PI:  Prof. Wei Miao, PhD

Email: miaowei@ihb.ac.cn

Tel: 0086-27-68780050

Team Members:  

Prof. Jie Xiong, PhD 

Prof. Yingchun Gong, PhD 

Assoc. Prof. Jie Huang, PhD 

Assoc. Prof. Xiaotian Luo, PhD 

Assoc. Prof. Chuanqi Jiang, PhD 

Technician: Dongxia Yuan

Asst. Prof. and Postdoc: Guangying Wang, Jing Zhang, Kai Chen, Zixing Chen, Siyu Gu, Jiawei Tu

16 Ph.D and Sc.M. students

General Introduction:

The research group traces its origins to the Laboratory of Taxonomy and Ecology of Protozoa, established by the renowned protozoologist Academician Chia Chi Wang and further developed by Academician Yun-fen Shen. The group primarily focuses on unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms, specifically protozoa, utilizing a variety of techniques including morphology, molecular biology, omics, bioinformatics, and experimental biology. Our research interests include protozoan taxonomy and biosystematics, the construction of bioresources and genetic resources, the deciphering of important evolutionary traits and ecological adaptation mechanisms of protozoa, the development of synthetic biology models and key biotechnologies for protozoa, and applied research on the utilization of protozoan resources.

On-going Researches:

1. Research on Protozoan Diversity: Through extensive long-term field sampling and the development of key technologies such as environmental DNA and single-cell omics, we collect and identify representative species from major protozoan groups, including free-living, parasitic, and symbiotic species. We establish bioresources, genetic resources (genomes and transcriptomes), and environmental DNA resources for protozoa. By integrating morphological, omics, and gene function research, we aim to understand the phylogeny and biosystematics of protozoa. We also establish various protozoan research models, such as ciliates, flagellates, and amoebae, to investigate the functional basis of adaptive evolution and ecological adaptation in unicellular protozoa, exploring fundamental and evolutionary biological questions such as reproduction, locomotion, predation, and symbiosis.

2. Protozoan Biotechnology: Based on the discovery of useful bioresources and genetic resources in protozoa such as ciliates, flagellates, and amoebae, we construct synthetic biology models in unicellular protozoa, particularly using Tetrahymena thermophila. We establish key technologies in these models, including gene editing, large DNA fragment synthesis and assembly, and cell empowerment. Our goal is to develop new technologies and strategies for environmental pollutant monitoring and degradation, harmful algal control, and agricultural disease prevention.

Selective Publications:

(1)     Yang Ma#, Guanxiong Yan#, Jing Zhang, Jie Xiong, Wei Miao*. Cip1, a CDK regulator determines heterothallic mating or homothallic selfing in a protist. PNAS, 2024, 121 (13): e2315531121.

(2)     Chuanqi Jiang, Siyu Gu, Tingting Pan, Xueyan Wang, Weiwei Qin, Guangying Wang, Xinxin Gao, Jing Zhang, Kai Chen, Alan Warren, Jie Xiong, Wei Miao*. Dynamics and timing of diversification events of ciliated eukaryotes from a large phylogenomic perspective. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2024, 197, 108110.

(3)     Mingyue Cheng#, Shuai Luo#, Peng Zhang#, Guangzhou Xiong, Kai Chen, Chuanqi Jiang, Fangdian Yang, Hanhui Huang, Pengshuo Yang, Guanxi Liu, Yuhao Zhang, Sang Ba, Ping Yin, Jie Xiong*, Wei Miao*, Kang Ning*. A comprehensive genome and gene catalog of aquatic microbiome in Tibetan Plateau. Nature Communications, 2024, 15, 1438.

(4)     Xinxin Gao#, Kai Chen#, Jie Xiong#, Dong Zou#, Fangdian Yang, Yingke Ma, Chuanqi Jiang, Xiaoxuan Gao, Guangying Wang, Siyu Gu, Peng Zhang, Shuai Luo, Kaiyao Huang, Yiming Bao, Zhang Zhang*, Lina Ma*, Wei Miao*. The P10K database: A data portal for the protist 10,000 genomes project. Nucleic Acids Research, 2024, 52(D1): D747-D755.

(5)     Chuanqi Jiang#, Guangying Wang#, Jing Zhang, Siyu Gu, Xueyan Wang, Weiwei Qin, Kai Chen, Dongxia Yuan, Xiaocui Chai, Mingkun Yang, Fang Zhou, Jie Xiong*, Wei Miao*. iGDP: an integrated Genome Decontamination Pipeline for wild ciliated microeukaryotes. Molecular Ecology Resources, 2023, 23(5): 1182-1193.

(6)     Jing Zhang#, Weiwei Qin #, Che Hu#, Siyu Gu#, Xiaocui Chai, Mingkun Yang, Fang Zhou, Xueyan Wang, Kai Chen, Guanxiong Yan, Guangying Wang, Chuanqi Jiang, Alan Warren, Jie Xiong*, Wei Miao*. Giant proteins in a giant cell: molecular basis of ultrafast Ca2+-dependent cell contraction. Science Advances, 2023, 9(8): eadd6550.

(7)     Mingyang Ma, Chaojun Wei, Wenjie Huang, Yue He, Yingchun Gong*, Qiang Hu*. A systematic review of the predatory contaminant Poterioochromonas in microalgal culture. Journal of Applied Phycology, 2023, 35, 1103-1114.

(8)     Wenya Song, Jingyi Dong, Xiaoteng Lu, Saleh A Al-Farraj, Weibo Song, Hunter N Hines, Xiaotian Luo*. Morphological, ontogenetic, and molecular investigations of freshwater hypotrich ciliates from China revealed a new genus Heterodeviata gen. nov. (Protista: Ciliophora), and a novel limnetic population of Deviata multilineae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2023, 199, 263-279.

(9)     Chengzhi Mao, Xiao Wang, Xinghao Li, Qiaoyi Kong, Elvis Genbo Xu*, Jie Huang*. Microbial communities, resistance genes, and resistome risks in urban lakes of different trophic states: internal links and external influences. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 2023, 9, 100233.

(10) Chengzhi Mao#, Qi Li#, Majid Komijani, Jie Huang*, Tao Li*. Metagenomic analysis reveals the dissemination mechanisms and risks of resistance genes in plateau lakes. iScience, 2023, 26, 107508.

(11) Jiawei Tu, Tian Li, Zihan Gao, Jie Xiong, Wei Miao*. Construction of CdS-Tetrahymena thermophila hybrid system by efficient cadmium adsorption for dye removal under light irradiation. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2022, 439, 129683.

(12) Hanwen Zhang, David J Patterson, Yue He, Hongxia Wang, Danni Yuan, Qiang Hu, Yingchun Gong*. Kinopus chlorellivorus gen. nov., sp. nov. (Vampyrellida, Rhizaria), a new algivorous protist predator isolated from large-scale outdoor cultures of Chlorella sorokiniana. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2022, 88(22): e0121522.

(13) 姜传奇, 熊杰, 黄洁, 冯伟松, 龚迎春, 缪炜. 微型生物群落 eDNA-PFU 监测.水生生物学报, 2021 Nov 1;45(6).

(14) Mingyang Ma#, Fuchen Wang#, Chaojun Wei, Jianping Chen, Hu Jin,  Hongxia Wang, Lirong Song, Qiang Hu, Yingchun Gong*. Establishment of high-cell-density heterotrophic cultivation of Poterioochromonas malhamensis contributes to achieving biological control of Microcystis. Journal of Applied Phycology, 2022, 34, 423-434.

(15) Pubo Chen#, Jie Huang#, Liuyu Rao, Wengen Zhu, Yuhe Yu, Fanshu Xiao*, Huang Yu, Yongjie Wu, Ruiwen Hu, Xingyu Liu, Zhili He, Qingyun Yan*. Environmental effects of nanoparticles on the ecological succession of gut microbiota across zebrafish development. 2022, Science of the Total Environment, 806, 150963.

(16) Xiaotian Luo, William A Bourland, Weibo Song, Jie Huang*. New contributions to the taxonomy of urostylid ciliates (Ciliophora, Hypotrichia), with establishment of a new genus and new species. European Journal of Protistology, 2021, 80, 125810.

(17) Fanshu Xiao#, Wengen Zhu#, Yuhe Yu, Zhili He, Bo Wu, Cheng Wang, Longfei Shu, Xinghao Li, Huaqun Yin, Jianjun Wang, Philippe Juneau, Xiafei Zheng, Yongjie Wu, Juan Li, Xiaojuan Chen, Dongwei Hou, Zhijian Huang, Jianguo He, Guohuan Xu, Liwei Xie, Jie Huang*, Qingyun Yan*. Host development overwhelms environmental dispersal in governing the ecological succession of zebrafish gut microbiota. npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 2021, 7, 5.

(18) Jie Xiong, Wentao Yang, Kai Chen,Chuanqi Jiang, Yang Ma, Xiaocui Chai, Guanxiong Yan, Guangying Wang, Dongxia Yuan, Yifan Liu, Shelby L. Bidwell, Nikhat Zafar, Michalis Hadjithomas, Vivek Krishnakumar, Robert S. Coyne, Eduardo Orias, Wei Miao*. Hidden genomic evolution in a morphospecies—The landscape of rapidly evolving genes in Tetrahymena. PLOS Biology, 2019, 17(6): e3000294.

(19) Xinghao Li, Jie Huang*, Sabine Filker, Thorsten Stoeck, Yonghong Bi*, Yuhe Yu, Weibo Song. Spatio-temporal patterns of zooplankton in a main-stem dam affected tributary: a case study in the Xiangxi River of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Science China-Life Sciences, 2019, 62, 1058-1069.

(20) Miao Tian, Wentao Yang, Jing Zhang, Huai Dang, Xingyi Lu, Chengjie Fu, Wei Miao*. Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay in Tetrahymena is EJC independent and requires a protozoa-specific nuclease. Nucleic Acids Research, 2017, 45(11): 6848-6863.

(21) Jie Xiong, Shan Gao, Wen Dui, Wentao Yang, Xiao Chen, Sean D. Taverna, Ronald E. Pearlman, Wendy Ashlock, Wei Miao* and Yifan Liu*. Dissecting relative contributions of cis- and trans-determinants to nucleosome distribution by comparing Tetrahymena macronuclear and micronuclear chromatin. Nucleic Acids Research, 2016, 44(21):10091-10105.

(22) 韦薇, 袁冬霞, 杨文涛, 张晶, 陈瑛*, 缪炜*. 原生动物柯立斯四膜虫(Tetrahymena corlissi)超高砷耐受性的分子机制研究. 中国科学:生命科学, 2016, 46(03): 285-293.

(23) Marcella D Cervantes , Eileen P Hamilton, Jie Xiong, Michael J Lawson, Dongxia Yuan, Michalis Hadjithomas, Wei Miao*, Eduardo Orias*. Selecting one of several mating types through gene segment joining and deletion in Tetrahymena thermophila. PLOS Biology, 2013, 11(3): e1001518.

(24) Jie Xiong, Yuming Lu, Jinmei Feng, Dongxia Yuan, Miao Tian, Yue Chang, Chengjie Fu, Guangying Wang, Honghui Zeng*, Wei Miao*. Tetrahymena functional genomics database (TetraFGD): an integrated resource for Tetrahymena functional genomics. Database, 2013, 2013, bat008.