Li Wan

Personal Profile

2020/05-Till Now CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences

Principal Investigator of Plant Molecular Immunology Lab

 

2015/03-2020/01 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Postdoc (Plant molecular biology)

 

2010/08-2014/11 The University of Queensland

PhD (Plant biochemistry)

 

2007/09-2010/6 Wuhan University of Technology

Master of Engineering (Chemical engineering)

 

2003/09-2007/6 Wuhan University of Technology

Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology)

Research Work

Dr. Wan’s research focuses on the fucntion of plant intracelluar immune receptors known as NLRs. NLRs with an N-terminal TIR domain recognize pathogen effector proteins to initiate immune signaling and are regarded as sensor TIR-NLRs. NLRs with an N-terminal CC^R domain function downstream of sensor TIR-NLRs to execute immune functions and are known as helper CC^R-NLRs. Three plant lipase-like proteins function in this pathway by tranducing immune signals from sensor TIR-NLRs to helper CC^R-NLRs.

Main Achievements

Dr. Wan’s research demonstrated the NADase ativity of sensor TIR-NLRs (Science, 2019), the Ca²⁺ channel activity of helper CC^R-NLRs (Science, 2021), the cross-activation mechanisms of bacterial antiviral immunity by plant TIR immune signaling (Science Advances, 2023), the molecular mechasnisms associated with helper CC^R-NLR oligomerizaiton and localization at the plasma membrane (PNAS, 2023) and activation mechanisms of helper CC^R-NLRs by host lipase-like proteins (under revision). These findings significantly advanced our understanding on plant NLR signaling.

Publications

(#Equal contribution; *Corresponding author)

 

1.Zaiqing Wang #, Xiaoxiao Liu #, Jie Yu, Shuining Yin, Wenjuan Cai, Nak Hyun Kim, Farid El Kasmi, Jeffery L. Dangl and Li Wan *. Plasma membrane association and resistosome formation of plant helper immune receptors. PNAS 120 (32) e2222036120 (2023)

 

2. Adam M. Bayless #, Sisi Chen #, Sam C. Ogden, Xiaoyan Xu, John D. Sidda, Mohammad K. Manik, Sulin Li, Bostjan Kobe, Thomas Ve, Lijiang Song, Murray Grant, Li Wan *, Marc T. Nishimura *. Plant and prokaryotic TIR domains generate distinct cyclic ADPR NADase products. Science Advances 9: eade8487 (2023)

 

3. Pierre Jacob #, Nak Hyun Kim #, Feihua Wu, Farid El-Kasmi, Yuan Chi, William G. Walton, Oliver J. Furzer, Adam D. Lietzan, Sruthi Sunil, Korina Kempthorn, Matthew R. Redinbo, Zhen-Ming Pei *, Li Wan * and Jeffery L. Dangl *. Plant “helper” immune receptors are Ca2+-permeable non-selective cation channels. Science 373: 420-425 (2021).

 

4. Li Wan #, Kow Essuman #, Ryan G. Anderson, Yo Sasaki, Freddy Monteiro, Eui-Hwan Chung, Erin Osborne Nishimura, Aaron DiAntonio, Jeffrey Milbrandt *, Jeffery L. Dang *, Marc T. Nishimura *. TIR Domains of Plant Immune Receptors are NAD+ Cleaving Enzymes that Promote Cell Death. Science 365: 799–803 (2019).

 

5. Simon J. Williams #*, Kee Hoon Sohn, #*, Li Wan #, Maud Bernoux #, Panagiotis F. Sarris, Cecile Segonzac, Thomas Ve, Yan Ma, Simon B. Saucet, Daniel J. Ericsson, Lachlan W. Casey, Thierry Lonhienne, Donald J. Winzor, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Anne Coerdt, Jane E. Parker, Peter N. Dodds, Bostjan Kobe *, Jonathan D. G. Jones *.Structural basis for assembly and function of a heterodimeric plant immune receptor. Science 344: 299-303 (2014).