The Plant Genomics and Computational Biology Research Group, set up by Dr. Andan Zhu in 2017, aims to address the evolutionary processes and molecular mechanisms underlying the diversity of plant traits. Specifically, we integrate computational and functional genomics methods to explore the mechanisms of evolution of mitochondrial complexity, and the formation of important and/or unique horticultural traits in Fragaria and orchid plants.


More info: https://kibzhulab.github.io/index.html



Research Areas

Current Research Projects:

1) Mechanisms of cytonuclear co-evolution. We investigate the evolutionary questions related to the diversity of plant mitochondrial genome architecture, as well as its relationship with substitution rate, recombination and the evolution of nuclear factors.

2) Evolutionary and functional genomics of polyploid plants and expression divergence. We investigate the roles of dose effects, cis- and trans-regulatory variation, epigenetic modifications on the development of fruit and flower traits in Fragaria (strawberry).

3) Orchid Genomics. We investigate the roles of cytonuclear incompatibility and evolution of energy-related networks on life history transitions in orchids.


Research Experience

Dr. Andan Zhu is a professor at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and PI of the Plant Genomics and Computational Biology Research Group. Before that, he got his Ph.D. in Huazhong Agricultural University in 2012, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Texas-Austin. He has now published over 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals, such as Nature Genetics,Molecular Biology and Evolution, New phytologist, BMC Genomics, etc.


Publications

Dr. Andan Zhu is a professor at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and PI of the Plant Genomics and Computational Biology Research Group. Before that, he got his Ph.D. in Huazhong Agricultural University in 2012, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Texas-Austin. He has now published over 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals, such as Nature Genetics,Molecular Biology and Evolution, New phytologist, BMC Genomics, etc.


Selected Papers

1. Fan W#, Liu F#, Jia Q, Du H, Chen W, Ruan J, Lei J, Li DL*, Mower JP*, Zhu A* (2022) Fragaria mitogenomes evolve rapidly in structure but slowly in sequence and incur frequent multinucleotide mutations mediated by micro‐inversions. New Phytologist.

2. Li Z#, Zhu A#, Song Q. , Chen HY, Harmon FG, Chen ZJ* (2020) Temporal regulation of metabolome and proteome in photosynthetic and photorespiratory pathways contributes to maize heterosis. The Plant Cell 32(2):3706-3722 

3. Liu F#, Fan W#, Yang JB, Xiang CL, Mower JP, Li DL*, Zhu A* (2020) Episodic and GC-biased bursts of intragenomic and interspecific synonymous divergence in Ajugoideae (Lamiaceae) mitogenomes. New Phytologist 228: 1107-1114

4. Guo W#, Zhu A#, Fan W, Robert P Adams RP, Jeffrey P Mower* (2020) Extensive Shifts from Cis- to Trans-splicing of Gymnosperm Mitochondrial Introns. Molecular Biology and Evolution 37(6):1615-1620

5. Fan W, Guo W, L Funk L, Mower JP*,  Zhu A* (2019) Complete loss of RNA editing from the plastid genome and most highly expressed mitochondrial genes of Welwitschia mirabilis. Science China Life Sciences 62 (4), 498-506

6. Tao NG*, Chen Y, Wu Y, Wang X, Li L, Zhu A* (2019) The terpene limonene induced the green mold of citrus fruit through regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis in Penicillium digitatum spores. Food Chemistry 277, 414-422

7. Zhu A#, Fan W#, Adams RP, JP Mower JP*. (2018) evidence for ancient recombination between plastid genomes of the Cupressus-Juniperus-Xanthocyparis complex (Cupressaceae). BMC Evolutionary Biology 18(1):137

8. Zhu A, Guo W, Gupta S, Mower JP* (2016) Evolution dynamics of the plastid inverted repeat: the effects of the expansion, contraction, and loss on substitution rates. New Phytologist 209(4), 1747-1756

9. Zhu A , Guo W, Jain K, Mower JP* (2014) Unprecedent heterogeneity in the synonymous substition rate within a plant genome. Molecular Biology and Evolution 31 (5): 1228-1236



Students

已指导学生

朱楚萌  硕士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

者孟青  硕士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

刘芳  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

陈武  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

李小玲  硕士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

现指导学生

杜海媛  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

金鑫  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

陈茂贤  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

郑旭  硕士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

黄艺伟  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

何奕莹  硕士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

方愚  硕士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学  

唐继兴  博士研究生  071010-生物化学与分子生物学