Dr. Xiaobo Li has over 10 years of experience in plant and microbial research. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University in 2007, and his Ph.D. degree in Plant Biology from Michigan State University in 2012. He then worked as a postdoc at the Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford (2012-2016) and Princeton University (2016-2018).

The Li Lab at the Westlake Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS) and Westlake University started in 2018.

Motivation and long-term goals: Photosynthetic organisms (land plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria) impact the global environment, and provide essential resources for the human society, including oxygen, food, fuels, materials, and medicines. The Li Lab at Westlake University aims to elucidate molecular mechanisms in photosynthetic metabolism, develop transformative technologies for chloroplast systems and synthetic biology, and produce talents for life science research and modern bio-industry. 

Our current research program in Chloroplast Systems and Synthetic Biology focuses on three thrusts, as introduced below.

Research problem 1: Impact of environmental stresses on energy metabolism. Under stress conditions, such as cold and nitrogen deprivation, land plants and algae accumulate storage lipids, turn yellow and lower photosynthesis. What are the signaling pathways that lead to these responses? How to maximize photosynthetic productivity under stress conditions? The answers to these questions have implications for both agricultural production and algal biotechnology.

Research problem 2: Expansion of the light spectrum usable in photosynthesis. Land plants and green algae absorb primarily blue and green light. In contrast, marine algae absorb green light to a considerable extent. This is why marine algae mostly appear brown. We are identifying genes required for this capability and aim to engineer these parts into green plants for more efficient light utilization. Genetic tools developed in this thrust will also accelerate molecular biology research in marine algae in general and enable better exploitation of marine resources.

Research problem 3: Creation of artificial photosynthetic life. We will attempt a variety of approaches to realize the conversion of heterotrophic organisms into photoautotrophic ones. This challenging task, once achieved, is bound to bring new paradigms in biotechnology and therapeutics.

Our research is strongly supported by the robotics, multi-omics, and plant/algal phenotyping facilities at Westlake University.

1. Jiang Y^#, Cao T^#, Yang Y, Zhang H, Zhang J, Li X*. (2023) A chlorophyll c synthase widely co-opted by phytoplankton. Science. 382(6666):92-98.

Free download: https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-1455/full

2. Cao T^#, Bai Y^#, Buschbeck P, Tan Q, Cantrella MB, Chen Y, Jiang Y, Liu R, Ries N, Shi X, Sun Y, Ware MA, Yang F, Zhang H, Han J, Zhang L, Huang J, Lohr M*, Peers G*, Li X*. (2023) An unexpected hydratase synthesizes the green light-absorbing pigment fucoxanthin. Plant Cell. 35(8):3053-3072.

3. Bai Y#, Cao T#, Dautermann O#, Buschbeck P, Cantrella MB, Chen Y, Lein CD, Shi X, Ware MA, Yang F, Zhang H, Zhang L, Peers G*, Li X*, Lohr M*. (2022) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 119(38):e2203708119.

4. Jin Z^#, Wan L^#, Zhang Y, Li X, Cao Y, Liu H, Fan S, Cao D, Wang Z, Li X, Pan J, Dong M-Q, Wu J, Yan Z*. (2022) Structure of a TOC-TIC supercomplex spanning two chloroplast envelope membranes. Cell. 185:1-13.

5. Wang Y, Yang Y, Li X*. (2022) Generation, storage, and utilizations of mutant libraries. The Chlamydomonas Sourcebook. Susan Dutcher, Ursula Goodenough, Arthur Grossman, and Francis-André Wollman, eds (Elsevier). In press.

6. Fauser F#, Vilarrasa-Blasi J#, Onishi M, Ramundo S, Patena W, Millican M, Osaki J, Philp C, Nemeth M, Salomé PA, Li X, Wakao S, Kim RG, Kaye Y, Grossman AR, Niyogi KK, Merchant S, Cutler S, Walter P, Dinneny JR*, Jonikas MC*, Jinkerson RE*. (2022) Systematic characterization of gene function in the photosynthetic alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Nature Genetics. 54(5):705-714. 

7. Li X, Patena W, Fauser F, Jinkerson RE, Saroussi S, Meyer MT, Ivanova N, Robertson JM, Yue R, Zhang R, Vilarrasa-Blasi J, Wittkopp TM, Ramundo S, Blum S, Goh A, Laudon M, Srikumar T, Lefebvre PA, Grossman AR, Jonikas MC*. (2019) A genome-wide algal mutant library and functional screen identifies genes required for eukaryotic photosynthesis. Nature Genetics. 51(4):627-635.

· This manuscript presents the world’s first genome-wide, indexed and mapped mutant library for any unicellular photosynthetic organism; this research also reveals 303 candidate genes involved in photosynthesis (65 previously known and 238 novel)

8. Li X#, Handee W#, Kuo MH*. (2017) The slim, the fat, and the obese: guess who lives the longest? Current Genetics. 63 (1): 43-49.

9. Li X#, Zhang R#, Patena W#, Gang SS, Blum SR, Ivanova N, Yue R, Robertson JM, Lefebvre PA, Fitz-Gibbon ST, Grossman AR, Jonikas MC*. (2016) An indexed, mapped mutant library enables reverse genetics studies of biological processes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The Plant Cell. 28 (2): 367-387.  

· ESI highly cited paper (defined as top 1% in citation in the field of Plant & Animal Science for the publication year)

10. Handee W#, Li X#, Hall K, Li P, Benning C, Williams B, Kuo MH*. (2016) An energy-independent pro-longevity function of triacylglycerol in yeast. PLOS Genetics. 12(2): e1005878. 

· Reported by over 20 websites in China and USA

11. Li X, Jonikas MC*. (2016) High-throughput genetics strategies for identifying new components of lipid metabolism in the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Lipids in plant and algae development. Yonghua Li-Beisson and Yuki Nakamura, eds (Springer Publishing), Series Subcellular Biochemistry, 86: 223-247.

12. Yang W#*, Wittkopp T#, Li X, Warakanont J, Dubini A, Catalanotti C, Kim R, Mowack EMC, Mackinder L, Aksoy M, Page MD, D’Adamo S, Saroussi S, Heinnickel M, Johnson X, Richaud P, Alric J, Boehm M, Jonikas M, Benning C, Merchant S, Posewitz MC, Grossman AR.(2015) Critical role of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii ferredoxin-5 in maintaining membrane structure and dark metabolism. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 112(48): 14978-14983.

13. Li X, Umen JG, Jonikas MC*. (2014) Waking sleeping algal cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 111 (44): 15610-15611.

14. Li X, Moellering ER, Liu B, Johnny C, Fedewa M, Sears BB, Kuo MH, Benning C*. (2012) A galactoglycerolipid lipase is required for triacylglycerol accumulation and survival following nitrogen deprivation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The Plant Cell. 24(11): 4670-4686. 

· ESI highly cited paper

15. Li X, Benning C, Kuo MH*. (2012) Rapid triacylglycerol turnover in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii requires a lipase with broad substrate specificity. Eukaryotic Cell. 11(12): 1451-1462.

Note: # denotes equal contribution; * is used to indicate corresponding authors.