Ph.D., Professor, and Ph.D. Supervisor. Deputy Director of the School of Life Sciences and Medicine at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). Leader of the National Natural Science Foundation of China's Innovative Research Group (2024). Executive Director of the Chinese Society for Cell Biology, Director of the Chinese Society for Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology, Researcher at the CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Vice Chairman of the Anhui Botanical Society, Executive Director of the Anhui Society for Cell Biology, and former President of the Plant Organogenesis Branch of the Chinese Society for Cell Biology (2015-2019). Member of the Ministry of Education's University Biology Curriculum Teaching Steering Committee.
Research Interests
Stem cells in the apical meristem are the source of all post-embryonic plant organs. Their response to environmental signals is key to the plasticity of plant development.
Professor Zhong Zhao focuses on:
1. Signals and molecular mechanisms in regulating plant stem cell maintenance and differentiation.
2. How stem cells respond to environmental signals to regulate plant plasticity.
3. Exploring biotechnologies based on plant stem cells.
Education and Research Experience
Graduated from the Department of Biology at Lanzhou University with a Bachelor's (1991) and Master's (1994) in Cell Biology. Earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Fudan University in 2003. Conducted postdoctoral research at the CNRS Institute of Plant Molecular Biology (IBMP) in France (2003-2005), the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Germany (2006-2009), and the Stem Cell Biology Department at Heidelberg University (2009-2011). Since 2011, he has been a Professor at the USTC School of Life Sciences.
He has long been engaged in research on plant stem cells and developmental biology. He elucidated the molecular mechanisms of auxin and cytokinin interaction in stem cells (Nature, 2010) and discovered the WUSCHEL-mediated broad-spectrum antiviral mechanism in stem cells (Science, 2020). This work addressed the long-standing question of why plant viruses cannot infect meristem tissues and provided new insights for breeding antiviral crops. He revealed the molecular mechanisms by which stress signals like reactive oxygen species control the stem cell microenvironment (EMBO J, 2017; Nature Plants, 2021) and elucidated the stability of signal output in auxin-regulated stem cell maintenance and differentiation (Mol Plant., 2018; PNAS, 2023). He was the first to reveal the biological function of histone H3 lysine 36 methylation in higher organisms (Nature Cell Biology, 2005). He has published over 30 papers in journals such as Nature, Science, Nature Cell Biology, and Nature Plants, with 7 recommended by Faculty Opinions (F-1000) and 1 being an ESI highly cited paper. His research was recognized as one of the top ten advances in Chinese agricultural science in 2021.
Publication Statistics
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55726118900
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Zhong_Zhao13
Selected Publication
1. Li J, Zeng J, Tian Z, Zhao Z*. Root-specific photoreception directs early root development by HY5-regulated ROS balance. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 121, e2313092121, 2024.
2. Dai, Y., Luo, L. and Zhao, Z*. Genetic robustness control of auxin output in priming organ initiation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 120, e2221606120, 2023.
3. Zeng J, Li X, Ge Q, Dong Z, Luo L, Tian Z*, Zhao Z*. Endogenous stress-related signal directs shoot stem cell fate in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nature Plants. 7: 1276–1287, 2021.
4. Wu H, Qu X, Dong Z, Luo L, Shao C, Forner J, Lohmann JU, Su M, Xu M, Liu X, Zhu L, Zeng J, Liu S, Tian Z*, Zhao Z*. WUSCHEL triggers innate antiviral immunity in plant stem cells. Science. 370(6513): 227-231, 2020
5. Zhong P, Li J, Luo L, Zhao Z*, Tian Z*. Top1α regulates FLOWERING LOCUS C expression by coupling histone modification and transcription machinery. Development. doi: 10.1242/dev.167841. 2019.
6. Yang L, Wang HN, Hou XH, Zou YP, Han TS, Niu XM, Zhang J, Zhao Z, Todesco M, Balasubramanian S, Guo YL. Parallel Evolution of Common Allelic Variants Confers Flowering Diversity in Capsella rubella. Plant Cell. 30(6): 1322-1336, 2018
7. Luo L, Zeng J, Wu H, Tian Z*, Zhao Z*. A Molecular Framework for Auxin-Controlled Homeostasis of Shoot Stem Cells in Arabidopsis. Molecular Plant. 11(7), 899-913, 2018.
8. Qu X, Zhao Z* and Tian Z*.ERECTA regulates cell elongation by activating auxin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Front. Plant Sci. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01688, 2017.
9. Zeng J, Dong Z, Wu H, Tian Z, Zhao Z*. Redox regulation of plant stem cell fate.
EMBO J. 36, 2844-2855, 2017.
10. Yang ZB, Liu G, Liu J, Zhang B, Meng W, Müller B, Hayashi KI, Zhang X, Zhao Z, De Smet I, Ding Z. Synergistic action of auxin and cytokinin mediates aluminum-induced root growth inhibition in Arabidopsis. EMBO reports. 18(7): 1213-1230, 2017.
11. Wang J, Tian C, Zhang C, Shi B, Cao X, Zhang TQ, Zhao Z, Wang JW, Jiao Y. Cytokinin Signaling Activates WUSCHEL Expression during Axillary Meristem Initiation. Plant Cell. 29(6): 1373-1387, 2017.
12. Cui Y, Rao S, Chang B, Wang X, Zhang K, Hou X, Zhu X, Wu H, Tian Z, Zhao Z, Yang C, Huang T. AtLa1 protein initiates IRES-dependent translation of WUSCHEL mRNA and regulates the stem cell homeostasis of Arabidopsis in response to environmental hazards. Plant Cell Environ. 38(10) :2098-2114, 2015.
13. Somorjai IM, Lohmann JU, Holstein TW, Zhao Z. Stem cells: a view from the roots.
Biotechnol J. 7(6): 704-22, 2012.
14. Zhao Z, Andersen SU, Ljung K, Dolezal K, Miotk A, Schultheiss SJ and Lohmann JU. Hormonal control of the shoot stem cell niche. Nature, 465: 1089-1092, 2010.
15. Busch W, Miotk A, Ariel FD, Zhao Z, Forner J, Daum G, Suzaki T, Schuster C, Schultheiss SJ, Leibfried A, Haubeiß S, Ha N, Chan R and LohmannJU. Transcriptional control of a plant stem cell niche. Developmental Cell. 18, 841-853, 2010.
16. Buechel S, Leibfried A, To JP, Zhao Z, Andersen SU, Kieber JJ, Lohmann JU. Role of A-type ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATORS in meristem maintenance and regeneration. Eur J Cell Biol. 89(2-3): 279-84, 2010.
17. Zhao Z, Zhu Y, Erhardt M, Ruan Y, Shen WH. A Non-canonical Transferred DNA Insertion at the BRI1 Locus in Arabidopsis thaliana. J Integr Plant Biol., 51(4): 367-73, 2009.
18. Andersen SU, Buechel S, Zhao Z, Ljung K, Novák O, Busch W, Schuster C, Lohmann JU. Requirement of B2-type cyclin-dependent kinases for meristem integrity in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell, 20(1): 88-100, 2008.
19. Xu L, Zhao Z, Dong A, Soubigou-Taconnat L, Renou JP, Steinmetz A, Shen WH. Di- and tri- but not monomethylation on histone H3 lysine 36 marks active transcription of genes involved in flowering time regulation and other processes in Arabidopsis thaliana. Mol Cell Biol., 28(4): 1348-60, 2008.
20. Feng X*, Zhao Z*, Tian Z*, Xu S, Luo Y, Cai Z, Wang Y, Yang J, Wang Z, Weng L, Chen J, Zheng L, Guo X, Luo J, Sato S, Tabata S, Ma W, Cao X, Hu X, Sun C, Luo D. Control of petal shape and floral zygomorphy in Lotus japonicus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 103(13): 4970-4975, 2006, (*co-first authors).
21. Guo X, Zhao Z, Chen J, Hu X, Luo D. A putative CENTRORADIALIS/TERMINAL FLOWER 1-like gene, Ljcen1, plays a role in phase transition in Lotus japonicus.
J Plant Physiol., 163(4): 436-44,2006.
22. Zhao Z, Yu Y, Meyer D, Wu C and Shen WH. Prevention of early flowering by expression of FLOWERING LOCUS C requires methylation of histone H3 K36. Nature Cell Biology, 7(12): 1256-60, 2005.
23. Dong ZC, Zhao Z, Liu CW, Luo JH, Yang J, Huang WH, Hu XH, Wang TL, Luo D. Floral patterning in Lotus japonicus. Plant Physiol., 137(4): 1272-82, 2005.
24. Luo JH, Yan J, Weng L, Yang J, Zhao Z, Chen JH, Hu XH, Luo D. Different expression patterns of duplicated PHANTASTICA-like genes in Lotus japonicus suggest their divergent functions during compound leaf development. Cell Res. 2005, 15(8): 665-77, 2005.
25. Zhao Z and Shen WH. Plants contain a high number of proteins showing sequence similarity to the animal SUV39H family of histone methyltransferases. Ann.N.Y.Acad.Sci.1030: 661-669, 2004.
26. Hu.W, Zhang, S., Zhao Z, Sun. C., Zhao. Y. and Luo. D. The analysis of the structure and expression of OsTB1 gene in rice. Journal of Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology, 29(6): 507-514, 2003.
27. Zheng LY, Zhu XD, Qian Q, Zhao Z, Zhang JJ, Hu XH, Lin HX and Luo D, Morphological and gene location analysis on rice cl mutant.
Chinese Science Bulletin, 48(3): 264-267, 2003.
Contact Information
Phone: 0551-63600640
Fax: 0551-63600640
Email: zhzhao@ustc.edu.cn
Recruitment
1. Undergraduate interns and graduate students interested in developmental biology and botany.
2. Postdoctoral researchers with a background in molecular biology, developmental biology, or botany, capable of independent research and with SCI publications as the first author.