Zhuoyang Li: The Plant Cell First Author

Zhuoyang Li, first author of “Natural variation in the bZIP68 promoter modulates cold tolerance during maize domestication”

Current Position: Research Assistant at China Agricultural University

Education: Ph.D. degree from China Agricultural University

Non-scientific Interests: playing football, reading

 Brief bio: I got my Ph.D. degree from College of biological of China Agricultural University. My tutor is Professor Shuhua Yang. During my six years as a doctoral student, I focused on identifying genes involved in maize cold signaling pathway by using reverse genetic screening and exploring the molecular and genetic basis of the cold response in maize. In our previous study, we demonstrate a negative regulator of maize cold response, MPK8 (MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE 8), which located in nucleus and cytoplasm. We showed MPK8 phosphorylates and impairs the stability of RR1 (a positive regulator of maize cold response) in the cytoplasm. In this study, we revealed that MPK8-bZIP68-DREB1s module participate in maize cold signaling pathway in the nucleus. This discovery complements the maize cold signaling pathway with MPK8 as core regulatory factor. Importantly, the transcription factor bZIP68 underwent selection during maize early domestication. And the bZIP68 allele in maize ancestor teosinte which obviously increased maize cold tolerance was not selected. Based on this point, I plan to generate cold-resistant maize varieties by editing the bZIP68 promoter and I also suppose that the genomic alteration of maize ancestor teosinte may provide a new idea for identifying functional genes of maize cold response.

姓名：李卓洋

目前职位：科研助理

教育背景：中国农业大学 博士学位

兴趣爱好：足球、阅读

个人简介：我博士毕业于中国农业大学生物学院，我的导师是杨淑华教授。在我六年的博士研究生期间，我主要以玉米为研究对象，通过遗传学、生物化学以及分子生物学方法挖掘参与调控玉米低温胁迫应答的功能基因，并且对其参与调控玉米低温信号传导的具体的分子机制进行解析。我们在先前的研究发现参与玉米低温胁迫应答的负调控因子MPK8定位于细胞核以及细胞质中。细胞质中的MPK8磷酸化并削弱玉米低温胁迫应答的正调控因子RR1的蛋白稳定性。而在这项研究中，我们解析了在玉米细胞核中参与调控玉米耐冷性的MPK8-bZIP68-DREB1s信号传导模块。同时我们还发现bZIP68在玉米早期驯化过程中被选择。其在玉米祖先种大刍草中的等位基因片段能够提高玉米耐冷性。基于这个发现，我在接下来的工作想要通过基因编辑技术对bZIP68启动子区域进行定向编辑培育耐冷玉米品种。同时，我认为由于玉米在驯化过程中伴随着对高纬度地区低温环境的适应，其基因组相比较于大刍草基因组可能发生很大的变化，而这种变化可能为鉴定参与调控玉米低温胁迫应答的功能基因提供新的思