Yaoyao Li: Plant Physiology First Author

Yaoyao Li, co-first author of “High temperature induces male sterility via MYB66-MYB4-Casein kinase I signaling in cotton”

Current Position: Postdoc, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, China.

Education: Huazhong Agricultural University (Bachelor and PhD).

Brief bio: High temperature (HT) causes male sterility and decreases crop yields. Gossypium hirsutum CASEIN KINASE I (GhCKI) gene was reported to encode a homolog of casein kinase I in cotton, and regulate tapetal programmed cell death (PCD) and anther dehiscence. The expression of GhCKI was increased at the early stages of anther development under HT. My Ph.D. thesis focused on the systematic evolution of CKI gene families in Arabidopsis thaliana and cotton, the specific cis-acting elements in the promoters of CKI responding to HT and the transcription factor(s) triggering these genes expression at early stage of anther development under HT condition. From the future perspective, this study paves the way to unravel the underlying molecular mechanism of CKI in regulating the anther development and the function of response to HT at stages of anther development. In addition, maize (Zea mays L.) is one of most important crops. Breeding high-yielding maize varieties plays an important role in ensuring food security and national economic development. Maize yield is determined by multiple agronomic traits, including kernel row number (KRN), kernel number per row (KNPR) and hundred-grain weight. However, there is little known about the molecular mechanism of maize yield formation which heavily restrict maize genetics and breeding improvement. My postdoctoral research is to explore key genes and analyze the molecular mechanism of KNPR and kernel weight per ear (KWPE). It is expected to lay a theoretical foundation and provide excellent gene sources for breeding high-yielding maize varieties.

 

姓名：李耀耀

目前职位：华南农业大学生命科学学院博士后

教育：华中农业大学/（硕博连读）博士；华中农业大学/学士

个人简介：

由高温天气引发的植物雄性不育，已成为影响作物产量下降的重要因素。在棉花中，已鉴定到高温胁迫下在花药绒毡层细胞和小孢子中提前表达以及延缓绒毡层细胞程序性死亡导致花药不开裂和雄性败育的酪蛋白激酶基因GhCKI。本人博士期间主要对拟南芥和棉花CKI基因家族的系统进化以及调控GhCKI基因在高温胁迫下花药早期提前表达的机制开展了研究，并成功鉴定到GhCKI基因在花药中响应高温胁迫的核心元件和调控因子。该研究可为CKI家族基因在花药发育过程以及在花药发育过程中对高温的响应的作用机制提供参考。此外，玉米（Zea mays L.）是重要作物之一，培育高产玉米品种在保障粮食安全和国民经济发展等方面起着重要作用。玉米产量由多个性状决定，包括穗行数，行粒数和百粒重等。目前玉米产量形成的分子机制仍有待于深入解析，其依然是制约玉米遗传改良的瓶颈问题。本人博士后研究内容为挖掘新的调控玉米行粒数和穗粒重关键基因及解析其分子机理。该结果可为玉米产量遗传改良提供基础理论和优异基因资源。