Li Yu 俞 立

Li Yu 俞 立

Dr. Li Yu is a professor in the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University. He received his Ph.D. from Peking University in Beijing and completed his postdoctoral training at National Institutes of Health, Bethesda. Research in the Yu laboratory focuses on migrasomes, which were discovered by his group in 2014.

Selected publications


  1. Cuifang Zhang#, Tianqi Li, Shuyao Yin, Mingyi Gao, Helen He, Ying Li, Dong Jiang, Minghui Shi, Jianbin Wang & Li Yu*. Monocytes deposit migrasomes to promote embryonic angiogenesis. Nat Cell Biol 24, 1726–1738 (2022). [ PDF ] ( Cover Story )

  2. Yizheng Wang#, Shuaixin Gao, Yuheng Liu, Dongju Wang, Boqi Liu, Dong Jiang, Catherine C. L. Wong, Yang Chen, Li Yu*. Retractosomes: small extracellular vesicles generated from broken-off retraction fibers. Cell Res. 2022 May;0,1-4. [ PDF ]

  3. Yuwei Huang#, Xing Zhang, Hong-Wei Wang, Li Yu*. Assembly of Tetraspanin-enriched macrodomains contains membrane damage to facilitate repair. Nat Cell Biol.2022 June;24,825-832. [ PDF ]

  4. Haifeng Jiao#, Dong Jiang#, Xiaoyu Hu, Wanqing Du, Liangliang Ji, Yuzhuo Yang, Xiaopeng Li, Takami Sho, Xuan Wang, Ying Li, Yu-Ting Wu, Yau-Huei Wei, Xiaoyu Hu, and Li Yu*. (2021). Mitocytosis, a migrasome-mediated mitochondrial quality-control process. Cell. 2021 May27; 184,2896-2910. [ PDF ]

  5. Jiamin Wu#, Zhi Lu#, Dong Jiang#, Yuduo Guo, Hui Qiao, Yi Zhang, Tianyi Zhu,Yeyi Cai, Xu Zhang, Karl Zhanghao, Hao Xie, Tao Yan, Guoxun Zhang, Xiaoxu Li, Zheng Jiang, Xing Lin, Lu Fang, Bing Zhou, Peng Xi, Jingtao Fan, Li Yu*, and Qionghai Dai. Iterative tomography with digital adaptive optics permits hour-long intravital observation of 3D subcellular dynamics at millisecond scale. Cell. 2021 June 10; 184,3318-3332 e3317. [ PDF ]

  6. Fang Xu#, Wanqing Du#, Qin Zou#, Yuting Wang#, Xin Zhang, Xudong Xing, Ying Li, Dachuan Zhang, Huimin Wang, Wenhao Zhang, Xinyao Hu, Xin Liu, Xiaoling Liu, Shaojin Zhang, Jinqiang Yu, Jianhuo Fang, Fajin Li, Ying Zhou, Tieqiang Yue, Na Mi, Haiteng Deng, Peng Zou, Xiaowei Chen, Xuerui Yang*, and Li Yu*. COPII mitigates ER stress by promoting formation of ER whorls. Cell Res. 2021 Feb; 31,141-156. [ PDF ] ( Cover Story )

  7. Mingli Zhu#, Qin Zou#, Rongyao Huang, Ying Li, Xudong Xing, Jianhuo Fang, Liang Ma, Lifei Li, Xuerui Yang*, and Li Yu*. Lateral transfer of mRNA and protein by migrasomes modifies the recipient cells. Cell Res. 2021 Feb; 31,237-240. [ PDF ]

  8. DongJiang #, Zheng Jiang #, Di Lu, Xuan Wang, Haisha Liang, Junfeng Zhang, Yaping Meng, Ying Li, Danni Wu, Yuwei Huang, Yuling Chen, Haiteng Deng, Qing Wu, Jingwei Xiong, Anming Meng * and Li Yu*. Migrasomes provide regional cues for organ morphogenesis during zebrafish gastrulation. Nat Cell Biol. 2019 Aug;21(8):966-977. [ PDF ] ( Cover Story )

  9. Yuwei Huang #, Ben Zucker #, Shaojin Zhang #, Sharon Elias, Yun Zhu, Hui Chen, Tianlun Ding, Ying Li, Yujie Sun, Jizhong Lou, Michael M.Kozlov *and Li Yu*. Migrasome formation is mediated by assembly of micron-scale tetraspanin macrodomains. Nat Cell Biol. 2019 Aug;21(8):991-1002. [ PDF ] ( Cover Story )

  10. Daxiao Sun#, Rongbo Wu#, Jingxiang Zheng,Pilong Li* and Li Yu*. Polyubiquitin chain-induced p62 phase separation drives autophagic cargo segregation. Cell Research. 2018 Apr28;(4):405-415. [ PDF ]

  11. Danni Wu#, Yue Xu,Ding, Tianlun Ding, Yan Zu, Chun Yang* and Li Yu*.Pairing of integrins with ECM proteins determines migrasome formation . Cell Research.2017; 27:1397-1400. [ PDF ]

  12. Cong Yi#, Jingjing Tong#, Puzhong Lu, Yizheng Wang, Jinxie Zhang, Chen Sun, Kangning Yuan,Renyu Xue,Bing Zou,Nianzhong Li,Shuhua Xiao,Chong Dai,Yuwei Huang,Liling Xu, Lin Li,She Chen,Di Miao,Haiteng Deng, Hongliang Li, and Li Yu*. Formation of a Snf1-Mec1-Atg1 Module on Mitochondria Governs Energy Deprivation-Induced Autophagy by Regulating Mitochondrial Respiration. Developmental Cell. 2017 Apr 10;41(1):59-71. [ PDF ]

  13. Wanqing Du#, Qian Peter Su#,Yang Chen#,Yueyao Zhu,Dong Jiang, Yueguang Rong, Senyan Zhang,Yixiao Zhang, He Ren,Chuanmao Zhang, Xinquan Wang, Ning Gao, Yanfeng Wang, Lingfei Sun, Yujie Sun* and Li Yu*. Kinesin 1 Drives Autolysosome Tubulation. Developmental Cell. 2016 May 23;37(4):326-36. [ PDF ]

  14. Na Mi#, Yang Chen#, Shuai Wang, Mengran Chen, Mingkun Zhao, Guang Yang,MeishengMa, Qian Su,Sai Luo, Jingwen Shi, Jia Xu, Qiang Guo, Ning Gao, Yujie Sun, Zhucheng Chen* and Li Yu*.CapZ regulates autophagosomal membrane shaping by promoting actin assembly inside the isolation membrane. Nature Cell Biology. 2015 Sep;17(9):1112-23. [ PDF ]

  15. Chong Wang#, Wanqing Du#, Qian Peter Su, Mingli Zhu, Peiyuan Feng, Ying Li, Yichen Zhou, Na Mi, Yueyao Zhu, Dong Jiang, Senyan Zhang, Zerui Zhang, Yujie Sun* & Li Yu*. Dynamic tubulation of mitochondria drives mitochondrial network formation. Cell Research. 2015 Oct;25(10):1108-20. (Cover story) [ PDF ] ( Cover Story )

  16. Liang Ma#, Ying Li#, Junya Peng#, Danni Wu, Xiaoxin Zhao, Yitong Cui, Lilian Chen, Xiaojun Yan, Yanan Du, Li Yu*. Discovery of the migrasome, an organelle mediates release of cytoplasmic contents during cell migration. Cell Research. 2015 Jan;25(1):24-38. (Cover Story) [ PDF ] ( Cover Story )

  17. Yueguang Rong#, Mei Liu, Liang Ma, Wanqing Du, Hanshuo Zhang, Yuan Tian, Zhen Cao, Ying Li, He Ren, Chuanmao Zhang, Lin Li, She Chen, Jianzhong Xi* & Li Yu*. Clathrin and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate regulate autophagic lysosome reformation. Nature Cell Biology. 2012 Sep;14(9):924-34. [ PDF ]

  18. Cong Yi#, Meisheng Ma, Leili Ran, Jingxiang Zheng, Jingjing Tong, Jing Zhu, Chengying Ma, Yufen Sun, Shaojin Zhang, Wenzhi Feng, Liyuan Zhu,Yan Le, Xingqi Gong,Xianghua Yan, Bing Hong, Fen-Jun Jiang, Zhiping Xie, Di Miao, Haiteng Deng, Li Yu*.Function and Molecular Mechanism of Acetylation in Autophagy Regulation. Science. 2012 Apr; 27, 474-477. [ PDF ]