The adaptive evolution of agricultural pests is the fundamental reason for their outbreaks . Xiao’s Lab focuses on important local and invasive pests in agriculture, such as cotton bollworm, fall armyworm, and black cutworm. By combining results of population genomics, association analysis, gene editing, cell biology, and bioassay, the environmental adaptation mechanisms (pesticide resistance, Bt resistance, cold resistance, etc.) of pests are analyzed. The genes and loci that are identified will be used to explore new targets, and applied to the research and development of new technologies and environmentally friendly measures for pest prevention and control.
The research group includes 29 members, including 1 PI,1 Part-time professor, 1 associate researchers, 7 postdocs, 15 students and 2 Support and Management staff.
David Goodwin Heckel (heckel@ice.mpg.de)
David Goodwin Heckel, Honorary Director and Professor at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany.
He has been dedicated to the study of molecular biology and genetics of insects, particularly in their interactions with plants and other organisms in their environment. His research encompasses areas like insecticide resistance, transgenic crop resistance, and chemical ecology, focusing on the genetic and biochemical mechanisms that enable insects to resist chemical pesticides. This work is crucial in understanding how insects evolve resistance to these chemicals, which is of great significance for agriculture and pest management. In addition to his research, Heckel has published over 200 SCI papers in internationally renowned journals such as Science, Nature, PNAS, and Nature Biotechnology, demonstrating significant achievements. He also serves as an editorial board member of the international journal Insect Molecular Biology and as a reviewer for several prestigious journals, including PNAS and IBMB, showcasing his considerable international academic influence.
Minghui Jin (jinminghui@caas.cn)
He obtained his PhD degree from the Southwest University in 2018. From 2019-2021, he did a postdoc in Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is honored as ‘shenzhen High-level Talent’. He has been engaged in adaptive evolution of insect and made major progress in the analysis of Bt resistance mechanism. As a (co-) first author, he has published 18 papers in SCI journals, including The Innovation、PNAS、Molecular Biology and Evolution、Communications Biology、BMC biology. He has been awareded 4 projects supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Zhenxing Liu (liuzhenxing@caas.cn)
Hongran Li (lihongran@caas.cn),
Peng Wang (wangpeng01@caas.cn),
Jingyun Zhu (zhujingyun@caas.cn)
Luming Zou (zouluming@caas.cn)
Wenmin Fan (fanwenmg@163.com)
Xuetao Shi (shixuetao@caas.cn)
Liu Zhenxing, postdoctoral fellow of Yutao Xiao’s team. He graduated with a Ph.D. from Huazhong Agricultural University, during which he focused on the research on the phototactic behavior of insects. After joining Xiao’s team in 2019, he has been engaged in research on the Bt resistance mechanism of insects. Motto: Work earnestly and live honestly.
My researches are mainly focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying the successful invasion and ecological adaptive evolution of important invasive pests, namely Spodoptera frugiperda , Bemisa tabaci , and Harmonia axyridis . Genomics and molecular biology techniques were employed to study these research subjects. I have authored 28 academic papers, with 15 as the first author or co-first author in reputable journals such as Molecular Biology and Evolution, BMC Biology, Scientific Data, and Insect Science. Additionally, I have presided over a National Natural Science Youth fund, secured three authorized patents, and served as a reviewer for journals including Scientific Data, Insects, and G3.
Peng Wang, postdoc in Xiao’s group. He received his doctorate from the University of Queensland in Australia, his master’s degree from Northwest A&F University, and his bachelor’s degree from Henan Agricultural University. He has long been engaged in research related to Lepidoptera insects. In 2020, he joined Xiao’s group and is now a Category C talent in the Shenzhen Peacock Plan.
Zhu Jingyun, graduated from Northwestern A&F University with a Ph.D. in October 2021, he has been conducting postdoctoral research at theAgricultural Genomics Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He has published three papers as the first author in academic journals including Entomologia Generalis, Journal of Pest Science, and Pest Management Science, and has obtained one utility model patent. He has been funded by two projects:
The 72nd postdoctoral fund, and Open Project of the Key Laboratory for Comprehensive Management of Crop Pests in the Northwest Loess Plateau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Luming Zou ,Graduated in December, 2019 from IBCAS, CAS
Wenmin Fan, graduated from Southwest University in Chongqing , then got his master degree and doctoral degree in China Agricultural University. Now he works as a postdoc researcher in Yutao Xiao’s lab.
In the post-doctoral period, Shi explored the interaction mechanism between plants and pathogenic fungi by studying the model disease rice blast. The main results include: (1) identified the ANIP1-OsWRKY62 regulatory module that participates in both rice basal immunity and the recognition signaling pathway between the avirulent effector AvrPi9 and the blast resistance protein Pi9; (2) revealed the virulent function of the blast fugus effector MoNLE1 that directly target a rice PUX protein; (3) sequenced the genome of a Colletotrichum graminicola field strain from Hebei, China.
Xinyue Liang (1824926569@qq.com),
Yinxue Shan (1805024712@qq.com),
Yan Peng (1300538321@qq.com).
Ping Wang (wangping2755@163.com)
Yanjin He (2694264377@qq.com)
Zhuting Zhang (zzting6650@163.com)
Xuefeng Liu (1668001561@qq.com)
Jie Peng (1508542130@qq.com)
Zhuangzhuang Liu (2302516512@qq.com)
Na Wang (2765389182@qq.com)
Xinye Liu (liuxinye408@163.com)
Junfen Ping (pjfshengwu@163.com)
Chongjun Zhao (754004404@qq.com)
Alexander Englem Yesaya (alexanderyesaya19@gmail.com)
VIGAN Chess-Kadouste (vigankadouste@yahoo.com)
Chao Wu (wuchao@caas.cn)
Jiaqi Huang (huangjiaqi01@caas.cn)
