研究方向
1. 玉米
分子遗传学研究。主要针对玉米籽粒的蛋白品质性状，开展重要突变体的基因克隆和功能分析。重点针对玉米籽粒Opaque突变体（为主要影响籽粒蛋白含量的一类突变体），开展图位克隆和功能分析。并在此基础上开展对玉米主要储藏蛋白的转录调控机制研究。
2. 玉米基因组学研究。
功能基因组学研究：利用玉米Ac转座子系统，创建玉米功能基因组学研究的遗传材料，并探索相应的研究方法。
比较基因组学研究：开展玉米重要染色体位点的比较基因组学研究，特别关注玉米关键性状的驯化问题。
以往主要研究基础：
1. 开展了针对玉米重要性状的分子遗传学和基因组学研究，其中对玉米主要驯化基因tb1的驯化突变位点的研究发表在Cell Research（2011）。对玉米重要籽粒突变体Opaque7的图位克隆研究发表在Genetics（2011），是国内首个发表的玉米图位克隆研究工作。构建了国内首个可用于大规模玉米功能基因组研究的玉米Ac转座子突变系统（Genetica，2010）。
2. 系统开展了针对玉米主要储藏蛋白（
醇溶蛋白）的基因组学、比较基因组学和功能基因组学研究，相应研究以第一作者发表了Genome Research （2001），Genome Research（2002），Plant Physiology（2002）和PNAS（2003）；以通讯作者发表了Plant Mol Biology（2009），Plant Mol Biology（2010）和Genome（2010）。
3. 在玉米中最先尝试了RNAi
转基因技术，并用单个RNAi构建沉默一个基因家族，以第二作者发表Genetics（2003）；在玉米中尝试了超大片段的遗传转化，也是首次完整转化一个大型的簇状基因家族（高梁22kD醇溶蛋白基因簇），以第一作者发表Nucleic Acids Research（2004）。实验室建有成熟的玉米转基因技术平台，承担有转基因育种国家重大专项任务。
4. 参与了国际水稻基因组计划中第10号染色体的序列测定工作，具体负责了Rutgers大学分摊的区段，是Science（2003）和Nature（2005）的共同作者，并因此得到美国农业部颁发的奖励。回国后还开展了对14个野生稻在Moc1位点的比较基因组学分析，以并列第一作者发表PNAS（2009）。
5. 开展了极端耐逆生物（盐藻Dunaliella viridis和盐芥Thellungiella halophila）的功能基因研究，报道了多个独特功能基因的克隆和功能分析，以通讯作者发表Plant Molecular Biology等SCI论文10篇。
教育背景
1992年7月本科毕业于
华东化工学院（现
华东理工大学）生物化学专业；1997年7月博士毕业于中国科学院上海植物生理研究所，
植物分子遗传国家重点实验室，遗传学专业。1997年7月至2004年5月在美国新泽西州Rutgers大学Waksman研究所从事植物分子遗传和植物基因组学博士后研究工作。2004年6月起，任
上海大学生命科学学院教授。2005年12月起任上海市能源作物育种及应用重点实验室主任。
学术成果
曾获2004年获美国农业部杰出成就集体奖；2004年度上海市“曙光学者”；2005年度上海市青年科技启明星，2005年度上海市“浦江人才”，2006年度教育部新世纪优秀人才，霍英东教育基金获得者。
承担有
国家自然科学基金、国家“863”计划、国家“973”计划，以及国家转基因重大专项等科研项目。至2011年底，共发表SCI论文41篇，SCI引用2200余次。
主讲课程：遗传学，转基因技术与安全（新生研讨课）
研究论文
1. Wang G, Xu J, Tang Y, Zhou L, Wang F, Xu Z and Song R* (2011) Molecular characterization of a genomic interval with highly uneven recombination distribution on maize chromosome 10L. Genetica 139: 1109-1118
2. Wang G, Sun X, Wang G, Wang F, Gao Q, Sun X, Tang Y, Chang C, Lai J, Zhu L, Xu Z and Song R* (2011) Opaque7 encodes an Acyl Activating Enzyme-lie protein that affects storage protein synthesis in maize endosperm. Genetics 189(4): 1281-1295
3. Zhou L, Zhang J, Yan J and Song R* (2011) Two transposable element insertions are causative mutations for the major domestication gene teosinte branched 1 in modern maize. Cell Research 21: 1267-1270.
4. Wang G, Wang G, Zhang X, Wang F and Song R* (2011) Isolation of high quality RNA from cereal seeds containing high level of starch. Phytochem Anal. (DOI 10.1002/pca.1337)
5. Zhu C, Xu Z and Song R* (2011) The endoglucanase from Bacillus subtilis BEC-1 bears halo tolerant, acidophilic and dithiothreitol stimulated enzyme activity. World J Microbiol Biotechnol (DOI 10.1007/s11274- 011- 0767-6)
6. Yuan H, Meng X, Gao Q, Qu W, Xu T, Xu Z and Song R* (2011) The characterization of two peroxiredoxin genes in Dunaliella viridis privides insights into antioxidative response to salt stress. Plant Cell Rep 30 (8): 1503-1512.
7. Song T, Gao Q, Xu Z and Song R* (2011) The cloning and characterization of two ammonium transporters in the salt-resistant green alga Dunaliella viridis. Mol Bio Rep 38 (7): 4797-4804.
8. Meng X, Xu Z and Song R* (2011) Molecular cloning and characterization of a vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase from Dunaliella viridis. Mol Bio Rep 38(5): 3375-3382.
9. Zhang N, Wang F, Meng X, Luo S, Li Q, Dong H, Xu Z and Song R* (2011) Molecular cloning and characterization of a trehalose-6-phosphate synthase/phosphatase from Dunaliella viridis. Mol Bio Rep 38(4): 2241-2248.
10. Zhu C, Zhang J, Tang Y, Xu Z and Song R* (2011) Diversity of methanogenic archaea in a biogas reactor fed with swine faces as the mono-substrate by mcrA analysis. Microbiol Res 166: 27-35.
11. Li M, Li P, Song R and Xu Z （2010）An induced hypersensitive-like response limits expression of foreign peptides via a recombinant TMV-based vector in a susceptible tobacco. PLoS One 5(11): e15087.
12. Wang F, Li Z, Fan J, Li P, Hu W, Wang G, Xu Z and Song R* (2010) An Ac transposon system based on maize chromosome 4S for isolating long-distance-transposed Ac tags in the maize genome. Genetica 138: 1261-1270.
13. Zhou L, Huang B, Meng X, Wang G, Wang F, Xu Z and Song R* (2010) The amplification and evolution of orthologous 22-kD α-prolamin tandemly arrayed genes in coix, sorghum and maize genomes. Plant Mol Bio 74(6): 631-643.
14. Meng X, Huang B, Zhou L, He Y, Chen Q, Yuan Y, Xu Z and Song R* (2010) Construction of a Coix BAC library and isolation of the 22 kDa α-coixin gene cluster. Genome 53: 667-674.
15. Sun X, Meng X, Xu Z, Song R* (2010) Expression of the 26S proteasome subunit RPN10 is upregulated by salt stress in Dunaliella viridis. J Plant Physiol 167: 1003-1008.
16. Wang GF, Wang H, Zhu J, Zhang J, Zhang X, Wang F, Tang Y, Mei B, Xu Z and Song R* (2010) An expression analysis of 57 transcription factors derived from ESTs of developing seeds in Maize (Zea mays). Plant Cell Rep 29: 545-559.
17. Yan Q, Zhao M, Miao H, Ruan W and Song R (2010) Couple of the hydrogen and polyhyroxyalkanoates (PHA) production through anaerobic digestion from Taihu blue algae. Bioresource Technology 101: 4508-4512.
18. Han Y, Wang G, Liu Z, Liu J, Yue W, Song R, Zhang X and Jin W (2010) Divergence in centromere structure distinguishes related genomes in Coix lacryma-jobi and its wild relative. Chromosoma 119: 89-98.
19. He Y, Meng X, Fan Q, Sun X, Xu Z and Song R* (2009) Cloning and characterization of two novel chloroplastic glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenases from Dunaliella viridis. Plant Mol Bio 71: 193-205.
20. Feng L, Zhu J, Wang G, Tang Y, Chen H, Jin W, Wang F, Mei B, Xu Z and Song R* (2009) Expressional profiling study revealed unique expressional patterns and dramatic expressional divergence of maize α-zein super gene family. Plant Mol Bio 69:649-659.
21. Lu F, Ammiraju JS, Sanyal A, Zhang S, Song R, Chen J, Li G, Sui Y, Song X, Cheng Z, de Oliveira AC, Bennetzen JL, Jackson SA, Wing RA, Chen M. (2009) Comparative sequence analysis of MONOCULM1-orthologous regions in 14 Oryza genomes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 106(6): 2071-6. (Co-first Author)
22. Guan Z, Meng X, Sun Z, Xu Z and Song R* (2008) Characterization of duplicated Dunaliella viridis SPT1 genes provides insights into early gene divergence after duplication. Gene 423(1):36-42.
23. Fang Q, Liu J, Xu Z and Song R* (2008) Cloning and characterization of a flowering time gene from Thellungiella halophila. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin. 40(8):747-53.
24. Guan Y, Chen Q, Pan J, Li Z, He H, Wu A, Song R and Cai R (2008) Construction of a BAC library from cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and identification of linkage group specific clones. Progress in Natural Science 18(2): 143-147.
25. Li Q, Jiang L, Li M, Li P, Zhang Q, Song R and Xu Z (2007) Morphology and stability changes of recombinant TMV particles caused by a cysteine residue in the foreign peptide fused to the coat protein. J Virol Methods 140(1-2):212-217.
26. Sun X, Tang Y, Meng X, Zhang W, Li S, Deng Z, Xu Z and Song R* (2006) Sequencing and analysis of a genomic fragment provides an insight into the Dunaliella viridis genomic sequence. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin. 38(11): 812-820.
27. Fang Q, Xu Z and Song R* (2006) Cloning, characterization and genetic engineering of FLC homologue in Thellungiella halophila. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 347: 707-714.
28. Lu Q, Xu Z and Song R* (2006) OsFY, a Homolog of AtFY, Encodes a Protein that can Interact with OsFCA-g in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Acta Biochim Biophys Sin. 38(7): 492–499.
29. Li Q, Li M, Jiang L, Zhang Q, Song R and Xu Z (2006) TMV recominants encoding fused foreign transmembrane domains to the CP subunit caused local necrotic response to susceptible tobacco. Virology 384: 253-259.
30. Li Q, Gao X, Sun Y, Zhang Q, Song R and Xu Z (2006) Isolation and characterization of a sodium-dependent phosphate transporter gene in Dunaliella viridis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 340(1): 95-104.
31. International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (2005) The map-based sequence of the rice genome. Nature 436: 793-800.
32. Song R, Segal G and Messing J (2004) Expression of sorghum 10-member kafirin gene cluster in maize endosperm. Nucleic Acid Research 32(22): e189
33. Segal G, Song R and Messing J (2003) A new opaque variant of maize by a single dominant RNA-interference-inducing transgene. Genetics 165: 387-397.
34. Song R and Messing J (2003) Gene expression of a gene family in maize based on noncollinear haplotypes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100: 9055-9060.
35. Wu, L., Fan, J., Jiang, L., Wang, H., Song, R., Zhang, Q., Zhu, H., Li, N., Liu, Z. and Xu, Z. (2003) A specific cis-hairpin ribozyme facilitates infection of a TMV-based DNA vector in tobacco protoplasts. J Virol Methods 111:101-9.
36. The Rice Chromosome 10 Sequencing Consortium (2003) In-depth view of structure, activity, and evolution of rice chromosome 10. Science 300: 1566-1569.
37. Song R and Messing J (2002) Contiguous genomic DNA sequence comprising the 19-kDa-zein gene family from Zea mays. Plant Physiology 130: 1626-1635.
38. Song R, Llaca V and Messing J (2002) Mosaic organization of orthologous sequences in grass genomes. Genome Research 12: 1549-1555.
39. Park W, Li J, Song R, Messing J and Chen X (2002) CARPEL FACTORY, a Dicer homolog, and HEN1, a novel protein, act in microRNA metabolism. Current Biology 12: 1484-1495.
40. Song R, Llaca V, Linton E and Messing J (2001) Sequence, regulation and evolution of the maize 22 kDa a zein gene family. Genome Research 11: 1817-1825.
41. Song, R., Li, J., Jin , H., Zhang, Q. and Xu, Z. (1997) Influence of substrate and ribozyme sequences on the functions of ribozyme. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin. 29: 61-68.