Yang Yang: The Plant Cell First Author

Yang Yang, first author of “A mitochondrial RNA processing protein mediates plant immunity to a broad spectrum of pathogens by modulating the mitochondrial oxidative burst”

Current Position: PhD student, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China. Supervisor: Prof. Weixing Shan

Education: 2013-2017, Bachelor of Science in Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, under the supervision of Prof. Weixing Shan.

Non-scientific Interests: reading, drawing watercolor paintings, making handicrafts (Chinese knots, origami and temari balls)

Brief bio: I started interests in interactions between plants and oomycetes when I was a junior. I was fascinated by the sophisticated plant immune system and decided to go further in this field. During my Bachelor research project, I first noticed RNA processing in mitochondria and chloroplast, from when I identified an immune regulator that belongs to the MORF family RNA editing factors. After several years of hard work, we finally published this Bachelor thesis research in Plant Physiology (184: 2182-2198, 2020) and became more interested in RNA editing and plant immunity. Numerous nuclear encoded RNA processing factors regulate functions of mitochondria and chloroplasts; however, little is known on whether and how they regulate plant immunity. Being curious of these, I was encouraged to go further. My PhD research is therefore focused on an Arabidopsis T-DNA mutant that showed enhanced resistance to Phytophthora pathogens. This mutant was inactivated with a PPR protein gene that belongs to a big protein family that participate in processing of mitochondrial and chloroplast transcripts. I am very happy to contribute findings on the role of mitochondrial ROS in mediating plant immunity against a broad-spectrum of pathogens. There are many interesting and fascinating questions that need to be addressed, and I hope to go further in this field and enjoy my curiosity to the unknown.

姓名：杨洋

现在职位：西北农林科技大学农学院博士生

教育经历：2013-2017年，西北农林科技大学创新实验学院，获农学学士学位

兴趣爱好：绘画，中国结，折纸，手鞠球

个人简历：在本科二年级时，我有幸加入单卫星老师的实验室进行科研训练并对植物-卵菌互作机制产生了浓厚的兴趣。在本科毕业论文研究中，鉴定到一个植物免疫负调控因子，进一步分析发现该基因为一个参与线粒体RNA编辑的MORF家族成员，这也是我初次接触到线粒体和叶绿体中的RNA加工现象。经过数年的努力，这部分研究内容发表在Plant Physiology（184: 2182-2198, 2020），也是在此过程中我对RNA编辑及加工过程在植物免疫中的作用产生了更为浓厚的兴趣。虽然细胞核编码了众多参与线粒体和叶绿体RNA加工修饰的蛋白，但我们对其如何参与调控植物免疫知之甚少。我的博士研究课题进一步在该领域展开研究，主要围绕一个对寄生疫霉菌表现抗病的拟南芥T-DNA插入突变体，该突变体失活了一个参与线粒体和叶绿体RNA加工的PPR蛋白。我很高兴能够通过对这个突变体的综合分析，发现线粒体ROS介导植物对多种病原菌的广谱抗性。在这个领域中还有很多有趣的问题有待探究，希望我能够始终保持好奇心，在未来发现更多有趣的现象。