Zuhua He

Personal Profile

Dr. Zuhua He, Professor, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences/Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Elected member of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2023.

Education

1992-1996, Ph.D graduate fellow, Plant Pathology and Plant Molecular Genetics, Biotechnology Institute, Zhejiang Agricultural University (Current Zhejiang University), China.

1983-1986, M.Sc, Plant Genetics and Breeding, minor in Plant Pathology Zhejiang Agricultural University (Current Zhejiang University)

1979-1983, B.S, Agronomy major, Zhejiang Agricultural University Current Zhejiang University)

Employment

2000, 12-present, Professor, the National Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CEMPS/SIPPE, CAS,.

1999-2000, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Plant Pathology, UC Davis.

1997-1998, Postdoctoral Associate, Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

1993-1996, Associate Professor, Biotechnology Institute, Zhejiang University (former Zhejiang Agricultural University), China.

1986-1992, Lecturer and Research Associate, Laboratory of Crop genetics and Breeding, Department of Agronomy, Zhejiang Agricultural University, China

Research Work

Genetic dissection and underlying mechanisms of plant immunity, and cross-talks between immunity and development are major aspects of plant biology. In particular, disease resistance has been a major target of breeding to ensure crop production and low input of fungicides in an environmentally friendly agriculture. Our research interests include functional genomics, mechanisms and application of plant disease resistance in particular broad-spectrum disease resistance to fungal pathogens in rice, cross-talks between defense and development (yield). The overall goals of our lab are to identify genes and signaling in disease resistance, genes and physiological processes of important yield-related traits, and cross-talk between immunity and development. The knowledge, genes and technology obtained from our research will facilitate crop molecular breeding for broad-spectrum disease resistance with high yield potential.

Main Achievements

Genetic dissection and underlying mechanisms of plant immunity, and cross-talk between defense and growth are major aspects of plant biology. Particularly, disease resistance has been a major breeding target to ensure crop production and low input of fungicides in an environmentally friendly agriculture. Our research interests include functional genomics, mechanisms and application of plant disease resistance in particular broad-spectrum disease resistance to rice pathogens and cross-talk between defense and growth/yield. The overall goals of our lab are to identify novel genes and mechanisms in disease resistance, and cross-talk between defense and growth. The knowledge, genes and technology obtained from our research will facilitate crop molecular breeding for broad-spectrum disease resistance with high yield potential. In the past 5 years, we have made the following major advances: (1) Gene discovery and mechanisms of NLR-mediated broad-spectrum blast resistance. We have been working on the broad-spectrum and durable blast resistance locus Pigm, and revealed the molecular mechanisms that regulates Pigm-mediated blast resistance through discovering a novel RRM-domain transcription factor family PIBP1, which directly interacts with PigmR and other NLRs to regulate plant immunity, and NLRs guarding defense metabolism to mount PTI and ETI in rice blast resistance. (2) To address how the plant intrinsic immune machinery fine-tunes immune homeostasis in their natural habitats, we discovered a conserved immune suppression network in cereals that orchestrates immune homeostasis, centering on a Ca2+-sensor, ROS scavenging, protein surveillance, and the host protein and pathogen effector suppress immunity through the same cascade via structural mimicry. (3) We discovered that an MKP-MAPK protein phosphorylation cascade controls vascular-specific immunity conserved in rice and Arabidopsis. (4) We identified a rice NLR-TF immune module, XA48-AvrXa48-TF. XA48 perceives the ancient pathogen effector AvrXa48 to activate ETI. The immune module underwent subspecies-specific artificial selection between indica and japonica. We resurrected wild rice broad-spectrum resistance by pyramiding XA48-mediated ETI and XA21-mediated PTI, establishing the rice PTI and ETI networks and providing a breeding paradigm to develop disease resistant crops by exploiting wild relatives’ immunity. (5) We isolated a plasma membrane transporter that coordinates phosphate reallocation and grain filling, and negatively regulates disease resistance in cereals.

Publications

1) Gang Wang, Xi Chen, Chengzhi Yu, Xiaobao Shi, Wenxian Lan, Chaofeng Gao, Jun Yang, Huiling Dai, Xiaowei Zhang, Huili Zhang, Boyu Zhao, Qi Xie, Nan Yu, Zuhua He*, Yu Zhang* & Ertao Wang* (2024). Release of a ubiquitin brake activates OsCERK1-triggered immunity in rice. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07418-9

 

2) Xueting Gu, Fuyan Si , Zhengxiang Feng, Shunjie Li , Di Liang , Pei Yang, Chao Yang, Bin Yan, Jun Tang, Yu Yang, Tai Li, Lin Li, Jinling Zhou, Ji Li, Lili Feng, Ji-Yun Liu, Yuanzhu Yang, Yiwen Deng, Xu Na Wu, Zhigang Zhao, Jianmin Wan, Xiaofeng Cao, Xianwei Song*, Zuhua He*, Junzhong Liu* (2023) The OsSGS3-tasiRNA-OsARF3 module orchestrates abiotic-biotic stress response trade-off in rice. Nature Communications 14: 4441 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40176-2

 

3) Hui Lin#, Muyang Wang#, Ying Chen, Kinya Nomura, Shugang Hui, Jinshan Gui, Xiawei Zhang, Yue Wu, Jiyun Liu, Qun Li, Yiwen Deng, Laigeng Li, Meng Yuan, Shiping Wang Sheng Yang He, Zuhua He* (2022) An MKP-MAPK protein phosphorylation cascade controls vascular immunity in plants. Science Advances 8: eabg8723.

 

4) Keran Zhai#, Di Liang#, Helin Li, Fangyuan Jiao, Bingxiao Yan, Jing Liu, Ziyao Lei, Li Huang, Xiangyu Gong, Xin Wang, Jiashun Miao, Yichuan Wang, Ji-Yun Liu, Lin Zhang, Ertao Wang, Yiwen Deng, Chi-Kuang Wen, Hongwei Guo, Bin Han, Zuhua He* (2022) NLRs guard metabolism to coordinate pattern- and effector-triggered immunity. Nature 601: 245-251.

 

5) Mingjun Gao#, Yang He#, Xin Yin#, Xiangbin Zhong#*, Bingxiao Yan, Yue Wu, Jin Chen, Xiaoyuan Li, Keran Zhai, Yifeng Huang, Xiangyu Gong, Huizhong Chang, Shenghan Xie, Jiyun Liu, Jiaxing Yue, Jianlong Xu, Guiquan Zhang, Yiwen Deng, Ertao Wang, Didier Tharreau, Guo-Liang Wang, Weibing Yang* and Zuhua He* (2021) Ca²⁺ sensor-mediated ROS scavenging suppresses rice immunity and is exploited by a fungal effector. Cell 184, 5391-9404.

 

6) Bin Ma#, Lin Zhang#, Qifei Gao#, Junmin Wang#, Xiaoyuan Li, Hu Wang, Yu Liu, Hui Lin, Jiyun Liu, Xin Wang, Qun Li, Yiwen Deng, Weihua Tang*, Sheng Luan*, Zuhua He* (2021) A plasma membrane transporter coordinates phosphate reallocation and grain filling in cereals. Nature Genetics 53: 906-915. (1个F1000prime推荐)

 

7) Yiwen Deng#, Yuese Ning#, Dong-Lei Yang#, Keran Zhai, Guo-Liang Wang*, Zuhua He* (2020) Molecular basis of disease resistance and perspectives on breeding strategies for resistance improvement in crops. Mol Plant 13, 1402–1419.

 

8) Wei Li#, Yiwen Deng#, Yuese Ning#, Zuhua He*, Guo-Liang Wang* (2020) Exploiting broad-spectrum disease resistance in crops: from molecular dissection to breeding. Annu Rev Plant Biol 71:575–603.

 

9) Yu Peng#, Yingying Zhang#, Yijie Gui, Dong An, Junzhong Liu, Xun Xu, Qun Li, Junmin Wang, Wen Wang, Chunhai Shi, Longjiang Fan, Baorong Lu, Yiwen Deng*, Sheng Teng*, Zuhua He* (2019) Elimination of a retrotransposon for quenching genome instability in modern rice. Mol Plant 12: 1395-1407.

 

10) Keran Zhai#, Yiwen Deng#, Di Liang, Jun Tang, Jing Liu, Bingxiao Yan, Xin Yin, Hui Lin, Fudan Chen, Dongyong Yang, Zhen Xie, Jiyun Liu, Qun Li, Lin Zhang, Zuhua He* (2019) RRM transcription factors interact with NLRs and regulate broad- spectrum blast resistance in rice. Molecular Cell 74: 996-1009.

 

11) Junzhong Liu#, Lili Feng#, Xueting Gu#, Xian Deng#, Qi Qiu, Qun Li, Yingying Zhang, Muyang Wang, Yiwen Deng, Ertao Wang, Yuke He, Isabel B？urle, Jianming Li, Xiaofeng Cao*, Zuhua He* (2019) An H3K27me3 demethylase-HSFA2 regulatory loop orchestrates transgenerational thermomemory in Arabidopsis. Cell Research 29: 379-390.

 

12) Lin Zhang#, Hong Yu#, Bin Ma, Guifu Liu, Jianjun Wang, Junmin Wang, Rongcun Gao, Jinjun Li, Jiyun Liu, Jing Xu, Yingying Zhang, Qun Li, Xuehui Huang, Jianlong Xu, Jianming Li, Qian Qian, Bin Han, Zuhua He*, Jiayang Li* (2017) A natural tandem array alleviates epigenetic repression of IPA1 and leads to superior yielding rice. Nature Communications 8: 14789.

 

13) Yiwen Deng, Keran Zhai, Zhen Xie, Dongyong Yang, Xudong Zhu, Junzhong Liu, Xin Wang, Peng Qin, Yuanzhu Yang, Guomin Zhang, Qun Li, Jianfu Zhang, Shuangqing Wu, Jo？lle Milazzo, Bizeng Mao, Ertao Wang, Huaan Xie, Didier Tharreau, Zuhua He* (2017) Epigenetic regulation of antagonistic receptors confers rice blast resistance with yield balance. Science 355: 962-965.

 

14) Quanyuan You#, Keran Zhai#, Donglei Yang, Weibing Yang, Jingni Wu, Junzhong Liu, Wenbo Pan, Jianjun Wang, Xudong Zhu, Yikun Jian, Jiyun Liu, Yingying Zhang, Yiwen Deng, Qun Li, Yonggen Lou, Qi Xie, Zuhua He* (2016) An E3 ubiquitin ligase-BAG protein module controls plant innate immunity and broad-spectrum disease resistance. Cell Host Microbe 20: 758-769.

 

15) Hui Shen#, Xiangbin Zhong#, Fangfang Zhao, Yanmei Wang, Bingxiao Yan, Qun Li, Genyun Chen, Bizeng Mao, Jianjun Wang, Yangsheng Li, Guoying Xiao, Yuke He, Han Xiao, Jianming Li, Zuhua He* (2015) Overexpression of receptor-like kinase ERECTA improves thermotolerance in rice and tomato. Nature Biotechnology 33: 996-1003.

 

16) Xiaodong Liu, Hong Zhang, Yang Zhao, Zhengyan Feng, Qun Li, Hong-Quan Yang, Sheng Luan, Jianming Li, Zu-Hua He* (2013) Auxin controls seed dormancy through stimulation of abscisic acid signaling by inducing ARF-mediated ABI3 activation in Arabidopsis. PNAS 110 (38): 15485-15490.

 

17) Dong-Lei Yang, Yinong Yang, Zu-Hua He* (2013) Role of plant hormones and their interplay in rice immunity. Mol Plant 6(3): 675-685.

 

18) Si-Hui Zhong#, Jun-Zhong Liu#, Hua Jin, Lin Lin, Qun Li, Ying Chen, Yue-Xing Yuan, Zhi-Yong Wang, Hai Huang, Yi-Jun Qi, Xiao-Ya Chen, Hervé Vaucheret, Joanne Chory, Jianming Li*, Zu-Hua He* (2013) Warm temperatures induce transgenerational epigenetic release of RNA silencing by inhibiting siRNA biogenesis in Arabidopsis. PNAS 110 (22): 9171-9176.

 

19) Dong-Lei Yang#, Jian Yao#, Chuan-Sheng Mei#, Xiao-Hong Tong, Long-Jun Zeng, Qun Li, Lang-Tao Xiao, Tai-ping Sun, Jigang Li, Xing-Wang Deng, Chin Mei Lee, Michael F. Thomashow,Yinong Yang*, Zu-Hua He*, Sheng Yang He* (2012) Plant hormone jasmonate prioritizes defense over growth by interfering with gibberellin signaling cascade. PNAS 109 (19): E1192-E1200.

 

20) Wei Li#, Sihui Zhong#, Guojun Li, Qun Li, Bizeng Mao, Yiwen Deng, Huijuan Zhang, Longjun Zeng, Fengming Song*, Zuhua He* (2011) Rice RING protein OsBBI1 with E3 ligase activity confers broad-spectrum resistance against Magnaporthe oryzae by modifying the cell wall defence. Cell Res 21: 835-848.

 

21) Ertao Wang, Jianjun Wang, Xudong Zhu, Wei Hao, Linyou Wang, Qun Li, Lixia Zhang, Wei He, Baorong Lu, Hongxuan Lin, Hong Ma, Guiquan Zhang, Zuhua He* (2008) Control of rice grain-filling and yield by a gene with a potential signature of domestication. Nature Genetics 40: 1370-1374.