Meng Xie
Associate Scientist, BI Plant Science, Biology Department
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Biology Department
Bldg. 463
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631) 344-7378
mxie@bnl.gov
Dr. Meng Xie received his Ph.D. degree in Plant Systems Biology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he studied molecular mechanisms controlling small RNA biogenesis and small RNA-induced gene silencing in plants. After graduation, Dr. Meng Xie joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville as a postdoctoral associate researcher, where he gained extensive exposure to population-level approaches to reveal novel aspects of lignin biosynthesis in poplar. In 2020, Dr. Meng Xie joined Brookhaven National Laboratory to co-found the Quantitative Plant Science Initiative (QPSI) Science Focus Area program, which is supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research within the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Science. QPSI integrates computational approaches with genome-wide and targeted experimentation into a versatile and scalable capability for determining gene function in bioenergy crops. Within QPSI, Dr. Meng Xie is the Science Lead of Functional Genomics to leverage multi-omics and the cell-based experimental platform to identify genes crucial for poplar resilience to enviromental stresses, as well as to characterize their molecular-level functions.
Research | Education | Appointments | Publications
Research Activities
Growing bioenergy crops on marginal lands is increasingly used to minimize competition for arable land and food production. However, environmental stresses—both biotic and abiotic—prevalent on marginal lands are major constraints on bioenergy crop yields, causing a significant gap between actual and potential yields. The Xie group focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to these stresses, particularly how stress responses coordinate with key biomass production traits. This research aims to provide fundamental knowledge for engineering high-yield, stress-resilient bioenergy crops for biofuels and bioproducts.
The Xie group works primarily with two major bioenergy crops: poplar and sorghum. These have been focal feedstock crops for the Department of Energy (DOE) for decades due to their high biomass yield potential. Poplar, supported by state-of-the-art genomic resources, has emerged as a leading model for woody perennial plants, crucial for understanding specialized physiology and adaptation to environmental stresses. Sorghum, as a C4 plant that requires low nitrogen input and is highly drought-tolerant, serves as a valuable genetic model for optimizing bioenergy crops.
Secondary cell wall (SCW) biosynthesis in poplar and flowering time regulation in sorghum are critical pathways that directly influence biomass yield. However, both are highly plastic in response to environmental stresses, a key factor behind discrepancies between greenhouse and field results. The Xie group takes a multidisciplinary approach to uncover the molecular genetic basis of SCW biosynthesis and flowering. Specifically, we integrate population studies, functional genomics, genetics, cell-based experiments, and molecular and structural analyses to functionally characterize transcription factors and construct gene regulatory networks crucial for:
- Co-regulation of SCW biosynthesis and stress response mechanisms
- Dynamics of flowering time under environmental stresses
- Plant responses to combined stresses
- Spatiotemporal regulation of plant immune responses
These efforts will yield large quantitative datasets suitable for AI-based network modeling, enabling more accurate prediction of gene expression changes under diverse environmental stresses. In addition, we are leveraging and developing plant protoplast-based approaches for genome-wide identification of protein–DNA and protein–protein interactions. This system provides a robust platform for characterizing protein functions in plants that are difficult to transform or require long turnaround times for generating transgenic lines.
Education
2018 – 2020 Post-Doc University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Center for Bioenergy Innovation
2015 – 2018 Post-Doc Oak Ridge National Laboratory, BioEnergy Science Center, Biosciences Division
2009 – 2014 Ph.D. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Center for Plant Science Innovation, School of Biological Sciences
2005 – 2009 B.S. China Agricultural University, Department of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering
Professional Appointments
2022 – present Associate Biologist, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Biology Department
2020 – 2022 Assistant Biologist, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Biology Department
2020 – present Science Lead of Functional Genomics, Quantitative Plant Science Initiative SFA
Selected Publications
- Tadesse D, Dai Y, Yang L, et al (2024) Iron deprivation activates aboveground cell wall biosynthesis inPopulusand the role of PtrbHLH011. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.28.601228
- Tadesse D, Yee EF, Wolabu TW, et al (2024) Sorghum
SbGhd7 is a major regulator of floral transition and directly represses genes crucial for flowering activation. New Phytologist 242:786–796. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19591 - Xie M, Tadesse D, Zhang J, et al (2024) AtDGCR14L contributes to salt-stress tolerance via regulating pre-mRNA splicing in Arabidopsis. The Plant Journal 120:2668–2682. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17136
- Xie M, Zhang J, Yao T, Bryan AC, Pu Y, Labbé J, Pelletier DA, Engle N, Morrell-Falvey JL, Schmutz J, Ragauskas AJ, Tschaplinski TJ, Chen F, Tuskan GA, Muchero W, Chen J (2020) Arabidopsis C-terminal binding protein ANGUSTIFOLIA modulates transcriptional co-regulation of MYB46 and WRKY33. New Phytologist 228:1627–1639. doi: 10.1111/nph.16826
- Xie M, Zhang J, Singan VR, McGranahan MJ, LaFayette PR, Jawdy SS, Engle N, Doeppke C, Tschaplinski TJ, Davis MF, Lindquist E, Barry K, Schmutz J, Parrott WA, Chen F, Tuskan GA, Chen J, Muchero W (2020) Identification of functional single nucleotide polymorphism of Populus trichocarpa PtrEPSP-TF and determination of its transcriptional effect. Plant Direct. doi: 10.1002/pld3.178
- Zhang J, Xie M, Li M, Ding J, Pu Y, Bryan AC, Rottmann W, Winkeler KA, Collins CM, Singan V, Lindquist EA, Jawdy SS, Gunter LE, Engle NL, Yang X, Barry K, Tschaplinski TJ, Schmutz J, Tuskan GA, Muchero W, Chen J (2019) Overexpression of a Prefoldin β subunit gene reduces biomass recalcitrance in the bioenergy crop Populus. Plant Biotechnology Journal 18:859–871. doi: 10.1111/pbi.13254
- Xie M, Muchero W, Bryan AC, Yee K, Guo H-B, Zhang J, Tschaplinski TJ, Singan VR, Lindquist E, Payyavula RS, Barros-Rios J, Dixon R, Engle N, Sykes RW, Davis M, Jawdy SS, Gunter LE, Thompson O, DiFazio SP, Evans LM, Winkeler K, Collins C, Schmutz J, Guo H, Kalluri U, Rodriguez M, Feng K, Chen J-G, Tuskan GA (2018) A 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate 3-Phosphate Synthase Functions as a Transcriptional Repressor in Populus. The Plant Cell 30:1645–1660. doi: 10.1105/tpc.18.00168
- Xie M, Zhang J, Tschaplinski TJ, Tuskan GA, Chen J-G, Muchero W (2018) Regulation of Lignin Biosynthesis and Its Role in Growth-Defense Tradeoffs. Frontiers in Plant Science. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01427
- Ren G, Xie M, Zhang S, Vinovskis C, Chen X, Yu B (2014) Methylation protects microRNAs from an AGO1-associated activity that uridylates 5' RNA fragments generated by AGO1 cleavage. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111:6365–6370. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1405083111
- Xie M, Ren G, Costa-Nunes P, Pontes O, Yu B (2012) A subgroup of SGS3-like proteins act redundantly in RNA-directed DNA methylation. Nucleic Acids Research 40:4422–4431. doi: 10.1093/nar/gks034
- Ren G, Xie M, Dou Y, Zhang S, Zhang C, Yu B (2012) Regulation of miRNA abundance by RNA binding protein TOUGH in Arabidopsis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109:12817–12821. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1204915109
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Biology Department
Bldg. 463
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631) 344-7378
mxie@bnl.gov
