2001-2005: 山东农业大学，学士；2005-2012: 中国科学院遗传与发育生物学研究所，博士；2013-2017: 美国冷泉港实验室(Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)，博士后；入选国家高层次人才计划于2017年8月入职中国科学院遗传与发育生物学研究所，任研究员，2017年11月入选中国科学院-英国约翰英纳斯中心植物和微生物科学联合研究中心(Chinese Academy of Sciences-John Innes Centre, CEPAMS)，研究员；2022年获“国家杰出青年基金”资助。实验室聚焦气候变化和农业可持续发展对新型作物的迫切需求，围绕植物发育可塑性、系统稳健性与环境适应性三大生物学主题，主要从小肽信号与植物环境适应性，蛋白质相分离与植物细胞命运编程与重编程，基因编辑与作物从头驯化及快速育种等方面开展研究，解析上述三大生物学主题的分子发育学机制，并基于上述基础机制开展作物精准设计。
植物的生长发育依赖于细胞间的通讯和对话，作为可以在细胞间穿梭的信号分子，小肽信号通过控制细胞通讯决定植物的生长发育和对环境的响应。我们将运用新的策略发掘未知的小肽信号，鉴定其受体并深入研究它们调控发育与环境适应性的分子机制。
生物演化在细胞水平上的一个重要体现便是从相对均一的细胞质环境进化出多样化的细胞器结构，不同生物反应以一种时空特异性的方式在不同的细胞器内有序发生从而决定着细胞的命运。某些蛋白质或者核酸分子可以通过多价相互作用发生相位分离，在原本均一的环境中产生物理、化学性质不同的另一相，形成无膜细胞器或者细胞结构。植物无法像动物那样自由移动，它进化出更为精妙的以静制动的基因调控程序，我们将使用番茄作为研究模式，深入研究蛋白质相分离精准调控植物细胞环境适应性编程与重编程的分子机制，解析其决定生命系统稳健性和发育可塑性的基本规律。
基于对作物进化、驯化规律和环境适应性的认识，使用多重组学、合成生物学和基因编辑等技术，加速现有作物的驯化和改良；同时从自然界遴选野生植物，进行重新驯化，创造适应气候变化、符合我国国情和农情的全新智能作物。
近期发表文章(*Corresponding author, #Co-first author)：
Choon-Tak Kwon, Lingli Tang, Xingang Wang, lacopo Gentile, Anat Hendelman, Gina Robitaille, Joyce Van Eck, Cao Xu* & Zachary B. Lippman* (2022) Dynamic evolution of small signalling peptide compensation in plant stem cell control. Nature Plants. 8(4):346-355.
Xiaozhen Huang#, Nan Xiao#, Yupan Zou, Yue Xie, Lingli Tang, Yueqin Zhang, Yuan Yu, Yiting Li, Cao Xu* (2022) Heterotypic transcriptional condensates formed by prion-like paralogous proteins canalize flowering transition in tomato. Genome Biology. 23(1):78.
Yue Xie, Tinghao Zhang, Xiaozhen Huang, Cao Xu* (2022) A two-in-one breeding strategy boosts rapid utilization of wild species and elite cultivars. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 20(5):800-802.
新闻公众号：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/G6QymmC9jCZAtqX3vmOixw
Xiaozhen Huang#, Shudong Chen#, Weiping Li, Lingli Tang, Yueqin Zhang, Ning Yang, Yupan Zou, Xiawan Zhai, Nan Xiao, Wei Liu, Pilong Li* & Cao Xu* (2021) ROS regulated reversible protein phase separation synchronizes plant flowering. Nature Chemical Biology. 17(5):549~557 (Featured Article, Highlighted by Nature Chemical Biology, Feb. 25. 2021)
Lichan Tu#, Ping Su#, Zhongren Zhang#, Linhui Gao, Jiadian Wang, Tianyuan Hu, Jiawei Zhou, Yifeng Zhang, Yujun Zhao, Yuan Liu, Yadi Song, Yuru Tong, Yun Lu, Jian Yang, Cao Xu, Meirong Jia, Reuben J. Peters, Luqi Huang* & Wei Gao* (2020) Genome of Tripterygium wilfordii and identification of cytochrome P450 involved in triptolide biosynthesis. Nature Communications. 11: 971
Daniel Rodriguez-Leal#, Cao Xu#, Choon-Tak Kwon, Cara Soyars, Edgar Demesa-Arevalo, Jarrett Man, Lei Liu, Zachary H. Lemmon, Daniel S. Jones, Joyce Van Eck, David P. Jackson*, Madelaine E. Bartlett*, Zachary L. Nimchuk* & Zachary B. Lippman* (2019) Evolution of buffering in a genetic circuit controlling plant stem cell proliferation. Nature Genetics. 51(5): 786~792 (Highlighted by Nature Genetics 51, 770–771, 2019)
Tingdong Li#, Xinping Yang#, Yuan Yu#, Xiaomin Si, Xiawan Zhai, Huawei Zhang, Wenxia Dong, Caixia Gao* Cao Xu* (2018) Domestication of wild tomato is accelerated by genome editing. Nature Biotechnology. 36: 1160~1163 (Highlighted by Nature, Oct. 2. 2018)
Xiaozhen Huang, Lingli Tang, Yuan Yu, Justin Dalrymple, Zachary B. Lippman* & Cao Xu* (2018) Control of flowering and inflorescence architecture in tomato by synergistic interactions between ALOG transcription factors.
Journal of Genetics and Genomics. 45(10): 557~560.
Ning Zhang#, Hong Yu#, Hao Yu#, Yueyue Cai, Linzhou Huang, Cao Xu, Guosheng Xiong, Xiangbing Meng, Jiyao Wang, Haofeng Chen, Guifu Liu, Yanhui Jing, Yundong Yuan, Yan Liang, Shujia Li, Steven M Smith, Jiayang Li, and Yonghong Wang* (2018) A core regulatory pathway controlling rice tiller angle mediated by the LAZY1-dependent asymmetric distribution of auxin. Plant Cell. 30(7): 1461~1475.
Cao Xu, Soon Ju Park, Joyce Van Eck and Zachary B. Lippman* (2016) Control of inflorescence architecture in tomato by BTB/POZ transcriptional regulators. Genes & Development. 30(18): 2048~2061. (Recommended by F1000 Prime)
Cao Xu#, Katie L. Liberatore#, Cora A MacAlister, Zejun Huang, Yi-Hsuan Chu, Ke Jiang, Christopher Brooks, Mari Ogawa-Ohnishi, Guangyan Xiong, Markus Pauly, Joyce Van Eck, Yoshikatsu Matsubayashi, Esther van der Knaap & Zachary B Lippman* (2015) A cascade of arabinosyltransferases controls shoot meristem size in tomato. Nature Genetics. 47(7): 784~792. (Featured on the cover, Highlighted by Nature Genetics 47, 698~699 (2015), by Science, May. 25, 2015, Recommended by F1000 Prime)
Cao Xu#, Yonghong Wang#, Yanchun Yu#, Jingbo Duan, Zhigang Liao, Guosheng Xiong, Xiangbing Meng, Guifu Liu, Qian Qian* & Jiayang Li* (2012) Degradation of MONOCULM 1 by APC/CTAD1 regulates rice tillering. Nature Communications. 3:750.
