School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

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Professor Zhuang, Xiaohong

Address(Office): Rm 181, Science Centre (South), CUHK
(Lab): Rm LG105, Run Run Shaw Science Building, CUHK
Phone(Office): (852) 3943 4066
(Lab): (852) 3943 8963
Fax(852) 2603 7246
EmailXhZhuang@cuhk.edu.hk
Web

https://sites.google.com/view/zhuang-lab/home

Education

  • MPhil-PhD, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
  • BSc, Sun Yat-sen University

Current Positions

  • Associate Professor, School of Life Sciences, CUHK

Research Interests

  • Autophagosome formation in plants and green algae
  • Selective autophagy in plant stress response
  • Mitochondrial dynamics and quality control
  • Lipid transport and membrane biology

Representative Publications

(*Corresponding author, #Co-first author):

  1.  Chung K.K.#, Law K.C. #, Zhao Z. #, Zhan X., Ma J., Chiang C.H., Leung KH, Shrestha R., Wu Y, Li C, Lee K.M., Feng L, Li X, Wong K.B., Xu S, Gao C, and Zhuang, X. * (2025).  Biomolecular condensation organizes the site of autophagosome formation in plant cells. BioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.09.611939
  2. Ma J. #, Li C.#, Ren K., Zhang K., Feng L., Law K.C., Chung K.K., Bing Y., Gao C, Kang B-H and Zhuang, X. * (2025). Plant-specific mitochondrial fission machinery connects mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagosome formation for piecemeal mitophagy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. e2504921122 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2504921122
  3. Wu, Y., Xu, R., and Zhuang, X. * (2025). Multifaceted Roles of the ATG8 Protein Family in Plant Autophagy: From Autophagosome Biogenesis to Cargo Recognition. Journal of Molecular Biology 437, 168981.
  4. Li X#, Liao J#, Chung K.K.#, Feng L, Liao Y, Yang Z, Liu C, Zhou J, Shen S, Li H, Yang C, Zhuang X, Gao C. (2024) Stress Granules Sequester Autophagy Proteins to Facilitate Plant Recovery from Heat Stress. Nature Communication. 15, 10910. 
  5. Isono, E., Li, J., Pulido, P., Siao, W., Spoel, S.H., Wang, Z., Zhuang, X., and Trujillo, M. (2024). Protein degrons and degradation: Exploring substrate recognition and pathway selection in plants. Plant Cell 36, 3074-3098.
  6. Liu, C. Lopez-Paz, Y. Li, X. Zhuang, J. Umen*. (2024). Subscaling of a cytosolic RNA binding protein governs cell size homeostasis in the multiple fission alga Chlamydomonas. PLOS Genetics 20, e1010503.
  7. Zhuang X. #*, Li B. #*, and Jiang L. #* (2024). Autophagosome biogenesis and organelle homeostasis in plant cells. Plant Cell. 36, 1312-1333.
  8. Zhuang X. #*, Li R. #*, and Jiang L. #* (2024). A Century Journey of Organelles Research in the Plant Endomembrane System. Plant Cell. 36, 3009-3024.
  9. Luo M#, Law KC#, He Y#, Chung KK, Po MK, Feng L, Chung KP, Gao C, Zhuang, X. * and Jiang L.* (2023) Arabidopsis AUTOPHAGY-RELATED (ATG) 2 is essential for ATG18a and ATG9 trafficking during autophagosome closure. Plant Physiology. 193(1), 304-321.
  10. Zhou, J., Ma, J., Yang, C., Zhu, X., Li, J., Zheng, X., Li, X., Chen, S., Feng, L., Wang, P., Ho, M. I., Ma, W., Liao, J., Li, F., Wang, C., Zhuang, X., Jiang, L., Kang, B. H., & Gao, C. (2023). A non-canonical role of ATG8 in Golgi recovery from heat stress in plants. Nature Plants, 9(5), 749-765.
  11. Sun S, Feng L, Chung KP, Lee KM, Cheung HHY, Luo M, Ren K, Law KC, Jiang L, Wong KB, Zhuang X. * (2021) Mechanistic insights into an atypical interaction between ATG8 and SH3P2 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Autophagy 18, 1350-1366.
  12. Zhuang, X. *, Chung, K.P. #, Luo Mengqian and Jiang, L*. (2018) Autophagosome Biogenesis and the Endoplasmic Reticulum: A plant perspective. Trends in Plant Science 23:677-692
  13. Zhuang, X., Chung, K.P. and Jiang, L. (2017) Targeting tail-anchored proteins into plant organelles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A  114:1762-1764.
  14. Zhuang, X. #, Chung, K.P. #, Cui, Y. #, Lin, W., Gao, C., Kang, Y.B., and Jiang, L. (2017) ATG9 Regulates Autophagosome Progression from the Endoplasmic Reticulum in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A  114: E426-E43
  15. Zhuang X. #, Cui, Y. #, Gao, C., and Jiang, L. (2015). Endocytic and autophagic pathways crosstalk in plants. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 28, 39-47.
  16. Zhuang X. #, Wang, H. #, Lam, S.K., Gao, C., Wang, X., Cai, Y., and Jiang, L. (2013). A BAR-domain protein SH3P2, which binds to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate and ATG8, regulates autophagosome formation in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 25, 4596-4615.

Research Grants

2025-2027 Research Grants Council General Research Fund (GRF), Function of the ATG18 protein family in autophagosome formation in Arabidopsis, PI
2024-2026 Research Grants Council General Research Fund (GRF), Molecular Characterization of Novel ATG8-interacting Proteins in Plant Autophagy, PI
2024-2025 Research Grants Council (RGC) Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme, Membrane Remodeling by Biomolecular Condensates in Plant Autophagosome and Vacuole, PI
2023-2025 NSFC Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macau), Molecular Mechanism of Membrane Trafficking in Plant Autophagy, PI
2023-2025 Research Grants Council (RGC) General Research Fund (GRF), Investigating the roles of autophagy in organelle homeostasis in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas, PI
2021-2024 NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme 2020/21, Molecular Mechanism Study of the Reciprocal Regulation of SnRK1 Kinase and Plant Autophagy, PI
2021-2023 Research Grants Council (RGC) Early Career Scheme (ECS), Molecular mechanism of SH3P2 in plant autophagy and mitochondrial pathway, PI
2018-2021 Research Grants Council (RGC) Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme, Intersection Points of Autophagy and Ubiquitination, PI
2022-2025 Research Grants Council (RGC) Collaborative Research Fund (CRF), The First Integrated State-of-the-Art Live Cell Imaging Platforms to Timely Promote Interdisciplinary and Advanced Life Sciences Research in Hong Kong and Beyond, Co-PI
2021-2024 Research Grants Council (RGC) Collaborative Research Fund (CRF), Vacuole Dynamics, Biogenesis and Functions in Plants, Co-PI
2021-2023 Research Grants Council (RGC) Collaborative Research Fund (CRF), The First Integrated State-of-the-Art Sample Preparation System for Cryo-Electron Microscopy/Tomography Analysis to Promote Advanced Cellular and Structural Biology Research in Hong Kong, Co-PI
2019-2024 Research Grants Council (RGC) Research Impact Fund (RIF), Plant Bioreactor for Pharmaceutical Proteins, Co-PI
2018-2021 Research Grants Council (RGC) Collaborative Research Fund (CRF), Molecular Mechanisms of Autophagy and Autophagosome in Plants, Co-PI

Awards

2022 Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards 2022, Second Class Prize (Natural Sciences, 6/10), Ministry of Education, China
2022 China’s Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macau)
2022 Association of Applied Biologists (AAB) Travel Grant
2019 American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Travel Grant
2017 Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards 2017, Second Class Prize (Natural Sciences, 3/7), Ministry of Education, China
2013 The Chinese University of Hong Kong Young Scholars Thesis Awards

Professional Activities

  • Review editor: PNAS, Nature communications, The Plant Cell, Molecular Plant, Cell reports, Plant physiology, New phytologist, Frontiers in Plant Science (Plant Cell Biology), Plant Science, Bio-protocol and Protoplasma
  • H1 Connect Associate Faculty Member (Formerly Faculty Opinions)