Professor Xiaofei Cheng is a distinguished molecular plant pathologist and biochemist at the College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China. His research focuses primarily on the molecular mechanisms underlying plant-virus interactions, with a particular emphasis on host immune modulation, viral pathogenicity, and RNA virus replication and movement. Through extensive collaborative research with national and international institutes, including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the National Centre for Biotechnology (CSIC, Spain), Professor Cheng has made pioneering contributions to understanding how plant viruses exploit host cellular machinery to establish successful infections. A central theme of Cheng’s research involves elucidating how RNA viruses manipulate plant immunity. His team discovered that plant viruses can hijack host phosphatases to attenuate MAPK-mediated immunity, enabling robust infection. Moreover, his studies revealed the existence of pathogen protease-activated molecular decoys, offering potential for engineering customized resistance in plants. Cheng also uncovered viral strategies to target NPR1, a master regulator of salicylic acid (SA)-mediated defense, thereby suppressing antiviral immunity. His research extends to virus-encoded small proteins, viral replication vesicle formation, and intercellular virus movement. Earlier, Cheng’s work demonstrated that sumoylation of viral RNA polymerase promotes infection by subverting NPR1-mediated immunity, and that viral suppressor proteins such as VPg can degrade key host silencing factors via autophagy pathways. With over 96 publications, 1,635 citations, and an h-index of 23 (Scopus), Professor Cheng has established himself as a leading figure in molecular plant virology and biotechnology. His findings not only deepen our understanding of host-pathogen molecular interplay but also pave the way for developing virus-resistant crop varieties, contributing significantly to global agricultural sustainability.
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Luan, Y., Jiang, X., Wang, Y., Chai, M., Li, F., Wang, A., Wu, X., & Cheng, X. (2025). A plant RNA virus hijacks a membrane-anchored dual-specificity phosphatase to attenuate MAPK-mediated immunity for robust infection. The Plant Cell.
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Fan, X., Zhao, Y., Ji, W., Rodamilans, B., Simón-Mateo, C., García, J. A., Wu, X., & Cheng, X.* (2025). A pathogen protease-activated molecular decoy for customized resistance in plant. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 23, 2403–2405.
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Jiang, X., Yang, Y., Li, Y., Wang, Y., Rodamilans, B., Ji, W., Wu, X., García, J. A., Wu, X., & Cheng, X. (2025). Plant viruses convergently target NPR1 with various strategies to suppress salicylic acid-mediated antiviral immunity. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 67(5), 1395–1412.
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Chai, M., Li, L., Li, Y., Yang, Y., Wang, Y., Jiang, X., Luan, Y., Li, F., Cui, H., Wang, A., Xiang, W., Wu, X., & Cheng, X.* (2024). The 6-kilodalton peptide 1 in plant viruses of the family Potyviridae is a viroporin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121(21), e2401748121.
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Liu, J., Wu, X., Fang, Y., Liu, Y., Bello, E. O., Li, Y., Xiong, R., Li, Y., Fu, Z. Q., Wang, A., & Cheng, X.* (2023). A plant RNA virus inhibits NPR1 sumoylation and subverts NPR1-mediated plant immunity. Nature Communications, 14, 3580.