Ma Laboratory
Li Ma, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Areas of Research
- Breast Cancer Research
- Cancer Metastasis Research
- Immunotherapy Research
- Liver Cancer Research
- ncRNAs Research
- Pancreatic Cancer Research
- Radiation Therapy Research
- Targeted Therapy Research
- Tumor Microenvironment Research
Welcome to the Ma Laboratory!
The overarching goal of the Ma Laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanisms of tumor progression, metastasis and therapy resistance. Currently, our team uses multidisciplinary approaches and mouse models to:
1. Explore non-coding RNA functions in homeostasis and metastasis.
2. Screen for metastasis drivers and study how tumor microenvironment, tumor-host interactions and metabolism regulate metastasis.
3. Investigate the mechanisms of tumor radioresistance and drug resistance (including immunotherapy resistance) and perform preclinical studies.
4. Understand the link between tissue injury repair, regeneration and cancer.
Selected Publications
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Yao F, Deng Y, Zhao Y, Mei Y, Zhang Y, Liu X, Martinez C, Su X, Rosato RR, Teng H, Hang Q, Yap S, Chen D, Wang Y, Chen MM, Zhang M, Liang H, Xie D, Chen X, Zhu H, Chang JC, You MJ, Sun Y, Gan B, Ma L.
A targetable LIFR-NF-κB-LCN2 axis controls liver tumorigenesis and vulnerability to ferroptosis.
Nat Commun 12(1):7333, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34921145.
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Deng Y, Xia X, Zhao Y, Zhao Z, Martinez C, Yin W, Yao J, Hang Q, Wu W, Zhang J, Yu Y, Xia W, Yao F, Zhao D, Sun Y, Ying H, Hung MC, Ma L.
Glucocorticoid receptor regulates PD-L1 and MHC-I in pancreatic cancer cells to promote immune evasion and immunotherapy resistance.
Nat Commun 12(1):7041, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34873175.
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Hang Q, Zeng L, Wang L, Nie L, Yao F, Teng H, Deng Y, Yap S, Sun Y, Frank SJ, Chen J, Ma L.
Non-canonical function of DGCR8 in DNA double-strand break repair signaling and tumor radioresistance.
Nat Commun 12(1):4033, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34188037.
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Kim J, Piao HL, Kim BJ, Yao F, Han Z, Wang Y, Xiao Z, Siverly AN, Lawhon SE, Ton BN, Lee H, Zhou Z, Gan B, Nakagawa S, Ellis MJ, Liang H, Hung MC, You MJ, Sun Y, Ma L.
Long non-coding RNA MALAT1 suppresses breast cancer metastasis.
Nat Genet 50(12):1705-1715, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30349115.
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Yao F, Zhou Z, Kim J, Hang Q, Xiao Z, Ton BN, Chang L, Liu N, Zeng L, Wang W, Wang Y, Zhang P, Hu X, Su X, Liang H, Sun Y, Ma L.
SKP2- and OTUD1-regulated non-proteolytic ubiquitination of YAP promotes YAP nuclear localization and activity.
Nat Commun 9(1):2269, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29891922.
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Zhang P, Xiao Z, Wang S, Zhang M, Wei Y, Hang Q, Kim J, Yao F, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Ton BN, Lee M, Wang Y, Zhou Z, Zeng L, Hu X, Lawhon SE, Siverly AN, Su X, Li J, Xie X, Cheng X, Liu LC, Chang HW, Chiang SF, Lopez-Berestein G, Sood AK, Chen J, You MJ, Sun SC, Liang H, Huang Y, Yang X, Sun D, Sun Y, Hung MC, Ma L.
ZRANB1 is an EZH2 deubiquitinase and a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer.
Cell Rep 23(3):823-837, 2018. PMID: 29669287.
Funding Support
Title: Non-coding RNA functions in tumor metastasis
Funding Source: NIH/NCI
Role: Principal Investigator
Title: The EZH2 deubiquitinase ZRANB1 as a therapeutic target in breast cancer
Funding Source: Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)
Role: Principal Investigator
Title: Discovery of metastasis driver genes
Funding Source: American Cancer Society
Role: Principal Investigator
Join Our Lab
Postdoctoral fellow positions are available to study metastasis and cancer therapy resistance.
Contact Us
Li Ma, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Phone: 713-792-6590
Email: LMa4@mdanderson.org
Professor, Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson
Professor and Regular Member, MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX
Office address:
Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Unit 1052 Zayed building, Z7.3030
6565 MD Anderson Blvd,
Houston TX, 77030
Lab address:
Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Unit 1052 Zayed building, Z7.2038
6565 MD Anderson Blvd,
Houston TX, 77030