Fuguo Cao: The Plant Cell First Author

Fuguo Cao, co-first author of “Methylation of a MITE insertion in the MdRFNR1-1 promoter is positively associated with its allelic expression in apple in response to drought stress”

Current Position: Ph.D. student, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Shanxi Normal University

Non-scientific Interests: work out

Brief bio: In 2018, I joined Prof. Qingmei Guan’s lab at College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University to start my graduate study. My PhD thesis focused on the mechanism of drought-tolerance through the leaf cuticle development in apple. I also did some transgenic work and other experiments in this research. Since the transgenic work of apple was difficult and needed a long time, after several years of work, we explored the mechanism of MdRFNR1 in drought tolerance of apple with the careful guidance of Prof. Qingmei Guan. MITE-MdRF1, which belongs to the transposon element, positively regulates the expression of MdRFNR1-1 that plays a positive role in drought stress tolerance. This research shed light on the molecular mechanisms of natural variation in perennial trees in response to drought stress, and also provided an example that transposon element could enhance the expression of downstream genes. Our research provides a theoretical basis for stress-tolerance breeding of fruit trees, and I will continue to explore the mechanism of drought-tolerance in apple.

姓名：曹富国

目前职位：西北农林科技大学博士研究生

教育背景：山西师范大学，农学学士

兴趣爱好：健身

个人简介：

2018年我加入西北农林科技大学园艺学院管清美教授课题组，开始了我的研究生学习。我的主要研究方向是果树叶片角质层影响植物抗旱的机制，同时分担了该研究中的部分转基因工作及其它实验。苹果转基因周期较长且工作量较大，在管清美教授的精心指导下，历经几年的时间，我们对MdRFNR1影响苹果抗旱的机制进行了深入研究。转座子MITE-MdRF1正调控MdRFNR1-1的表达从而对抗旱起正调控功能，该研究揭示了多年生果树应对干旱胁迫的自然变异分子机制，同时提供了转座子促进基因表达的一个例证。我们的研究将为苹果抗逆育种提供理论基础，后期我也将继续对苹果抗逆机制进行深入研究。