Prof. Rui XIA
Professor
College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University
Email: rxia@scau.edu.cn
Biography
Xia Rui is a Professor and Doctoral supervisor who has been selected as a national talent project participant and recognized as an Excellent Teacher in Southern Guangdong under the Guangdong special support plan for scientific and technological innovation leaders. He holds a Doctoral degree in Horticulture from Virginia Tech University, USA, and currently serves as the academic leader of the State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agricultural Biological Resources and the Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Germplasm Creation in South China of the Ministry of Agriculture. His long-term research focus is on non-coding RNA in horticultural plants, particularly the biosynthesis and regulation mechanism of small molecule RNA, resulting in internationally leading research outcomes. His current research utilizes bioinformatics, genomics, and molecular biology to investigate flower sex determination mechanisms in sapindaceae as well as the regulation of main fruit development in southern China. Additionally, he has authored over 40 SCI papers published in prestigious academic journals such as Nature Communication, Genome Biology, The Plant Cell, Molecular Biology & Evolution.
Research Interests
His long-term research focus is on non-coding RNA in horticultural plants, particularly the biosynthesis and regulation mechanism of small molecule RNA, resulting in internationally leading research outcomes. His current research utilizes bioinformatics, genomics, and molecular biology to investigate flower sex determination mechanisms in sapindaceae as well as the regulation of main fruit development in southern China.
Selected Publications
(1) Yanmin Zhu*#, Guanliang Li#, Jugpreet Singh#, Awais Khan, Gennaro Fazio, Melody Saltzgiver and Rui Xia*. Laccase directed lignification is one of the major processes associated with the defense response against pythium ultimum infection in apple roots. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2021 Sep 7;12 Article 629776. doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.629776.
(2) Daoheng Hu*, Yiming Yu*, Chun Wang*, Yanping Long, Yue Liu, Li Feng, Dongdong Lu, Bo Liu, Jinbu Jia, Rui Xia, Jiamu Du, Xuehua Zhong, Lei Gong, Kejian Wang# and Jixian Zhai#. Multiplex CRISPR-Cas9 editing of DNA methyltransferases in rice uncovers a class of non-CG methylation specific for GC-rich regions. The Plant Cell. 2021 Jun 12:koab162. doi: 10.1093/plcell/koab162.
(3) Kaili Wang, Yuanyuan Zhang, Hengmu Zhang, Xinchun Lin, Rui Xia, Lili Song*, Aimin Wu*. MicroRNAs play important roles in regulating the rapid growth of the phyllostachys edulis culm internode. New Phytologist. 2021 Sep;231(6):2215-2230. doi: 10.1111/nph.17542.
(4) Yongli Qiao*, Rui Xia, Jixian Zhai, Yingnan Hou, Li Feng, Yi Zhai, and Wenbo Ma*. Small RNAs in plant immunity and virulence of filamentous pathogens. Annual Review of Phytopathology. 2021 Aug 25;59:265-288. doi: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-121520-023514.
(5) Wenbing Su, Yi Jing, Shoukai Lin, Zhen Yue, Xianghui Yang, Jiabao Xu , Jincheng Wu, Zhike Zhang, Rui Xia, Jiaojiao Zhu , Ning An , Haixin Chen , Yanping Hong, Yuan Yuan , Ting Long , Ling Zhang, Yuanyuan Jiang , Zongli Liu , Hailan Zhang , Yongshun Gao, Yuexue Liu , Hailan Lin , Huicong Wang , Levi Yant , Shunquan Lin and Zhenhua Liu. Polyploidy underlies co-option and diversification of biosynthetic triterpene pathways in the apple tribe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2021 May 18;118(20):e2101767118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2101767118.
(6) Chengjie Chen#, Jiawei Li#, Junting Feng, Bo Liu, Lei Feng, Xiaoling Yu, Guanliang Li, Jixian Zhai, Blake C Meyers, Rui Xia*. sRNAanno-a database repository of uniformly annotated small RNAs in plants. Horticulture research. 2021 Mar 1;8(1):45. doi: 10.1038/s41438-021-00480-8.
(7) Muhammad Waseem, Yuanlong Liu, Rui Xia*. Long non-coding RNAs, the dark matter: an emerging regulatory component in plants. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020 Dec 23;22(1):86. doi: 10.3390/ijms22010086.
(8) Dongna Ma, Shanshan Dong, Shengcheng Zhang, Xiuqing Wei, Qingjun Xie, Qiansu Ding, Rui Xia*, Xingtan Zhang*. Chromosome-level reference genome assembly provides insights into aroma biosynthesis in passion fruit (Passiflora edulis). MolecularEcology Resources. 2021 Apr;21(3):955-968. doi: 10.1111/1755-0998.13310.
(9) Peng Tian, Xuemei Zhang, Rui Xia, Yang Liu, Meijiao Wang, Bo Li, Tieyan Liu, Jinfeng Shi, Rod A. Wing, Blake C. Meyers*, Mingsheng Chen*. Evolution and diversification of reproductive phased small interfering RNAs in Oryza species. New Phytologist. 2021 Mar;229(5):2970-2983. doi: 10.1111/nph.17035.
(10) Jinbu Jia#, Ronghuan Ji#, Zhuowen Li, Yiming Yu, Mayumi Nakano, Yanping Long,
Li Feng, Chao Qin, Dongdong Lu, Junpeng Zhan, Rui Xia, Blake C. Meyers, Bin
Liu*, and Jixian Zhai*. Soybean DICER-LIKE2 regulates seed coat color via production of primary 22-nucleotide small interfering RNAs from long inverted repeats. The Plant Cell. 2020 Dec;32(12):3662-3673. doi: 10.1105/tpc.20.00562.
(11) Baoqing Ding*, Rui Xia, Qiaoshan Lin, Vandana Gurung, Janelle M. Sagawa, Lauren E. Stanley, Matthew Strobel, Pamela K. Diggle, Blake C. Meyers, Yao-Wu Yuan*. Developmental genetics of corolla tube formation: role of the tasiRNA-ARF pathway and a conceptual model. The Plant Cell. 2020 Nov;32(11):3452-3468. doi: 10.1105/tpc.18.00471.
(12) Yuanlong Liu, Chong Teng, Rui Xia*, Blake Meyers*. PhasiRNAs in plants: their biogenesis, genic sources, and roles in stress responses, development, and reproduction. The Plant Cell. 2020 Oct;32(10):3059-3080. doi: 10.1105/tpc.20.00335.
(13) Chengjie Chen, Hao Chen, Yi Zhang, Hannah R. Thomas, Margaret H. Frank, Yehua He, Rui Xia. TBtools: an integrative toolkit developed for interactive analyses of big biological data. Molecular Plant. 2020 Aug 3;13(8):1194-1202. doi: 10.1016/j.molp.2020.06.009.
(14) Jinbu Jia, Yanping Long, Hong Zhang, Zhuowen Li, Zhijian Liu, Yan Zhao, Dongdong Lu, Xianhao Jin, Xian Deng, Rui Xia , Xiaofeng Cao and Jixian Zhai. Post-transcriptional splicing of nascent RNA contributes to widespread intron retention in plants. Nature Plants. 2020 Jul;6(7):780-788. doi: 10.1038/s41477-020-0688-1.
(15) Minglei Zhao# , Caiqin Li#, Xingshuai Ma, Rui Xia, Jianye Chen, Xuncheng Liu, Peiyuan Ying, Manjun Peng, Jun Wang, Chun-Lin Shi* and Jianguo Li*. KNOX protein KNAT1 regulates fruitlet abscission in litchi by repressing ethylene biosynthetic genes. Journal of Experimental Botany. 2020 Jul 6;71(14):4069-4082. doi: 10.1093/jxb/eraa162.
(16) Mei Liang, Zonghong Cao, Andan Zhu, Yuanlong Liu, Mengqin Tao, Huayan Yang, Qiang Xu Jr, Shaohua Wang, Junjie Liu, Yongping Li, Chuanwu Chen, Zongzhou Xie, Chongling Deng, Junli Ye, Wenwu Guo, Qiang Xu, Rui Xia, Robert M. Larkin, Xiuxin Deng, Maurice Bosch, Vernonica E. Franklin-Tong and Lijun Chai. Evolution of self-compatibility by a mutant Sm-RNase in citrus. Nature Plants. 2020 Feb;6(2):131-142. doi: 10.1038/s41477-020-0597-3.
(17) Honghao Bi#, Qili Fei#, Riqing Li, Bo Liu, Rui Xia, Si Nian Char, Blake C. Meyers and Bing Yang*. Disruption of miRNA sequences by TALENs and CRISPR/Cas9 induces varied lengths of miRNA production. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 2020 Jul;18(7):1526-1536. doi: 10.1111/pbi.13315.
(18) Lei Feng , Rui Xia* , Yuanlong Liu*. Comprehensive characterization of miRNA and PHAS loci in the diploid strawberry (Fragaria vesca) genome. Horticultural Plant Journal. 2019; 5(6):255-267. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2019.11.004.
(19) Hong Zhu#, Chengjie Chen#, Jun Zeng, Ze Yun, Yuanlong Liu, Hongxia Qu, Yueming Jiang*, Xuewu Duan* and Rui Xia*. MicroRNA528, a hub regulator modulating ROS homeostasis via targeting of a diverse set of genes encoding copper-containing proteins in monocots. New Phytologist. 2020 Jan;225(1):385-399. doi: 10.1111/nph.16130.
(20) Chengjie Chen#, Yuanlong Liu#, Rui Xia*. Jack of many trades: the multifaceted role of miR528 in monocots. Molecular Plant. 2019 Aug 5;12(8):1044-1046. doi: 10.1016/j.molp.2019.06.007.
(21) Caiqin Li#, Minglei Zhao#, Xingshuai Ma#, Zhenxi Wen, Peiyuan Ying, Manjun Peng, Xiping Ning, Rui Xia, Hong Wu*, Jianguo Li*. The HD-Zip transcription factor LcHB2 regulates litchi fruit abscission through the activation of two cellulase genes. Journal of Experimental Botany. 2019 Oct 15;70(19):5189-5203. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erz276.
(22) Yanqing Zhang, Zaohai Zeng, Chengjie Chen, Caiqin Li, Rui Xia* and Jianguo Li*. Genome-wide characterization of the auxin response factor (ARF) gene family of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.): phylogenetic analysis, miRNA regulation and expression changes during fruit abscission. PeerJ. 2019 Apr 4;7:e6677. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6677.
(23) Dongdong Li#, Wangshu Mou#, Rui Xia, Li Li, Christopher Zawora, Tiejin Ying, Linchun Mao, Zhongchi Liu* and Zisheng Luo*. Integrated analysis of high-throughput sequencing data shows abscisic acid-responsive genes and miRNAs in strawberry receptacle fruit ripening. Horticulture Research. 2019 Feb 1;6:26. doi: 10.1038/s41438-018-0100-8.
(24) Rui Xia*, Chengjie Chen, Suresh Pokhre, Wuqiang Ma, Kun Huang, Parth Patel, Fuxi Wang, Jing Xu, Zhongchi Liu, Jianguo Li & Blake C. Meyers*. 24-nt reproductive phasiRNAs are broadly present in angiosperms. Nature Communications. 2019 Feb 7;10(1):627. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-08543-0.
(25) Shaopeng Zhao, A. Chen, Chengjie Chen, Chengchen Li, Rui Xia, and Xiurong Wang*. Transcriptomic analysis reveals the possible roles of sugar metabolism and export for positive mycorrhizal growth responses in soybean. Physiologia Plantarum. 2019 Jul;166(3):712-728. doi: 10.1111/ppl.12847.
(26) Chengjie Chen#, Zaohai Zeng#, Zongrang Liu, Rui Xia*. Small RNAs, emerging regulators critical for the development of horticultural traits. Horticulture Research. 2018 Sep 17;5:63. doi: 10.1038/s41438-018-0072-8.
(27) Guanghui Guo#, Xinye Liu#, Fenglong Sun, Jie Cao, Na Huo, Bala Wuda, Mingming Xin, Zhaorong Hu, Jinkun Du, Rui Xia, Vincenzo Rossi, Huiru Peng, Zhongfu Ni, Qixin Sun*,Yingyin Yao*. Wheat miR9678 affects seed germination by generating phased siRNAs and modulating abscisic acid/gibberellin signaling. The Plant Cell. 2018 Apr;30(4):796-814. doi: 10.1105/tpc.17.00842.
(28) Wuqiang Ma, Chengjie Chen, Yuanlong Liu, Ming Zeng, Blake C. Meyers, Jianguo Li*, and Rui Xia*. Coupling of microRNA-directed phased small interfering RNA generation from long noncoding genes with alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation in small RNA-mediated gene silencing. New Phytologist. 2018 Mar;217(4):1535-1550. doi: 10.1111/nph.14934.
(29) Yuanlong Liu#, Lili Ke#, Guizhi Wu, Yuantao Xu, Xiaomeng Wu, Rui Xia, Xiuxing Deng, Qiang Xu*. miR3954 is a trigger of phasiRNAs that affects flowering time in citrus. Plant Journal. 2017 Oct;92(2):263-275. doi: 10.1111/tpj.13650.
(30) Rui Xia*, Jing Xu, Blake C. Meyers*. The emergence, evolution, and diversification of the miR390-TAS3-ARF pathway in land plants. The Plant Cell. 2017 Jun;29(6):1232-1247. doi: 10.1105/tpc.17.00185.
