Lignocellulosic Biomass Synthesis and Utilization

Ph.D. (2008.9 - 2013.7)  Botany, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences/ Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, SIBS, CAS, Shanghai, CHINA

M.S. (2005.9 - 2008.6)  Horticulture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, CHINA

B.S. (2001.9 - 2005.6)  Biological sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, CHINA

2022.4- present Principal Investigator, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China

2017.4- 2022.4 Research Associate, Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY, USA

2013.12- 2017.4 Postdoc, University of California, Berkeley, CA, US

   

1. Huana Lin^#, Yuxin Fan, Guoqin Wei, Xiao Li, Hongpeng Chen*, Yunjun Zhao*. (2025) Resveratrol promotes the growth of poplar callus. Plant Physiology Journal 2025, 61 (6): 729–738. doi: 10.13592/j.cnki.ppj.101277 [in Chinese]

2. Siyu Hou^#, Wenqi Yang^#, Hua Zhang^#, Yue Zhao^#, Jiongyu Hao, Yuzhe Li, Dongkai Zhang, Laifu Luo, Yunjun Zhao, Ke Yu, Longlong Liu*, Zhaoxia Sun*, and Xuebin Zhang*. (2025). Natural variation in FtPME58 contributes to seed hull thickness of Tartary buckwheat. Plant Communications, 101586. doi:10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101586

3. Yunjun Zhao^#*, Muhammad Abid , Xinxin Xie , Yuelin Fu , Yuxiang Huang , Zhuoying Cai , Huana Lin. (2024). Harnessing unconventional monomers to tailor lignin structures for lignocellulosic biomass valorization. Forestry Research 4 (1). doi:10.48130/forres-0024-0001

4. Xianhai Zhao^#, Yunjun Zhao , Qing-yin Zeng, and Chang-Jun Liu*. (2024). Cytochrome b5 diversity in green lineages preceded the evolution of syringyl lignin biosynthesis. Plant Cell. 36, 2709-2728. doi:10.1093/plcell/koae120

5. Wenqi Yang^#, Haiyang Duan, Ke Yu, Siyu Hou, Yifan Kang, Xiao Wang, Jiongyu Hao, Longlong Liu, Yin Zhang, Laifu Luo, Yunjun Zhao, Junli Zhang , Chen Lan, Nan Wang, Xuehai Zhang, Jihua Tang, Qiao Zhao*, Zhaoxia Sun*, Xuebin Zhang*. (2024). Integrative Dissection of Lignin Composition in Tartary Buckwheat Seed Hulls for Enhanced Dehulling Efficiency. Advanced Science (Weinh) 11, e2400916. doi:10.1002/advs.202400916

6. Rui Zhang^#, Bo Li^#, Yunjun Zhao, Yingying Zhu*, Laigeng Li* (2024). An essential role for mannan degradation in both cell growth and secondary cell wall formation. Journal of Experimental Botany 75(5), 1407-1420. doi:10.1093/jxb/erad463.

7. Yunjun Zhao^#*, Chang Liu, Chien-Yuan Lin, and Quanzi Li. (2023). Editorial: Rising stars in plant metabolism and chemodiversity 2022 - phenylpropanoid metabolism and regulation. Frontiers in Plant Science 14, 1159100. doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1159100

8. Xianhai Zhao^#, Yunjun Zhao, Mingyue Gou and Chang-Jun Liu*. (2023). Tissue-preferential recruitment of electron transfer chains for cytochrome P450-catalyzed phenolic biosynthesis. Science Advances 9(2). doi:10.1126/sciadv.ade4389.

9. Nidhi Dwivedi^#, Senri Yamamoto, Yunjun Zhao, Guichuan Hou, Forrest Bowling, Yuki Tobimatsu and Chang-Jun Liu* (2024). Simultaneous suppression of lignin, tricin and wall-bound phenolic biosynthesis via the expression of monolignol 4-O-methyltransferases in rice. Plant Biotechnology Journal pp.1-17. doi:10.1111/pbi.14186

10. Yunjun Zhao^#, Xiaohong Yu, Pui-Ying Lam, Kewei Zhang, Yuki Tobimatsu, and Chang-Jun Liu*. (2021) Monolignol acyltransferase for lignin p-hydroxybenzoylation in Populus. Nature Plants 7(9): 1288-1300. doi: 10.1038/s41477-021-00975-1.

11. Yunjun Zhao^#, Xiaohong Yu, and Chang-Jun Liu*. (2021) The inducible accumulation of wall-bound p-hydroxybenzoates is involved in the regulation of gravitropic response of poplar. Frontiers in Plant Science 12:755576. doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.755576

12. Bin Wang^#, Xianhai Zhao^#, Yunjun Zhao, John Shanklin, Qiao Zhao and Chang-Jun Liu* (2021). Arabidopsis SnRK1 negatively regulates phenylpropanoid metabolism via Kelch domain-containing F-box proteins. New Phytologist 229:3345-3359. doi:10.1111/nph.17121 

13. Mingyue Gou^#, Xiaoman Yang^#, Yunjun Zhao^#, Xiuzhi Ran, Yanzhai Song, and Chang-Jun Liu*. (2019) Cytochrome b5 is an obligate electron shuttle protein for syringyl lignin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 31(6):1344-1366. doi: 10.1105/tpc.18.0077

14. Chang-Jun Liu^#*, Yunjun Zhao and Kewei Zhang. (2019) Cytokinin transporters: Multisite players in cytokinin homeostasis and signal distribution. Frontiers in Plant Science 10:693. doi:10.3389/fpls.2019.00693 (Review)

15. Jingnu Xia^#*, Yunjun Zhao, Payne Burks, Markus Pauly, and Patrick Brown*. (2018) A sorghum NAC gene is associated with variation in biomass properties and yield potential. Plant Direct, 2(7) :1-11. doi: 10.1002/pld3.70

16. Mandy Hsia^#, Ronan O’Malley, Amy Cartwright, Rita Nieu, Sean Gordon, Sandra Kelly, Tina Williams, Delilah F. Wood, Yunjun Zhao, Jennifer Bragg, Mark Jordan, Markus Pauly, Joseph Ecker, Yong Gu, John P. Vogel*. (2017) Sequencing and functional validation of the JGI Brachypodium distachyon T-DNA Resource. Plant Journal 91(3):361-370. doi:10.1111/tpj.13582

17. Yunjun Zhao^#, Peng Xu, Jiayan Sun, Rui Zhang, and Laigeng Li*. (2014) Intron-mediated alternative splicing of WOOD-ASSOCIATED NAC TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1B regulates cell wall thickening during fiber development in Populus species. Plant Physiology 164(2):765-776. doi:10.1104/pp.113.231134

18. Yi Wang^#, Roger Thilmony, Yunjun Zhao, Guoping Chen, and Yong Qiang Gu*. (2014) AIM: a comprehensive Arabidopsis interactome module database and related interologs in plants. Database 2014: 1-8. doi:10.1093/database/bau117

19. Yunjun Zhao^#, Dongliang Song, Jiayan Sun, and Laigeng Li*. (2013) Populus endo-beta-mannanase PtrMAN6 plays a role in coordinating cell wall remodeling with suppression of secondary wall thickening through generation of oligosaccharide signals. Plant Journal 74(3):473-485. doi:10.1111/tpj.12137

20. Yunjun Zhao^#, Qian Zhang, Luxia Yuan, Rui Zhang, and Laigeng Li*. (2013) N-glycosylation and dimerization regulate the PtrMAN6 enzyme activity that may modulate generation of oligosaccharide signals. Plant Signaling & Behavior 8(11):e26956. doi:10.4161/psb.26956

21. Yunjun Zhao^#, and Laigeng Li*. (2013). Plant Endo-β-mannanase Activity Assay. Bio-protocol 3(17): e883. http://www.bio-protocol.org/e883

22. Yunjun Zhao^#, and Laigeng Li*. (2011) Plant cell wall loosening factors. Plant Physiol Journal 47(10):925-935.(In Chinese, review).

23. Yunjun Zhao^#, Ligang He, Huiliang Wang, Miao Xu, Dechun Liu, and Zhonghai Sun*. (2007) Cloning and bioinformatics analysis of the promoter of PtCBF1, a CBF-like gene in the citrus relative, Poncirus trifoliata(L.) Raf. J Hunan Agricultural University (Natural Science) 33:45-50. (In Chinese)