1. Transport mechanisms of phytohormones.

 

Phytohormones are small molecules produced in plants in a very low concentration that can move and function as signals. Among them, auxin affects almost all the aspects of plant growth and development, including plants tillering, spike size, and the seed size etc.; abscisic acid (ABA) is a well-known plant stress response hormone that regulates processes such as plant stress resistance and senescence. The most important feature of plant hormones is that they can be synthesized at one site and act at another. The most familiar hormone transport is the polar transport of auxin mediated by PIN. Besides PIN, what other transporters are involved in the transport of auxin and what is the mechanism of ABA transport? We used Arabidopsis and tomato as model plants to identify the transport proteins of plant hormones, especially auxin and ABA, and to dissect their molecular transport mechanisms in different levels among tissues, cells and organelles.

2. To improve tomato flavor.

 

China is the largest tomato producer in the world. The future direction of tomato development is to improve the tomato flavor. Tomato is a moderately salt-sensitive crop, through moderate salinity or drought, the flavor and quality of tomato could be regulated. Using the forward genetics method, we have generated a tomato genome scale library, the constructed tomato mutant library will provide important genetic resources for breeding new tomato resistance varieties and improving tomato flavor.

Open positions: Our lab is recruiting postdoctoral fellows all the time, shoot me by zhangyuqin@ucas.ac.cn any time! Cheers,

2009.09-2015.07   Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, UCAS. Doctor

   

2022.09-now           University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Associate professor

2015.08-2022.08     Tel Aviv University. Postdoc. Fellow

19. Li ZR, Yu XK, Zhang KW, Zhang Y. ABCG transporters in phytohormone dynamics: mechanisms, challenges, and future perspectives. Plant Hormones 1: e021 (2025).

18. Berman A, Su N, Li Z, Landau U, Chakraborty J, Gerbi N, Liu J, Qin Y, Yuan B, Wei W, Yanai O, Mayrose I, Zhang Y, Shani E. Construction of multi-targeted CRISPR libraries in tomato to overcome functional redundancy at genome-scale level. Nat. Commun.16:4111 ( 2025). (Corresponding author)

17. Ban X, Qin L, Yan J, Wu J, Li Q, Su X, Hao Y, Hu Q, Kou L, Yan Z, Xin P, Zhang Y, Dong L, Bouwmeester H, Yu H, Yu Q, Huang S, Lin T, Xie Q, Chen Y, Chu J, Cui X, Li J, Wang B. Manipulation of a strigolactone transporter in tomato confers resistance to the parasitic weed broomrape. Innov. Life 6:100815 (2025).

16. Zhang Y, Anfang M, Rowe J, Rizza A, Li Z,  Su N, Bar H, Charrier L, Geisler M, Jones A, Shani E. ABA importers ABCG17 and ABCG18 redundantly regulate seed size in Arabidopsis. Plant J. 121(6):e70096 (2025). (Corresponding author)

15. Dong Y, Su N, Zhang Y. New wine in an old bottle: ABCB19, known as auxin exporter, also exports brassinosteroids. Innov. Life 2(2): 100072 (2024).

14. Zhang Y, Berman A, Shani E. Plant hormone transport and localization – signaling molecules on the move. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 74:453-479 (2023). (Corresponding author)

13. Binenbaum J, Wulff N, Camut L, Kiradjiev K, Anfang M, Tal I, Vasuki H, Zhang Y, Sakvarelidze-Achard L, Daviere J, Ripper D, Carrera E, Manasherova E, Ben Yaakov S, Lazary S, Hua C, Novak V, Crocoll C, Weinstain R, Cohen H, Ragni L, Aharoni A, Band L, Achard P, Shani E. Gibberellin and abscisic acid transporters facilitate endodermal suberin formation in Arabidopsis. Nat. Plants 9:785-802 (2023).

12. Hu Y, Patra P, Pisanty O, Shafir A, Belew Z, Binenbaum J, Yaakov SB, Shi B, Charrier L, Hyams G, Zhang Y, Trabulsky M, Caldararu O, Weiss D, Crocoll C, Avni A, Vernoux T, Geisler M, Nour-Eldin H, Mayrose I, Shani E. Multi-Knock—a multi-targeted genome-scale CRISPR toolbox to overcome functional redundancy in plants. Nat. Plants 9:572-587 (2023).

11. Chen J. HuY,  Hao P, Tsering T, Xia J, Zhang Y, Roth D, Njo M, Sterck L, Hu Y, Zhao Y, Geelen D, Gersler M, Shani E, Beeckman T, Vanneste S. ABCB-mediated shootward auxin transport feeds into the root clock. EMBO Rep. 24: e562711–16 (2023).

10. Jenness MK, Tayengwa R, Bate GA, Tapken W, Zhang Y, Pang C and Murphy AS.  Loss of Multiple ABCB Auxin Transporters Recapitulates the Major twisted dwarf 1 Phenotypes in Arabidopsis thaliana. Front. Plant Sci. 13:840260 (2022).

9. Zhang Y, Vasuki H, Liu J, Bar H, Lazary S, Egbaria A, Ripper D, Charrier L, Belew Z, Wulff N, Damodaran S, NouroEldin H, Aharoni A, Ragni L, Strader L, Sade N, Weinstain R, Geisler M, Shani E.  ABA homeostasis and long-distance translocation are redundantly regulated by ABCG ABA importers. Sci. Adv. 7: eabf6069 (2021).

8. Zhang Y, Naser V, Pisanty O, Omary M, Wulff N, Charrier L, Tal I, Hauser F, Hao PC, Roth O, Fromm H, Schroeder J, Geisler M, Hassan Nour-Eldin H, and Shani E. A transportome-scale amiRNA-based screen identifies redundant roles of Arabidopsis ABCB6 and ABCB20 in auxin transport. Nat.Commun. 9: 4204 (2018). 

7. Shani E*, Salehin M*, Zhang Y, Sanchez S.E, Doherty C, Wang R, Mangado C.C, Song L, Tal I, Pisanty O, Ecker J.R, Kay S.A, Pruneda-Paz J, Estelle M. Plant stress tolerance requires auxin-sensitive Aux/IAA transcriptional repressors. Curr. Biol. 27(3): 437-444 (2017). 

6. Zhang Y*, Lu X*, Zhao FY, Li QT, Niu SL, Wei W, Zhang WK, Ma B, Chen SY, Zhang JS.  Soybean GmDREBL increases lipid content in seeds of transgenic Arabidopsis. Sci. Rep. 6: 34307 (2016).(Co-first author)

5. Zhang Y, Lu X, Li QT, Chen SY, Zhang JS. Recent Advances in Identification and Functional Analysis of Genes Responsible for Soybean Nutritional Quality. Scientia Acricultura Sinica, 49 (22): 4299-4309 (2016).

4. Wei W, Zhang Y, Tao JJ, Chen HW, Li QT, Zhang WK, Ma B, Lin Q, Zhang JS, Chen SY. The Alfin-like homeodomain finger protein AL5 suppresses multiple negative factors to confer abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis. Plant J. 81 (6):871-83 (2015). 

3. Zou HF*, Zhang Y*, Wei W, Chen HW, Song QX, Liu YF, Zhao MY, Fang F, Zhang BC, Lin Q, Zhang WK, Ma B, Zhou YH, Zhang JS, Chen SY.Transcription factor AtDOF4.2 regulates shoot branching and seed coat formation in Arabidopsis. Biochem. J. 449: 373-388 (2013).  (Co-first author)

2. Chen LJ*, Wuriyanghan H*, Zhang Y, Duan KX, Chen HW, Li QT, Lu X, He SJ, Ma B, Zhang WK, Lin Q, Chen SY and Zhang JS.  An S-domain receptor-like kinase OsSIK2 confers abiotic stress tolerance and delays dark- induced leaf senescence in rice. Plant Physiol. 163: 1752-1765 (2013).

1. Hao YJ, Wei W, Song QX, Chen HW, Zhang Y, Wang F, Zou HF, Lei G, Tian AG, Zhang WK, Ma B, Zhang JS, Chen SY. Soybean NAC transcription factors promote abiotic stress tolerance and lateral root formation in transgenic plants. Plant J. 68: 302-313(2011). 

(1) Soybean transcriptionally active protein GmPHD6 and its encoding gene and application, Invention Patent, 2013, No. 4 Author, Patent No. CN103102400A