Main research directions：

1. Biosystematics of Protozoa

Based on the identification and taxonomy of representative species of protozoa with free-living, parasitic and mutualism lifestyles, establishing the experimental, omics (in particular single-cell omics) and bioinformatics tools for these species, and integrating the morphology, omics and gene function data, aims to understand the biodiversity of protozoa and the mechanism of how biodiversity arises, and gradually establish a resource and information center of protozoa.

2. Evolutionary and Ecological Functional Genomics of Protozoa

Focus on the ciliated protozoa, and establishing various ciliate research models, and sequencing and collecting the omics data, performing comparative genomics, epigenomics, population genomics and experimental evolutionary genomics analysis at different levels (Class/Order/Family/Genus/Species/Population), aims to understand the functional basis of adaptive evolution/ecological adaptation of protozoa, and give special interests to the foundational questions in evolutionary biology such as the sex determination and reproductive evolution.

3. Genetic Engineering of Protozoa

Using the Tetrahymena system, and gradually developing various genetic engineering models of single-celled protozoa, establishing the genetic manipulation technique, high-efficiency expression technique and cell culture or fermentation methods, identifying the important gene resources in protozoa, and developing new techniques or strategies for monitoring/degradation of environmental pollutants and disease prevention in agriculture.

2.    Feng LF, Wang GY, Hamilton EP, Xiong J, Yan GX, Chen K, Chen X, Dui W, Plemens A, Khadr L, Dhanekula A, Juma M, Dang HQ, Kapler GM, Orias E, Miao W*, Liu YF*. 2017. A germline-limited piggyBac transposase gene is required for precise excision in Tetrahymena genome rearrangement. Nucleic Acids Research, 45:9481-9502.

3.    Xiong J, Gao S, Dui W, Yang WT, Chen X, Taverna SD, Pearlman RE, Ashlock W, Miao W*, Liu YF. 2016. Dissecting relative contributions of cis- and trans-determinants to nucleosome distribution by comparing Tetrahymena macronuclear and micronuclear chromatin. Nucleic Acids Research, 44:10091-10105.

4.    Feng JM, Jiang CQ, Warren A, Tian M, Cheng J, Liu GL, Xiong J, Miao W*. 2015. Phylogenomic analyses reveal subclass Scuticociliatia as the sister group of subclass Hymenostomatia within class Oligohymenophorea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 90:104-111.

5.    Tian M, Chen XL, Xiong Q, Xiong J, Xiao CL, Ge F, Yang FQ, Miao W*. 2014. Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Protein Phosphorylation Networks in Tetrahymena thermophila, a Model Single-celled Organism. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 13:503-519.

6.    Xiong J, Lu YM, Feng JM, Yuan DX, Tian M, Chang Y, Fu CJ, Wang GY, Zeng HH*, Miao W*. 2013. Tetrahymena Functional Genomics Database (TetraFGD): an integrated resource for Tetrahymena functional genomics. Database-Oxford, bat008.

7.    Gao S, Xiong J, Zhang CC, Berquist BR, Yang RD, Zhao M, Molascon AJ, Kwiatkowski SY, Yuan DX, Qin ZH, Wen JF, Kapler GM, Andrews PC, Miao W*, Liu YF*. 2013. Impaired replication elongation in Tetrahymena mutants deficient in histone H3 Lys 27 monomethylation. Genes & Development, 27:1662-1679.

8.    Cervantes MD, Hamilton EP, Xiong J, Lawson MJ, Yuan DX, Hadjithomas M, Miao W*, Orias E. 2013. Selecting One of Several Mating Types through Gene Segment Joining and Deletion in Tetrahymena thermophila. Plos Biology, 11(3): e1001518.

9.    Miao W*, Xiong J, Bowen J, Wang W, Liu YF, Braguinets O, Grigull J, Pearlman RE, Orias E, Gorovsky MA. 2009. Microarray Analyses of Gene Expression during the Tetrahymena thermophila Life Cycle. Plos One, 4(2): e4429.

10.   Miao W*, Yu T, Orias E, Wan ML, Fu CJ. 2006. Identification of differentially expressed genes in Tetrahmena thermophila in response to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) by suppression subtractive hybridization. Environmental Microbiology, 8:1122-1129.