Recognizing Plant Cell authors: Feng Xiong

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Feng Xiong, first author of Transcriptional regulation of PLETHORA1 in root meristem through an importin and its two antagonistic cargos

Current Position: Research assistant in State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, China

Education: obtained Ph.D degree in 2020, State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, China

Non-scientific Interests: reading, playing basketball and watching movies

Brief Bio: Starting from my graduate study, I’ve been interested in understanding the molecular function of RNA-splicing factors in plants. After I finished my M.S. study, I joined the group of Prof. Yan Zhang at Shandong Agricultural University as a PhD student. My current projects are focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying developmental processes regulated by RNA splicing apparatus and importins. In our second Plant Cell paper of this year, we uncovered a complex transcriptional regulatory pathway controlling PLT1. We found that Arabidopsis PLT1 activates its own transcription and its auto-transcriptional regulation relies on JANUS, a putative spliceosome subunit. The JANUS-dependent PLT1 auto-transcription potentially amplifies the PLT1 gradient established by mitotic dilution and intercellular movement, thus critical for its maintenance during RAM development. A transcriptional co-factor, GRF-INTERACTING FACTOR1/ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (GIF1/AN3), interacts with JANUS to deplete it from the JANUS-Pol II transcriptional complex, negatively regulating JANUS-dependent PLT1 transcription. As an additional layer of complexity, GIF1/AN3 and JANUS both rely on IMB4 for their nuclear accumulation.

姓名：熊峰

职位：山东农业大学生命科学学院，作物生物学国家重点实验室，研究助理

教育经历：2020年获得山东农业大学生物学博士学位

兴趣爱好：阅读，打篮球，看电影

个人简介：在研究生期间，我对植物剪接复合体的分子及生物学功能产生了浓厚的兴趣，并开始相关研究。在完成硕士阶段的学习后，我转入山东农业大学张彦教授实验室进行博士阶段的研究工作。目前主要从事以下两个方向的研究：1，植物剪接复合体调控胚形态建成的分子机理。2，核输入蛋白IMPORTIN家族成员调控植物生长发育的分子机理。在本实验室今年的第二篇Plant Cell论文中，我们报道剪接因子JANUS可以与转录因子PLT1互作并招募POL II到PLT1的启动子上，进而调控PLT1的自我转录。此外，转录辅助因子GIFs可以抑制JANUS与POL II的互作，进而抑制PLT1的转录。有趣的是，核输入蛋白IMB4可以同时调控JANUS和GIFs的核积累，进而通过精细介导PLT1的转录来调控根端分生组织的发育。我将继续从事植物生长发育机理，尤其是胚形态建成调控机理方面的研究。