Li Feng

Our research interests focus on solanaceae plants, including Solanum lycopersicum and Capsicum annuum. We research on the mechanisms of small RNAs in plants-microbe interaction and the mechanisms underlying the morphological diversity of pepper fruits.

[1] 2001.09-2006.09 University of California Riverside > PhD Microbiology
[2] 1997.09-2001.07 Tsinghua University > BS Life Science and Technology

[1] 2013.01-present> Huazhong Agricultural University > Professor
[2] 2006.10-2012.12> University of California Berkeley > Postdoc

1. Zhang, Q. ǂ, Wang, J. ǂ, Zhang, X., Deng, Y. and Li F.* 2023. A Conserved, Serine-Rich Protein Plays Opposite Roles in N-Mediated Immunity against TMV and N-Triggered Cell Death. Viruses, 15(1):26.
2. Zhang, X. ǂ, Zhang, Q. ǂ, Cheng, L., Liu, D., Wang, H., Zhou, Y., Ma, L., Wang, J. and Li F.* 2022. A New Biotin Labeling and High-Molecular-Weight RNA Northern Method and Its Application in Viral RNA Detection. Viruses, 14(12):2664.
3. Sun, X. ǂ, Xiang, Y. ǂ, Dou, N. ǂ, Zhang, H. ǂ, Pei, S., Franco, A., …. Li, L.*, Li, F.* and Dai, M.* 2022. The role of transposon inverted repeats in balancing drought tolerance and yield-related traits in maize. Nature Biotechnol. DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01470-4
4. Li, F. *, Brunkard, J. * and Baker, B. * 2022. LncRNA gets into the balancing act. Cell Host Microbe, 30(8):1061-1063.
5. Yasir, M., Motawaa, M., Wang, Q., Zhang, X., Khalid, A., Cai, X. and Li F.* 2022. Simple Webserver-Facilitated Method to Design and Synthesize Artificial miRNA Gene and Its Application in Engineering Viral Resistance. Plants (Basel), 11(16):2125.
6. Liu, Z. *, Ren, Z., Yan, L. and Li F. * 2022. DeepLRR: An Online Webserver for Leucine-Rich-Repeat Containing Protein Characterization Based on Deep Learning. Plants (Basel), 11(1): 136.
7. Zhou, Y., Deng, Y., Liu, D., Wang, H., Zhang, X., Liu, T., Wang, J., Li, Y., Ou, L., Liu, F., Zou, X., Ouyang, B. and Li F. * 2021. Promoting virus-induced gene silencing of pepper genes by a heterologous viral silencing suppressor. Plant Biotechnol J, 19(12): 2398-2400.
8. Lu, X. and Li F. * 2021. Heterologous viral suppressor of RNA silencing breaks protein-based viral immunity in mixed viral infection. Sci China Life Sci, 64(10): 1788-1791.
9. Zhang, H., Feng, H., Lu, X., Wang, C., Yang, W. and Li F. * 2020. An asymmetric bulge enhances artificial microRNA-mediated virus resistance. Plant Biotechnol J, 18(3): 608-610.
10. Wang, J., Deng, Y., Zhou, Y., Liu, D., Yu, H., Zhou, Y., Lv, J., Ou, L., Li, X., … Liu, F. *, Zou, X. *, Ouyang, B. * and Li F. * 2019. Full-length mRNA sequencing and gene expression profiling reveal broad involvement of natural antisense transcript gene pairs in pepper development and response to stresses. Plant J, 99(4): 763-783.
11. Deng Y., Wang J., Tung J., Liu D., Zhou Y., He S., Du Y., Baker B. and Li F. * 2018 A role for small RNA in regulating innate immunity during plant growth. PLOS Pathogen. 14(1):e1006756.
12. Magdy, M., et al., 2019. Pan-plastome approach empowers the assessment of genetic variation in cultivated Capsicum species. Hortic Res, 6: 108
13. Deng Y., Liu M., Li X., Li F. * 2018 microRNA-mediated R gene regulation: molecular scabbards for double-edged swords. Sci. China Life Sci. 61(2):138-147.
14. Ou, L., et al., 2018. Pan-genome of cultivated pepper (Capsicum) and its use in gene presence-absence variation analyses. New Phytol, 220(2): 360-363.
15. Liu, F. ǂ, Yu, H. ǂ, Deng, Y. ǂ, …., Li, F. *, Ouyang, B. *, Zou, X. * 2017. PepperHub, an Informatics Hub for the Chili Pepper Research Community. Mol Plant. 10(8):1129-1132.
16. Liu, JZ*, Li F. *and Liu Y. * 2017. Editorial: Plant Immunity against Viruses. Front Microbiol. 8, 520.
17. Khalid, A., Zhang, Q., Yasir, M., and Li, F. * 2017. Small RNA Based Genetic Engineering for Plant Viral Resistance: Application in Crop Protection. Front Microbiol 8, 43.
18. Wei C, Kuang H, Li F, Chen J. * 2014. The I2 resistance gene homologues in Solanum have complex evolutionary patterns and are targeted by miRNAs. BMC Genomics. 30;15:743.
19. Li F., Pignatta D., Bendix C., Brunkard J., Cohn M., Kumar P., Tung J., Sun H., and Baker B. * 2012. MicroRNA regulation of plant innate immune receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109 (5), 1790-1795
20. Li F.*, Orban R., and Baker B*. 2012. SoMART, a webserver for miRNA, tasiRNA and target gene analysis in Solanaceae plants. The Plant Journal 70:891-901.
21. Kuang Hǂ, Padmanabhan Cǂ, Li F. ǂ, Kamei A, Bhaskar PB, Ouyang S, Jiang J, Buell CR, Baker B. 2009. Identification of miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) and biogenesis of their siRNAs in the Solanaceae. Genome Res 19, 42-56.
22. Aliyari R, Wu Q, Li HW, Wang XH, Li F., Green LD, Han CS, Li WX, Ding SW. * 2008. Mechanism of induction and suppression of antiviral immunity directed by virus-derived small RNAs in Drosophila. Cell Host Microbe. 4(4), 387-97.
23. Diaz-Pendon J.A., Li, F., Li, H.W., Li, W.X., and Ding, S.W. * (2007) Suppression of Antiviral Silencing by Cucumber Mosaic virus 2b protein in Arabidopsis Is Associated with Drastically Reduced Accumulation of Three Classes of Viral siRNAs. Plant Cell, 19(6), 2053-63.
24. Li, F., and Ding, S.W. * (2006) Virus Counterdefense: Diverse Strategies for Evading the RNA Silencing. Ann Rev. Microbiol. 60, 503-531.
25. Ding, S.W., * Li, H., Lu, R., Li, F. and Li, W.X. (2004) RNA silencing: a conserved antiviral immunity of plants and animals. Virus Res, 102, 109-115.
26. Li, W.X. ǂ, Li, H. ǂ, Lu, R. ǂ, Li, F., Dus, M., Atkinson, P., Brydon, E.W., Johnson, K.L., Garcia-Sastre, A., Ball, L.A., Palese, P. and Ding, S.W. * (2004) Interferon antagonist proteins of influenza and vaccinia viruses are suppressors of RNA silencing. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 101, 1350-1355.