Recognizing Plant Cell authors: He Zhang

He Zhang, first author of MicroRNA775 Regulates Intrinsic Leaf Size and Reduces Cell Wall Pectin Levels by Targeting a Galactosyltransferase Gene in Arabidopsis

Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China

Education: Bachelor of Biological science in Beijing Forestry University; Ph.D. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Peking University

Non-scientific Interests: writing; reading detective stories

Brief bio: I met Prof. Lei Li at the enrollment summer camp of Peking University in 2014, and then I was fortunately enrolled as a Ph.D. candidate joining the Li’s Lab at June of 2015. Our lab current focus is on microRNAs and copper homeostasis, which both are vital and versatile regulators during development and adaption. My project is focusing on the function of ath-miR775, we found that the miR775-GALT9 circuit regulates cell size through modulating the pectin constituent of the cell wall. And we have proposed a model of delineated HY5-miR775-GALT9 pathway controls size and morphogenesis of expanded leaves. Now, we are digging out more cues about the internal signals and external stimuli in regulating organ size based on the miRNAs network.

 

姓名：张禾

现任职位：北京大学生命科学学院博士研究生

教育背景：北京林业大学生物科学学士；北京大学生物化学与分子生物学博士。

兴趣爱好：写作；阅读侦探小说。

个人简介：2014年，我在北京大学生命科学学院推免夏令营中认识了李磊教授，并在2015年6月，幸运地以直博生的身份加入了李磊课题组。实验室的研究重点集中在microRNAs和铜稳态方面的工作，这两者在植物生长发育和适应中都承担着多种重要功能。本课题主要研究拟南芥miR775的功能，发现miR775-GALT9的调控通路能够通过调节细胞壁的果胶成分来调节细胞大小并由此提出了一个由HY5-miR775-GALT9构成的叶片大小调控模型。目前我们工作的方向以植物miRNAs网络为基础，从内源信号和外部刺激等方面探究更多有关植物器官大小调控的生物学机制。