Shao-Li Yang: The Plant Cell First Author

Shao-Li Yang, first author of “Misregulation of MYB16 expression causes stomatal cluster formation by disrupting polarity during asymmetric cell divisions”

Current Position: Research assistant (RA), Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology (IPMB), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

Education:  08/2016-06/2018     National Taiwan University (NTU), Taipei, Taiwan, Institute of Plant Biology (IPB), MS in Plant Science

09/2012-06/2016     National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), Taipei, Taiwan, BS in Life Science

Non-scientific Interests: Traveling, Artistic creation, Movie

Brief bio:

Developmental biology is one of the fascinating areas in life sciences because the precise but flexible processes shape diverse and colorful organisms on the Earth. I met the beauty of development when I was an undergraduate in Dr. Chih-Wen Sun’s lab in NTNU working on flowering time decision in Arabidopsis. As a master student in Dr. Hsu-Liang Hsieh’s lab in NTU, I studied the light-jasmonate crosstalking in hypocotyl growth. Understanding how the developmental programs coordinately function during plant growth makes me feel excited and amazed. Following my passion, I joined Dr. Chin-Min Kimmy Ho’s lab in IPMB, Academia Sinica, to investigate the link between stomatal development and cutin formation during leaf development. In this study, we found that the proper regulation of the MYB16 transcription factor by SPEECHLESS is crucial to stomatal patterning. Also, we revealed the crosstalk between stomatal formation and cuticle-cell wall continuum both of which shape the property of leaf epidermis. This finding provides not only the understanding of stomata, cuticle, and cell wall interaction in leaf morphogenesis but a strategy to modify crops to adapt to climate changes in the future. Obtaining a higher education and accepting more challenges are my next step. Enjoying experiencing new things and immersing in the beauty of life are important to shape what I will be.