Research Interests:
The research interests in my laboratory focus on the understanding of the structure, origination, biosynthesis and regulation of plant natural products. Currently, my lab is working on two major groups of natural products, the flavonoids and sesquiterpenoids. We are using a combinatorial approach that includes phytochemistry, metabolomics, molecular biology and biochemistry to understand their structures and biogenesis of these componds. We are applying our findings to modify plants (i.e. food and forage crops) to improve the production of important natural products or produce novel natural products through metabolic engineering. In addition, we are interested in establishing novel approaches to screen for natural anti-cancer and anti-malaria products

Selected Publications:

Xie, D-Y., Sharma, S.B., Wright, E., Wang, Z-Y. & Dixon, R.A. 2005 MetaBOlic engineering of proanthocyanidins through co-expression of anthocyanidin reductase and the PAP1 MYB transcription factor. Plant Journal, in press.

Xie, D.-Y. & Dixon, R.A. 2005 Proanthocyanidin biosynthesis- still more questions than answers? Phytochemistry, 66, 2127-2144.Dixon, R.A.,

Xie, D-Y. &Sharma, S.B. 2005 Proanthocyanidins- a final frontier in flavonoid research? New Phytologist 165, 9-27

.Xie, D.-Y., Sharma, S.B. & Dixon, R.A. 2004 Anthocyanidin reductases from Medicago truncatula and Arabidopsis thaliana. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 422, 91-102.

Xie, D.-Y., Jackson, L.A., Cooper, J.D., Ferreira, D. & Paiva, N.L. 2004 Molecular and biochemical analysis of two cDNA clones encoding dihydroflavonol-4-reductase from Medicago truncatula. Plant Physiol. 134, 979-994.

Xie, D-Y., Sharma, S.R., Paiva, N.L., Ferreira, D. & Dixon, R.A. 2003 Role of anthocyanidin reductase, encoded by BANYULS in plant flavonoid biosynthesis. Science 299, 396-399.

Xie, D.Y. and Hong, Y. 2002 Agrobacterium-Mediated Genetic Transformation of Acacia mangium Plant Cell Reports, 20, 917-922.

Xie, D.Y., Wang, L.H., Ye, H.C. and Li, G.F. 2000 Isolation and production of artemisinin and stigmasterol in hairy root cultures of Artemisia annua. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, 63, 161-166.