Publications

Sep, 2026

Journal

Single-cell and spatial omics in plants: from cellular atlases to regulatory mechanisms

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has transformed transcriptomic studies by enabling gene expression profiling at the resolution of individual cells within and across a broad range of tissue types, revealing cellular heterogeneity that is obscured in bulk tissue transcriptomes. Over the past decade, improvements in microfluidics and library preparation have drasticall…

Jan, 2026

Journal

Genetic and epigenetic signatures of Populus trichocarpa in response to abiotic stresses

Plants respond to abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, and salinity through both shared and stress-specific regulatory pathways. However, the role of epigenetic mechanisms, particularly DNA methylation, in modulating these responses is still underexplored. Here, we integrated transcriptome profiling with whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) to investigate the dynami…

Aug, 2025

Journal

Variation in Flooding Tolerance in Populus deltoides ‘D-124’ and P. trichocarpa x P. deltoides Hybrid ‘52–225’

Flooding poses a substantial challenge to plant survival and productivity, particularly in riparian genus like Populus. This study examines the physiological, morphological, metabolic, and molecular responses of Populus deltoides ‘D-124’ and P. trichocarpa x P. deltoides hybrid clone ‘52–225’ under control and inundated conditions to identify differences in flooding tolera…

Jun, 2025

Journal

γ-Aminobutyric acid modulates terpene biosynthesis through the ATG8a-mediated pathway

Terpenes play crucial roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. The biosynthesis of terpenes is influenced by abiotic stress factors, such as drought, temperature, or light. However, the molecular network underlying how terpenes are regulated in response to environmental stimuli remains largely unknown. Here, we identified the autophagy protein SgATG8a as a…

Jun, 2025

Journal

AtDGCR14L contributes to salt-stress tolerance via regulating pre-mRNA splicing in Arabidopsis

In plants, pre-mRNA alternative splicing has been demonstrated to be a crucial tier that regulates gene expression in response to salt stress. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we studied the roles of DIGEORGE-SYNDROME CRITICAL REGION 14-like (AtDGCR14L) in regulating pre-mRNA splicing and salt stress tolerance. We discovered that Arabidopsis AtDGCR1…

Feb, 2025

Journal

A split ribozyme system for in vivo plant RNA imaging and genetic engineering

RNA plays a central role in plants, governing various cellular and physiological processes. Monitoring its dynamic abundance provides a discerning understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to internal (developmental) and external (environmental) stimuli, paving the way for advances in plant biotechnology to engineer crops with improved resilience, qu…

Dec, 2024

Journal

Catabolic pathway acquisition by rhizosphere bacteria readily enables growth with a root exudate component but does not affect root colonization

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a fundamental evolutionary process that plays a key role in bacterial evolution. The likelihood of a successful transfer event is expected to depend on the precise balance of costs and benefits resulting from pathway acquisition. Most experimental analyses of HGT have focused on phenotypes that have large fitness benefits under appropriate…

Dec, 2023

Journal

Expression quantitative trait loci mapping identified PtrXB38 as a key hub gene in adventitious root development in Populus

Dec, 2023

Journal

CRISPR/Cas9-based gene activation and base editing in Populus

The genus Populus has long been used for environmental, agroforestry and industrial applications worldwide. Today Populus is also recognized as a desirable crop for biofuel production and a model tree for physiological and ecological research. As such, various modern biotechnologies, including CRISPR/Cas9-based techniques, have been actively applied to Populus for genetic…

Dec, 2023

Journal

Double DAP-seq uncovered synergistic DNA binding of interacting bZIP transcription factors

Many eukaryotic transcription factors (TF) form homodimer or heterodimer complexes to regulate gene expression. Dimerization of BASIC LEUCINE ZIPPER (bZIP) TFs are critical for their functions, but the molecular mechanism underlying the DNA binding and functional specificity of homo- versus heterodimers remains elusive. To address this gap, we present the double DNA Affini…

Dec, 2023

Journal

Plant-Based Biosensors for Detecting CRISPR-Mediated Genome Engineering

CRISPR/Cas has recently emerged as the most reliable system for genome engineering in various species. However, concerns about risks associated with the CRISPR/Cas technology are increasing on potential unintended DNA changes that might accidentally arise from CRISPR gene editing. Developing a system that can detect and report the presence of active CRISPR/Cas tools in bio…

Dec, 2023

Journal

Phylogenetic occurrence of the phenylpropanoid pathway and lignin biosynthesis in plants

The phenylpropanoid pathway serves as a rich source of metabolites in plants and provides precursors for lignin biosynthesis. Lignin first appeared in tracheophytes and has been hypothesized to have played pivotal roles in land plant colonization. In this review, we summarize recent progress in defining the lignin biosynthetic pathway in lycophytes, monilophytes, gymnosper…