Xuhui Liu, MD
Professor
Orthopaedic Surgery
School of Medicine

In the past fifteen years, his research has been focused on translational biomedical researches that lead to new treatments to benefit orthopedic patients. His main research interests include stem cells and key molecular pathways that are involved in skeletal muscle atrophy, fibrosis and fat infiltration. Specifically, Dr. Liu's research focused on a muscle stem cell populations, including satellite cells (SCs) and fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) in various muscle disorders. We discovered a novel brown/beige fat (BAT) differentiation of FAP in both mouse and human muscles. Inducing FAP BAT differentiation with beta adrenergic receptor agonists improves muscle regeneration after direct and indirect injuries. His most recent research involves in FAP in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and ALS. His lab research is committed to discover novel mechanisms of muscle regeneration thus to develop new treatments to improve muscle function and the quality of life of the patients.

• Muscle-Derived Beige Adipose Precursors Secrete Promyogenic Exosomes That Treat Rotator Cuff Muscle Degeneration in Mice and Are Identified in Humans by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing.
  The American journal of sports medicine 2022 Davies MR, Garcia S, Liu M, Chi H, Kim HT, Raffai RL, Liu X, Feeley BT
• A novel mouse model of hindlimb joint contracture with 3D-printed casts.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2022 Moore LK, Lee CS, Agha O, Liu M, Zhang H, Dang ABC, Dang A, Liu X, Feeley BT
• Rotator Cuff Tear Size Regulates Fibroadipogenic Progenitor Number and Gene Expression Profile in the Supraspinatus Independent of Patient Age.
  The American journal of sports medicine 2021 Davies MR, Chi H, Kaur G, Liu M, Ma CB, Kim HT, Liu X, Feeley BT
• Does the Antimalarial Drug Quinine Contribute to Muscle Fibro/Adipogenic Progenitor Fibrogenesis?.
  Muscles Ligaments and Tendons Journal 2021 J.H. Jay, M. Liu, X. Liu, B.T. Feeley, C.S. Sabatini
• Microenergy acoustic pulses promotes muscle regeneration through in situ activation of muscle stem cells.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2021 Zhang H, Kim HT, Feeley BT, Lin G, Lue TF, Liu M, Banie L, Liu X
• The Role of Fibro-Adipogenic Progenitors in Musculoskeletal Disease.
  Muscles Ligaments and Tendons Journal 2021 G. Kaur, M.R. Davies, X. Liu, B.T. Delioglu
• Paraspinal muscle degeneration and regenerative potential in a Murine model of Lumbar Disc Injury.
  North American Spine Society journal 2021 Davies MR, Kaur G, Liu X, Alvarado FG, Nuthalapati P, Liu M, Diaz A, Lotz JC, Bailey JF, Feeley BT
• Preconditioning improves muscle regeneration after ischemia-reperfusion injury.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2020 Zhang H, Liu M, Kim HT, Feeley BT, Liu X
• Brown Beige Fat Activation after Skeletal Muscle Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.
  Muscles Ligaments and Tendons Journal 2020 M. Liu, Z. Wang, C.S. Lee, C. Nguyen, L. Lee, H.T. Kim, B.T. Feeley, X. Liu
• Trichostatin A regulates fibro/adipogenic progenitor adipogenesis epigenetically and reduces rotator cuff muscle fatty infiltration.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2020 Liu X, Liu M, Lee L, Davies M, Wang Z, Kim H, Feeley BT
• Human Rotator Cuff Tears Have an Endogenous, Inducible Stem Cell Source Capable of Improving Muscle Quality and Function After Rotator Cuff Repair.
  The American journal of sports medicine 2020 Feeley BT, Liu M, Ma CB, Agha O, Aung M, Lee C, Liu X
• Rotator cuff tear degeneration and the role of fibro-adipogenic progenitors.
  Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2020 Agha O, Diaz A, Davies M, Kim HT, Liu X, Feeley BT
• Dried plum mitigates spinal cord injury-induced bone loss in mice.
  JOR Spine 2020 Xuhui Liu, Mengyao Liu, Russell Turner, Urszula Iwaniec, Hubert Kim, Bernard Halloran
• β3-Adrenergic receptor agonist treats rotator cuff fatty infiltration by activating beige fat in mice.
  Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery 2020 Wang Z, Liu X, Liu M, Jiang K, Kajimura S, Kim H, Feeley BT
• Intervertebral disc herniation effects on multifidus muscle composition and resident stem cell populations.
  JOR spine 2020 Agha O, Mueller-Immergluck A, Liu M, Zhang H, Theologis AA, Clark A, Kim HT, Liu X, Feeley BT, Bailey JF
• Intramuscular Brown Fat Activation Decreases Muscle Atrophy and Fatty Infiltration and Improves Gait After Delayed Rotator Cuff Repair in Mice.
  The American journal of sports medicine 2020 Wang Z, Liu X, Jiang K, Kim H, Kajimura S, Feeley BT
• Beige Fibro-Adipogenic Progenitors Reduce Muscle Degeneration in a Mouse Model of Delayed Repair for Massive Rotator Cuff Tears.
  Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 2020 Carlin Lee, Mengyao Liu, Obiajulu Agha, Hubert T. Kim, Xuhui Liu, Brian T. Feeley
• Beige FAPs Transplantation Improves Muscle Quality and Shoulder Function After Massive Rotator Cuff Tears.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2019 Lee C, Liu M, Agha O, Kim HT, Feeley BT, Liu X
• Rotator Cuff Fibro-Adipogenic Progenitors Demonstrate Highest Concentration, Proliferative Capacity, and Adipogenic Potential Across Muscle Groups.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2019 Lee C, Agha O, Liu M, Davies M, Bertoy L, Kim HT, Liu X, Feeley BT
• Beige fibro-adipogenic progenitor transplantation reduces muscle degeneration and improves function in a mouse model of delayed repair of rotator cuff tears.
  Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery 2019 Lee C, Liu M, Agha O, Kim HT, Liu X, Feeley BT
• Bone morphogenetic protein signaling in rotator cuff muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration.
  Muscles Ligaments and Tendons Journal 2019 X. Liu, S. Joshi, B. Ravishankar, D. Laron, H.T. Kim, B.T. Feeley
• Investigating the cellular origin of rotator cuff muscle fatty infiltration and fibrosis after injury.
  Muscles Ligaments and Tendons Journal 2019 X. Liu, A.Y. Ning, N. Chen Chang, H. Kim, R. Nissenson, L. Wang, B.T. Feeley
• Knocking-out matrix metalloproteinase-13 exacerbates rotator cuff muscle fatty infiltration.
  Muscles Ligaments and Tendons Journal 2019 X. Liu, B. Ravishankar, A. Ning, M. Liu, H.T. Kim, B.T. Feeley
• Muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration after an acute rotator cuff repair in a sheep model.
  Muscles Ligaments and Tendons Journal 2019 T Luan, X. Liu, J.T. Easley, B. Ravishankar, C. Puttlitz, B.T. Feeley
• A Mouse Model of Delayed Rotator Cuff Repair Results in Persistent Muscle Atrophy and Fatty Infiltration.
  The American journal of sports medicine 2018 Wang Z, Liu X, Davies MR, Horne D, Kim H, Feeley BT
• Reversal of Fatty Infiltration After Suprascapular Nerve Compression Release Is Dependent on UCP1 Expression in Mice.
  Clinical orthopaedics and related research 2018 Wang Z, Feeley BT, Kim HT, Liu X
• Muscle stem cell activation in a mouse model of rotator cuff injury.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2018 Davies MR, Garcia S, Tamaki S, Liu X, Lee S, Jose A, Pomerantz JH, Feeley BT
• Knocking-out matrix metalloproteinase-13 exacerbates rotator cuff muscle fatty infiltration.
  Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal 2017 Liu X, Ravishankar B, Ning A, Liu M, Kim HT, Feeley BT
• Role of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) on tenocytes and myoblasts-potential application for treating rotator cuff tears.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2017 Liu M, Lee C, Laron D, Zhang N, Waldorff EI, Ryaby JT, Feeley B, Liu X
• Direct Measurement of Tissue Oxygenation as a Method of Diagnosis of Acute Compartment Syndrome.
  Journal of orthopaedic trauma 2016 Weick JW, Kang H, Lee L, Kuether J, Liu X, Hansen EN, Kandemir U, Rollins MD, Mok JM
• Lysophosphatidic acid-induced RhoA signaling and prolonged macrophage infiltration worsens fibrosis and fatty infiltration following rotator cuff tears.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2016 Davies MR, Lee L, Feeley BT, Kim HT, Liu X
• Investigating the cellular origin of rotator cuff muscle fatty infiltration and fibrosis after injury.
  Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal 2016 Liu X, Ning AY, Chang NC, Kim H, Nissenson R, Wang L, Feeley BT
• TGF-β Small Molecule Inhibitor SB431542 Reduces Rotator Cuff Muscle Fibrosis and Fatty Infiltration By Promoting Fibro/Adipogenic Progenitor Apoptosis.
  PloS one 2016 Davies MR, Liu X, Lee L, Laron D, Ning AY, Kim HT, Feeley BT
• Bone morphogenetic protein signaling in rotator cuff muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration.
  Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal 2015 Liu X, Joshi S, Ravishankar B, Laron D, Kim HT, Feeley BT
• Muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration after an acute rotator cuff repair in a sheep model.
  Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal 2015 Luan T, Liu X, Easley JT, Ravishankar B, Puttlitz C, Feeley BT
• Effects of blockade of endogenous Gi signaling in Tie2-expressing cells on bone formation in a mouse model of heterotopic ossification.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2015 Wang L, Carroll DO, Liu X, Roth T, Kim H, Halloran B, Nissenson RA
• Rat rotator cuff muscle responds differently from hindlimb muscle to a combined tendon-nerve injury.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2015 Davies MR, Ravishankar B, Laron D, Kim HT, Liu X, Feeley BT
• Upregulation of transforming growth factor-β signaling in a rat model of rotator cuff tears.
  Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery 2014 Liu X, Joshi SK, Ravishankar B, Laron D, Kim HT, Feeley BT
• Novel mouse model of spinal cord injury-induced heterotopic ossification.
  Journal of rehabilitation research and development 2014 Kang H, Dang AB, Joshi SK, Halloran B, Nissenson R, Zhang X, Li J, Kim HT, Liu X
• A novel mouse model of trauma induced heterotopic ossification.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2013 Liu X, Kang H, Shahnazari M, Kim H, Wang L, Larm O, Adolfsson L, Nissenson R, Halloran B
• Differential ubiquitin-proteasome and autophagy signaling following rotator cuff tears and suprascapular nerve injury.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2013 Joshi SK, Kim HT, Feeley BT, Liu X
• Original article Muscle extracellular matrix degradation and contractibility following tendon rupture and disuse.
  Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal 2013 Zhang Q, Joshi SK, Manzano G, Lovett DH, Kim HT, Liu X
• Evaluation of cartilage degeneration in a rat model of rotator cuff tear arthropathy.
  Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery 2013 Kramer EJ, Bodendorfer BM, Laron D, Wong J, Kim HT, Liu X, Feeley BT
• mTOR regulates fatty infiltration through SREBP-1 and PPARγ after a combined massive rotator cuff tear and suprascapular nerve injury in rats.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2012 Joshi SK, Liu X, Samagh SP, Lovett DH, Bodine SC, Kim HT, Feeley BT
• MRI quantification of fatty infiltration and muscle atrophy in a mouse model of rotator cuff tears.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2012 Samagh SP, Kramer EJ, Melkus G, Laron D, Bodendorfer BM, Natsuhara K, Kim HT, Liu X, Feeley BT
• A comparison of lidocaine, ropivacaine and dexamethasone toxicity on bovine tenocytes in culture.
  The Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume 2012 Piper SL, Laron D, Manzano G, Pattnaik T, Liu X, Kim HT, Feeley BT
• A mouse model of massive rotator cuff tears.
  The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume 2012 Liu X, Laron D, Natsuhara K, Manzano G, Kim HT, Feeley BT
• Evaluation of Akt/mTOR activity in muscle atrophy after rotator cuff tears in a rat model.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2012 Liu X, Joshi SK, Samagh SP, Dang YX, Laron D, Lovett DH, Bodine SC, Kim HT, Feeley BT
• Muscle degeneration in rotator cuff tears.
  Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery 2012 Laron D, Samagh SP, Liu X, Kim HT, Feeley BT
• Emerging ideas: matrix metalloproteinase-2 in muscle atrophy.
  Clinical orthopaedics and related research 2010 Liu X
• A rat model of massive rotator cuff tears.
  Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2010 Liu X, Manzano G, Kim HT, Feeley BT
• Role of AP-1 and RE-1 binding sites in matrix metalloproteinase-2 transcriptional regulation in skeletal muscle atrophy.
  Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2010 Liu X, Manzano G, Lovett DH, Kim HT
• Role of gelatinases in disuse-induced skeletal muscle atrophy.
  Muscle & nerve 2010 Liu X, Lee DJ, Skittone LK, Natsuhara K, Kim HT
• Pathological changes of human ligament after complete mechanical unloading.
  American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation 2007 Chen CH, Liu X, Yeh ML, Huang MH, Zhai Q, Lowe WR, Lintner DM, Luo ZP
• Mechanical strain promotes fibroblast gene expression in presence of corticosteroid.
  Connective tissue research 2007 Chen CH, Marymont JV, Huang MH, Geyer M, Luo ZP, Liu X
• Force-mediated dissociation of proteoglycan aggregate in articular cartilage.
  Biorheology 2006 Liu X, Sun JQ, Heggeness MH, Yeh ML, Luo ZP
• Strain-related collagen gene expression in human osteoblast-like cells.
  Cell and tissue research 2005 Liu X, Zhang X, Luo ZP
• Direct measurement of the rupture force of single pair of decorin interactions.
  Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2005 Liu X, Yeh ML, Lewis JL, Luo ZP
• Combined effects of estrogen and mechanical loading on anterior cruciate ligament fibroblast biosynthesis.
  TheScientificWorldJournal 2005 Liu X, Luo ZP
• A modified cell culture method for autologous chondrocyte transplantation.
  Connective tissue research 2005 Lee CY, Liu X, Hsu HC, Wang DY, Luo ZP
• The combined regulation of estrogen and cyclic tension on fibroblast biosynthesis derived from anterior cruciate ligament.
  Matrix biology : journal of the International Society for Matrix Biology 2004 Lee CY, Liu X, Smith CL, Zhang X, Hsu HC, Wang DY, Luo ZP
• Direct quantification of the rupture force of single hyaluronan/hyaluronan binding protein bonds.
  FEBS letters 2004 Liu X, Sun JQ, Heggeness MH, Yeh ML, Luo ZP
• Direct measurements of the compressive properties of single proteoglycan aggregates.
  Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2004 Liu X, Noble PC, Luo ZP
• A method for testing compressive properties of single proteoglycan aggregates.
  Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2003 Liu X, Noble PC, Luo ZP