معرفی
Zi Zhang Xiuren is the Christine Richardson Endowed Professor of Agricultural Biology and holds the rank of Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics at Texas A&M University's College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. He is also an EDGES Fellow, Presidential Impact Fellow, and AgriLife Faculty Fellow. His research focuses on RNA silencing pathways, RNA structure remodeling, and host-virus interactions in plants. He employs genetic, molecular, and biochemical approaches to study miRNA and siRNA-mediated regulation, epigenetic mechanisms, and viral defense strategies. Key contributions include identifying components of RNA silencing pathways and elucidating the roles of RNA structure and epigenetic modifications in plant development and immunity.
Education: B.S. from Hefei College of Economy and Technology (1989), Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Cornell University (2003), and postdoctoral training at Rockefeller University (2008).
Research Interests:
- RNA silencing mechanisms and their roles in plant growth and antiviral defense
- RNA secondary structure (RSS) and epi-modifications (REM) in gene expression regulation
- Host-virus interactions, particularly with Geminivirus and Cucumber Mosaic Virus
- Epigenetic suppression by viral proteins like TrAP
Awards & Fellowships:
- Christine Richardson Endowed Professorship
- Presidential Impact Fellow
- EDGES Fellow
- AgriLife Faculty Fellow
Grants & Advising: Active in securing research grants and mentoring students in molecular genetics and plant biology. His lab collaborates on projects involving miRNA biogenesis, viral suppression mechanisms, and epigenetic regulation.
Labs & Teams: Leads a research group focused on RNA biology at Texas A&M, contributing to initiatives like the Texas A&M AgriLife Research program.
