Microbial Genetics and Metabolism Research Group
Research Focus
Our team specializes in industrial microbial molecular breeding and fermentation process optimization, leveraging model organisms such as Bacillus, Streptomyces, and filamentous fungi. We integrate synthetic biology tools to develop advanced molecular breeding strategies and build platforms for synthesizing complex natural products. By refining fermentation technologies, we aim to achieve high-efficiency production of value-added compounds, including organic acids, polysaccharides, antibiotics, pigments, flavors.
Team Members
Dr. Hao Liu
Professor, Principal Investigator, Ph.D. Supervisor,
Distinguished "Haihe Scholar" Professor | Tianjin Distinguished Professor in Fermentation Engineering
Dr. Liu earned his Ph.D. from the National University of Singapore (2006) and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA), and later served as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (Singapore) before joining Tianjin University of Science and Technology in 2009. His work focuses on advancing microbial metabolic engineering and industrial fermentation technologies.
Dr. Wei Cao
Associate Researcher, Master’s Supervisor
Recipient of Tianjin’s "131" Talent Program | Ph.D. in Biology (Tsinghua University, 2016)
Dr. Cao specializes in microbial metabolic regulation and fermentation optimization, with expertise in genetic engineering of industrial microbes.
Dr. Zhoujie Xie
Professor, Master’s Supervisor
Ph.D. in Genetics (Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2008) | Postdoctoral Fellow (University of Oklahoma, 2009–2013)
Dr. Xie focuses on research in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, particularly utilizing the soil bacterium Streptomyces and the plant endophytic fungus Trichoderma as chassis organisms for the production of high-value-added metabolites.
Dr. Jiao Liu
Assistant Researcher
Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering (Tianjin University, 2017)
Dr. Liu’s research centers on microbial synthetic biology and metabolic pathway engineering, particularly in filamentous fungi.
Dr. Weixia Gao
Associate Professor, Master’s Supervisor
Ph.D. in Life Sciences (Nankai University, 2017)
Dr. Gao specializes in microbial synthetic biology, focusing on Streptococcus zooepidemicus engineering for hyaluronic acid production and Bacillus chassis cell optimization for high-value metabolites
Selected Recent Publications
（1） Duan Y, Liu Z, Huang X, Xu L, Wang X, Liu H*, Xie Z*. (2024) Mitigating genetic instability caused by the excision activity of the phiC31 integrase in Streptomyces. Appl Environ Microbiol*. Online ahead of print.
（2） Liu W, Zhang L, Li X, Lv R, Cao W, Gao W, Liu J, Xie Z*, Liu H*. (2023) Effective production of kojic acid in engineered Aspergillus niger. Microb Cell Fact. 22:40.
（3） Gao WX, Xie YY, Zuo M, Zhang GT, Liu H*. (2022) Improved genetic transformation by disarmament of type II Restriction-Modification system in Streptococcus zooepidemicus. 3 Biotech. 12(9):192.
（4） Cao W, Zhang L, Wu L, Zhang M, Liu J, Xie Z, Liu H*. (2022) Identification and genetic characterization of mitochondrial citrate transporters in Aspergillus niger. Front Microbiol. 13:1009491.
（5） Wang Y, Cao W, Merritt J, Xie Z*, Liu H*. (2021) Characterization of FtsH Essentiality in Streptococcus mutans via Genetic Suppression. Front Genet. 12:659220.
（6） Gao WX, Zhang XL, Zhang GT, Zuo M, Cao W, Xie ZJ, Liu H*. (2021) Is hyaluronic acid production transcriptionally regulated? A transcriptional repressor gene deletion study in Streptococcus zooepidemicus. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 105:8495-8504.
（7） Xu Y, Zhou Y, Cao W, Liu H*. (2020) Improved Production of Malic Acid in Aspergillus niger by Abolishing Citric Acid Accumulation and Enhancing Glycolytic Flux. ACS Synth Biol. 9(6):1418-1425.
（8） Cao W, Yan L, Li M, Liu X, Xu Y, Xie Z, Liu H*. (2020) Identification and engineering a C4-dicarboxylate transporter for improvement of malic acid production in *Aspergillus niger*. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 104(22):9773-9783.
（9） Xie Z#, Qin H#, Raz A, Fischetti V, Zhang S, Kreth J, Merritt J*. (2020) Regulatory control of the Streptococcus mutans HdrRM LytTR Regulatory System functions via a membrane sequestration mechanism. Mol Microbiol. 114(4):681-693.
（10） Xu Y, Shan L, Zhou Y, Xie Z, Ball AS, Cao W, Liu H. (2019) Development of a Cre-loxP based genetic system in Aspergillus niger ATCC1015 and its application to construction of efficient organic acid-producing cell factories. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 103(19):8105-8114.
（11） Xie Z, Meng K, Yang X, Liu J, Yu J, Cao W, Liu H*. (2019) Identification of a Quorum Sensing System Regulating Capsule Polysaccharide Production and Biofilm Formation in Streptococcus zooepidemicus. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 9:121.
