团队以棉花为主要研究对象，以综合抗性、优质为重点研究方向，围绕全程病虫草害防控等重大棉花生产问题，按照新基因挖掘、分子机理研究和转基因棉花新种质创制三个主要层面开展研究，利用三系杂交育种平台聚合优异性状，为我国棉花生产提供技术支撑，推动我国棉花产业向经济、环保、高效和全程机械化转型。团队将在基础技术创新和新材料培育应用两方面稳步发展，确保团队棉花基因工程方面的国内地位，并进一步在棉花抗逆上提升国际影响力。

1. 主持 转基因生物新品种培育重大专项课题“抗旱耐盐碱转基因棉花新品种培育” （2016-2020）

2. 主持 国家重点研发计划“政府间国际科技创新合作”重点专项项目“中巴棉花生物技术联合实验室”（2016-2019）

3. 主持 自然基金面上项目“棉花线粒体基因GhorfA调控细胞质雄性不育的分子机制” （2018-2021）

4. 主持 自然基金国际(地区)合作与交流项目“气候智慧型抗逆品种的遗传适应性与水肥调控机制”（2021-2023）

成果1： 棉花质核互作不育形成机制解析及三系育种应用

       高产和优质是作物育种中难以协调的两个重要农艺性状，杂交育种是解决该育种难题的重要途径。但是，棉花质核互作不育机理不清晰、关键基因的连锁标记缺乏等限制了三系杂交棉新品种的选育和应用。在前期建立的三系杂交育种体系的基础上，阐明了棉花CMS调控的遗传基础及形成的分子机制，明确该性状来源及其进化意义，为充分利用棉花杂种优势奠定了基础。

成果2： 棉花功能基因组数据库  https://cottonfgd.org

1. C Liang#, B Sun# , ZG Meng, ZH Meng, Y Wang, G Sun, T Zhu,W Lu, W Zhang, Waqas M., M Lin*, R Zhang*, S Guo*. Co-expression of GR79 EPSPS and GAT yields herbicide-resistant cotton with low glyphosate residues，Plant Biotechnol J. 2017 Dec;15(12):1622-1629.doi: 10.1111/pbi.12744. Epub 2017 May 26.

2. T Zhu, C Liang, ZG Meng, G Sun, ZH Meng, S Guo*, R Zhang*. CottonFGD: an integrated functional genomics database for cotton，BMC Plant Biol. 2017 Jun 8;17(1): 101. doi:10.1186/s12870-017-1039-x

3. Zhao Xiang, MengZhigang, Wang Yan, Chen Wenjie, Sun Changjiao, Cui Bo, Cui Jinhui, Yu Manli, ZengZhanghua, GuoSandui, Luo Dan, Cheng Jerry Q, Zhang Rui*, Cui Haixin*. Pollen magnetofection for genetic modification with magneticnanoparticles as gene carriers;Nature Plants;2017,3(12):956-964

4. Liang Chengzhen, Liu Yan, Li Yanan, MengZhifang, Zhu Tao, Wang Yuan, Kang Shujing, Muhammd Ali Abid, Malik Waqas, Sun Guoqing, Guo Sansui, Zhang Rui. Activation of ABA receptors gene GhPYL9-11A is positively correlated with cotton drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis;Frontiers in Plant Science;2017,8():1453

5. Wang Yanling, MengZhigang, Liang Chengzhen, MengZhaohong, Wang Yuan, Sun Guoqing, Zhu Tao, CaiYongping, GuoSandui, Zhang Rui. Increased lateral root formation by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of arginase genes in cotton;Science China-Life Sciences;2017,60(5):524-527

6. Zhu Tao, Liang Chengzhen, MengZhigang, GuoSandui, Zhang Rui. GFF3sort: a novel tool to sort GFF3 files for tabix indexing;BMC Bioinformatics;2017,18():482

7. XiongFangjie , Zhang Rui , MengZhigang , Deng Kexuan, QueYumei, ZhuoFengping, Feng Li, GuoSandui, DatlaRaju, RenMaozhi. Brassinosteriod Insensitive 2 (BIN2) acts as a downstream effector of the Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway to regulate photoautotrophic growth in Arabidopsis;New Phytologist;2017,213(1):233-249

8. Muhammad Ali Abid, Chengzhen Liang, Waqas Malik, ZhigangMeng, Zhu Tao, ZhaohongMeng, Javaria Ashraf, SanduiGuo, Rui Zhang. Cascades of Ionic and Molecular Networks Involved in Expression of Genes Underpin Salinity Tolerance in Cotton. J Plant Growth Regul , 2018 June 1, 37(2),pp:668-679

9. HeDaofang , Zhao Xiang , LiangChengzhen , Zhu Tao, Muhammad Ali Abid , CaiYongping , HeJinling , ZhangRui .Genetic variation in LBL1 contributes to depth of leaf blades lobes between cotton subspecies,Gossypiumbarbadense and Gossypiumhirsutum. Journal of Integrative Agriculture 2018, 17(11): 2394–2404.

10. Waqas Malik, Muhammad ShahzadAsghar Shah, Muhammad Ali Abid, GhulamQanmber, Etrat Noor, Abdul Qayyum, Chengzhen Liang, SanduiGuo, RuiZhang,Genetic Basis of Variation for Fiber Quality and Quality Related Biochemical Traits in Bt and non-Bt Colored Cotton, International Journal of Agriculture & Biology, 2018, DOI:10.17957/IJAB/15.0761

11. Yanan Wang , Chengzhen Liang , ZhigangMeng , Yanyan Li , Muhammad Ali Abid , Muhammad Askari , Peilin Wang , Yuan Wang , Guoqing Sun , YongpingCai , Shou-Yi Chen , Yi Lin*, Rui Zhang*, SanduiGuo*. Leveraging Atriplexhortensis choline monooxygenase to improve chilling tolerance in cotton, Environmental and Experimental Botany 162 (2019) 364–373

12. Muhammad Ali Abid, Peilin Wang, Tao Zhu , Chengzhen Liang , ZhigangMeng, Waqas Malik, SanduiGuo, Rui Zhang. Construction of Gossypiumbarbadense Mutant Library Provides Genetic Resources for Cotton Germplasm Improvement, International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020, 21, 6505; doi:10.3390/ijms21186505

13. GaoxiangJi, Chengzhen Liang, YingfanCai, Zhaoe Pan, ZhigangMeng, Yanyan Li, YinhuaJia, Yuchen Miao, Xinxin Pei, Wenfang Gong, Xiaoyang Wang, QiongGao, Zhen Peng, Liru Wang, Junling Sun, XiaoliGeng, Pengpeng Wang, Baojun Chen, Peilin Wang, Tao Zhu, Shoupu He, Rui Zhang, Xiongming Du. A copy number variant at the HPDA-D12 locus confers compact plant architecture in cotton, New Phytologist, 2020, doi.org/10.1111/nph.17059

14. Tahira Syed, Muhammad Askari, ZhigangMeng, Yanyan Li, Muhammad Ali Abid, Yunxiao Wei, SanduiGuo, Chengzhen Liang, Rui Zhang. Current Insights on Vegetative Insecticidal Proteins (Vip) as Next Generation Pest Killers, Toxins, 2020,12: 522

15. Li Yanyan, GuoLina, Liang Chengzhen, MengZhigang, Syed Tahira, GuoSandui, Zhang Rui. Overexpression of Brassica napus cytosolic fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase and sedoheptulose-1, 7-bisphosphatase genes significantly enhanced tobacco growth and biomass, Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2020, doi: 10.1016/S2095-3119(20)63438-4