Heng received her PhD from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in 2023. Her dissertation research focused on studying the horizontal gene transfer of three genes in the DNA synthesis pathway of D. discoideum. In 2024, Heng joined the Queller/Strassmann lab as a postdoctoral researcher.
Heng’s research interests revolve around understanding natural selection and the molecular mechanisms underpinning it. She is particularly fascinated by several questions regarding D. discoideum, such as the mechanisms underlying its predatory behavior, its interactions with its bacteria prey, and the effects of different food sources. Given D. discoideum‘s ability to produce another generation in a few days, it serves as an excellent model for studying selective pressures such as cheating, cooperation, movement, hunting, and other intriguing topics.
Heng is passionate about adopting new tools to approach research questions from different angles. Currently, she enjoys utilizing techniques such as cloning, in vitro and in vivo enzymatic assays, growth curve analysis, microscopy, and phylogenetics. Next, she plans use transcriptomics to explore how gene expression might have shaped the extreme predative flexibility of D. discoideum.
Publication(s):
Heng Liang, Jeffrey P Mower, Catherine P Chia, Functional Prokaryotic-Like Deoxycytidine Triphosphate Deaminases and Thymidylate Synthase in Eukaryotic Social Amoebae: Vertical, Endosymbiotic, or Horizontal Gene Transfer?, Molecular Biology and Evolution, Volume 40, Issue 12, December 2023, msad268, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msad268
The Queller/Strassmann Lab 