Research Area

Hormone and enviromental signaling & organogenesis

Introduction

Education background and Scientific research training
2001 and 2004, Bachelor's degree and Master's degree from Northwest A&F University. In 2007, PhD degree from the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. In 2016, visiting scholar at North Carolina State University (USA). From 2007 to now, Research Professor at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). As the first/corresponding author (including co-first and co-corresponding author), many research results have been published in international journals including Cell Res, PNAS, Nat Plants, Plant Cell, Plant J, Plant Cell Physiol, Genomics, et al.

Awards & Honors
2009: Nomination Award for National Excellent Doctoral Dissertations;
2008: Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award of Beijing
Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award of CAAS

Main research areas
Molecular basis of plant cell totipotency and regeneration
Using Arabidopsis thaliana as research material, the research focuses on dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying plant cell totipotency and regeneration, clarifying the determinants of plant regenerative capacity, elucidating the molecular basis of hormonal regulation of somatic cell fate transition and plant regeneration.

Molecular regulation of plant organogenesis and development
wheat and alfalfa have been used to explore the molecular control of plant organ initiation, development and organ size determination. Studies are extended to understand the molecular basis of plant hormone and environmental signals in regulating organogenesis and development, and identify key functional genes governing organ development and size, which will provide theoretical and genetic foundations for molecular design breeding of crops and forage grasses.

Publications

2024
Xu C, Chang P, Guo S, Yang X, Liu X, Sui B, Yu D, Xin W and Hu Y*. 2024. Transcriptional activation by WRKY23 and derepression by removal of bHLH041 coordinately establish callus pluripotency in Arabidopsis regeneration. Plant Cell 36: 158-173

2022
Zhang S, Yu R, Yu D, Chang P, Guo S, Yang X, Liu X, Xu C* and Hu Y*. 2022. The calcium signaling module CaM–IQM destabilizes IAA–ARF interaction to regulate callus and lateral root formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 119(27): e2202669119

2021
Xu E, Chai L, Zhang S, Yu R, Zhang X, Xu C and Hu Y*. 2021. Catabolism of strigolactones by a carboxylesterase. Nat Plants 7: 1495-1504

2020
Xu C and Hu Y*. 2020. The molecular regulation of cell pluripotency in plants. aBIOTCH 1: 169-177

2018
Xu C, Cao H, Zhang Q, Wang H, Xin W, Xu E, Zhang S, Yu R, Yu D, Hu Y*. 2018. Control of auxin-induced callus formation by bZIP59-LBD complex in Arabidopsis regeneration. Nat Plants 4: 108-115
Xu C#, Cao H#, Xu E#, Zhang S, Hu Y*. 2018. Genome-wide identification of Arabidopsis LBD29 target genes reveals the molecular events behind auxin-induced cell reprograming during callus formation. Plant Cell Physiol 59: 744-755

2016
Shang B#, Xu C#, Zhang X, Cao H, Xin W and Hu Y*. 2016. Very-long-chain fatty acids restrict regeneration capacity by confining pericycle competence for callus formation in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 113(18): 5101-5106.

2015 and before
Xu K, Liu J, Fan M, Xin W, Hu Y, Xu C*. 2012. A genome-wide transcriptome profiling reveals the early molecular events during callus initiation in Arabidopsis multiple organs. Genomics 100: 116-124
Fan M#, Xu C#, Xu K and Hu Y*. 2012. LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN transcription factors direct callus formation in Arabidopsis regeneration. Cell Res 22:1169-1180
Hu Z, Qin Z, Wang M, Xu C, Feng G, Liu J, Meng Z and Hu Y*. 2010. The Arabidopsis SMO2, a homologue of yeast TRM112, modulates progression of cell division during organ growth. Plant J 61:600-610
Jia X, Xu C, Jing R*, Li R, Mao X, Wang J. 2008. Molecular cloning and characterization of wheat calreticulin (CRT) gene involved in drought-stressed responses. J Exp Bot 59(4):739-751
Xu C, Jing R*, Mao X, Jia X, Chang X. 2007. A wheat (Triticum aestivum) protein phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit gene provides enhanced drought tolerance in tobacco. Ann Bot 99, 3, 439-450