee EJ, Broxmeyer HE, Cooper S, Tiffany HL, Westphal H, Kwon-Chung J, Murphy PM. Impaired host defense, hematopoiesis, granulomatous inflammation and type 1-type 2 cytokine balance in mice lacking CC chemokine receptor 1 J Exp Med. 1997 Jun 2;185(11):1959-68.
Gao JL, Kuhns DB, Tiffany HL, McDermott D, Li X, Francke U, Murphy PM. Structure and functional expression of the human macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha/RANTES receptor. J Exp Med. 1993 May 1;177(5):1421-7.