Wansheng Liu

About

Wansheng Liu is a Professor of Animal Genomics at the Department of Animal Science at Pennsylvania State University. His research interests encompass animal genetics, structural, functional, and comparative genomics, with a particular focus on the mammalian Y-chromosome and male fertility. His current projects include the functional and structural characterization of the ruminant Y-chromosome, Y-chromosome variations and their applications in livestock reproductive health, and the functional analysis of the PRAME/PRAMEY gene family during spermatogenesis in cattle and mice. Liu has contributed significantly to understanding the gene content, expression, and function of the Y-chromosome in livestock species, and his work extends to epigenetics and the molecular mechanisms underlying male reproductive processes.

Research topics

• Genetics
• Biology
• Cell biology
• Demography
• Cancer research
• Animal science
• Agronomy
• Andrology

Selected publications

• Early cleavage of preimplantation embryos is regulated by tRNAGln-TTG–derived small RNAs present in mature spermatozoa

  Journal of Biological Chemistry · 2020 · 76 citations

  fertilized oocytes and subsequent single-cell RNA-seq of embryos, we identified a specific functional tsRNA group (termed here Gln-TTGs) that participate in the early cleavage of porcine preimplantation embryos, probably by regulating cell cycle-associated genes and retrotransposons. We conclude that specific tsRNAs present in mature spermatozoa play significant roles in preimplantation embryo development.

  DOI

• The PRAME family of cancer testis antigens is essential for germline development and gametogenesis

  Biology of Reproduction · 2021 · 45 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) belongs to a group of cancer/testis antigens that are predominately expressed in the testis and a variety of tumors, and are involved in immunity and reproduction. Much of the attention on PRAME has centered on cancer biology as PRAME is a prognostic biomarker for a wide range of cancers and a potential immunotherapeutic target. Less information is available about the PRAME family's function (s) during gametogenesis and in the overall reproduc…

  DOI

• The Farm Animal Genotype–Tissue Expression (FarmGTEx) Project

  Nature Genetics · 2025-03-17 · 38 citations

  reviewOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Reconstitution and modernization of lost Holstein male lineages using samples from a gene bank

  Journal of Dairy Science · 2020 · 33 citations

  More than 99% of all known Holstein artificial insemination (AI) bulls in the United States can be traced through their male lineage to just 2 bulls born in the 1950s, and all Holstein bulls can be traced back to 2 bulls born in the late 1800s. As the Y chromosome is passed exclusively from sire to son, this suggests that variation is limited for much of the Y chromosome. Two additional male lineages that are separate from modern lineages before 1890 were present at the start of the AI era and h…

  DOI

• A multi-tissue single-cell expression atlas in cattle

  Nature Genetics · 2025-09-05 · 11 citations

  articleOpen access

  Systematic characterization of the molecular states of cells in livestock tissues is essential for understanding the cellular and genetic mechanisms underlying economically and ecologically important physiological traits. Here, as part of the Farm Animal Genotype-Tissue Expression (FarmGTEx) project, we describe a comprehensive reference map including 1,793,854 cells from 59 bovine tissues in calves and adult cattle, spanning both sexes, which reveals intra-tissue and inter-tissue cellular heter…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Ti‐Cheng Chang

  St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

  21 shared

• Hiroshi Yasue

  14 shared

• C.D. Dechow

  Pennsylvania State University

  13 shared

• Yaqi Zhao

  Tianjin Medical University

  13 shared

• Bhavesh V. Mistry

  King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre

  12 shared

• Jon M. Oatley

  Washington State University

  11 shared

• Yuanyuan Zhang

  China Agricultural University

  9 shared

• Mitsuru Chiba

  Akita University

  9 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Animal Science

  University of California, Davis

  2003

• M.S., Animal Science

  University of California, Davis

  1998

• B.S., Animal Science

  China Agricultural University

  1995

Similar researchers at Pennsylvania State University

• Qin Wangh-123
• Kenneth Davish-83
• Vivek Kapurh-73