Yunjun Zhao

Personal Profile

2022 - present Principal Investigator, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China

2017 - 2022 Research Associate, Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY, USA

2013 - 2017 Postdoc, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

2008 - 2013 Ph.D. in Botany, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences/ Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, CAS, Shanghai, China

2005 - 2008 M.S. in Pomology, College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences,Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China

2001 - 2005 B.S. in Biological sciences, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan

University, Wuhan, China

Research Work

Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable biomass resource on earth. It can be used for the production of environmentally friendly second-generation biofuels, bio-based chemicals and consumer materials, and will also play an important role in the process of achieving carbon neutrality. Our research is committed to developing innovative theories for the modification of lignocellulosic biomass and providing plant-based strategies for achieving the goal of carbon neutrality. To achieve this goal, we are studying the biosynthesis and regulatory mechanisms of lignocellulosic biomass components, i.e., lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses, and developing new enzyme tools to modify lignin structure for value-added biomaterials and chemical production. We are also exploring the production of some lignin-related signaling molecules and the potential of their regulation of plant growth and development.

Main Achievements

 

Publications

1. 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

 

2. 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. doi:10.1093/plcell/koae120

 

3. 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): e2400916. doi:10.1002/advs.202400916

 

4. 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

 

5. 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.

 

6. Nidhi Dwivedi^#, Senri Yamamoto, Yunjun Zhao, Guichuan Hou, Forrest Bowling, Yuki Tobimatsu and Chang-Jun Liu* (2023). 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

 

7. Rui Zhang^#, Bo Li^#, Yunjun Zhao, Yingying Zhu*, Laigeng Li* (2023). An essential role for mannan degradation in both cell growth and secondary cell wall formation. Journal of Experimental Botany. doi:10.1093/jxb/erad463.

 

8. 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.

 

9. 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

 

10. 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

 

11. 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

 

12. 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)

 

13. 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

 

14. 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

 

15. 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

 

16. 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

 

17. 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

 

18. 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

 

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

 

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