Molecular Biology for Improving Crop Nutrient Use Efficiency
This group focuses on: 1)molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying N uptake and assimilation in rice, and developing transgenic rice plants with high NUE, 2) molecular mechanisms responsible for efficient uptake and use of P in rice encountering environments with low P availability, and breeding of transgenic rice plants tolerant to low P stress, 3) function and regulation of K transport system in rice, and breeding of transgenic rice plants tolerant to salt and drought stress, 4)Symbiotic transfer of P and its molecular signaling (genes or small chemicals) in arbuscular mycorrhiza of plants, in particular solanaceous species and rice.
Selected Publications:
1. Xu G.H., Fan X.R., Miller A.J. 2012. Plant nitrogen assimilation and use efficiency. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 63: 153-182.
2. Sun S.B., Gu M., Cao Y., Huang X.P., Zhang X., Ai P.H., Zhao J.N., Fan X.R., Xu G.H. 2012. A constitutive expressed phosphate transporter, OsPht1;1, modulates phosphate uptake and translocation in Pi-replete rice. Plant Physiology, 159: 1571-1581.
3. Li Y., Reb B.B., Yang X.X., Xu G.H., Shen Q.R., Guo S.W. 2012. Chloroplast downsizing under nitrate nutrition restrained mesophyll conductance and photosynthesis in rice (Oryza sativa L.) under drought conditions. Plant & Cell Physiology, 53:892-900.
4. Jia H.F., Ren H.Y., Gu M., Zhao J.N., Sun S.B., Zhang X., Chen J.Y., Wu P., Xu G.H. 2011. The phosphate transporter gene OsPht1;8 is involved in phosphate homeostasis in rice. Plant Physiology, 156: 1164-1175.
5. Chen A.Q., Gu M., Sun S.B., Zhu L.L., Hong S., Xu G.H. 2011. Identification of two conserved cis-acting elements, MYCS and P1BS, involved in the regulation of mycorrhiza-activated phosphate transporter in eudicot species. New Phytologist, 189: 1157-1169.
6. Yan M., Fan X.R., Feng H.M., Miller A.J., Shen Q.R., Xu G.H. 2011. Rice OsNAR2.1 interacts with OsNRT2.1, OsNRT2.2 and OsNRT2.3a nitrate transporters to provide uptake over high and low concentration ranges. Plant, Cell & Environment, 34: 1360-1372.
7. Ai P.H., Sun S.B., Zhao J.N., Fan X.R., Xin W.J., Guo Q., Yu L., Shen Q.R., Wu P., Miller A.J., Xu G.H. 2009. Two rice phosphate transporters, OsPht1;2 and OsPht1;6, have different functions and kinetic properties in uptake and translocation. The Plant Journal, 57: 798-809.
8. Miller A.J., Shen Q.R., Xu G.H. 2009. Freeways in the plant: transporters for N, P and S and their regulation. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 12: 284-290.
9. Chen A.Q., Hu J., Sun S.B., Xu G.H. 2007. Conservation and divergence of both phosphate- and mycorrhiza-regulated physiological responses and expression patterns of phosphate transporters in solanaceous species. New Phytologist, 173: 817-831.
