Research Area

Genetics, Development & Forage Breeding

Introduction

Our research addresses the fundamental question of how plants acquire their form, function, and fitness, and how these principles can be leveraged to advance agricultural practices. We adopt an interdisciplinary approach to uncover the genetic bases and developmental programmes that underlie plant traits, with a particular focus on forage crops, including both established and emerging species. By combining reductionist and systems-level analyses, we examine plant traits across multiple biological scales, including evolutionary diversity, ecological adaptation and plasticity, physiological responses, growth control, metabolic regulation, genetic circuitry, molecular modules, and biochemical networks. Our goal is to develop improved forage crops and forage breeding strategies that help meet the increasing global demand for sustainable and high-quality livestock products.

Publications

Li XM, Jenke H, Strauss S, Wang Y, Bhatia N, Kierzkowski D, Lymbouridou R, Huijser P, Smith R, Runions A, Tsiantis M*. 2024. Age-associated growth control modifies leaf symmetry and enabled leaf shape diversification. Current Biology, 34: 4547-4558 (Featured content)

Li XM, Jenke H, Strauss S, Bazakos C, Mosca G, Lymbouridou R, Kierzkowski D, Neumann U, Naik P, Huijser P, Laurent S, Smith R, Runions A, Tsiantis M*. 2024. Cell-cycle-linked growth reprogramming encodes developmental time into leaf morphogenesis. Current Biology, 34: 541-556

Zhang JY#, Li XM#, Lin HX, Chong K*. 2019. Crop improvement through temperature resilience. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 70: 753–80

Chen K#, Guo T#, Li XM#, Zhang YM, Yang YB, Ye WW, Dong NQ, Shi CL, Kan Y, Xiang YH, Zhang H, Li YC, Gao JP, Huang XH, Zhao Q, Han B, Shan JX*, Lin HX*. 2019. Translational regulation of plant response to high temperature by a dual function tRNAHis guanylyltransferase in rice. Molecular Plant,12: 1123–1142.

Chen K, Guo T, Li XM, Yang YB, Dong NQ, Shi CL, Ye WW, Shan JX, Lin HX*. 2019. NAL8 encodes a prohibitin that contributes to leaf and spikelet development by regulating mitochondria and chloroplasts stability in rice. BMC Plant Biology, 19: 395

Li XM, Lin HX*.2016. Molecular signature of chilling adaptation in rice. National Science Review,3: 276-277

Wu Y#, Wang Y#, Mi XF, Shan JX, Li XM, Xu JL*, Lin HX*.2016. The QTL GNP1 encodes GA20ox1, which increases grain number and yield by increasing cytokinin activity in rice panicle meristems.PLoS Genetics, 12(10): e1006386

Li XM, Chao DY, Wu Y, Huang XH, Chen K, Cui LG, Su L, Ye WW, Chen H, Chen HC, Dong NQ, Guo T, Shi M, Feng Q, Zhang P, Han B, Shan JX*, Gao JP*, Lin HX*.2015. Natural alleles of a proteasome α2 subunit gene contribute to thermotolerance and adaptation of African rice. Nature Genetics,47: 827-833

Sun SY#, Chao DY#, Li XM, Shi M, Gao JP, Zhu MZ, Yang HQ, Luan S, Lin HX*.2009. OsHAL3 mediates a new pathway in the light-regulated growth of rice.Nature Cell Biology,11: 845-851