Li Yang
Education:
Project Description:
Functional characterization of a convergent host target of divergent pathogen effectors
Interactions between pathogenic microorganisms and their plant hosts are complex and dynamic. Pathogens deliver effector proteins (virulence factors) into plant cells to dampen basal defense and modulate host cellular activity. Direct or indirect recognition of these effectors by polymorphic intracellular plant proteins triggers a successful immune response. PPIN-1, a Plant Pathogen Immune Network of oomycete and Pseudomonas effectors and Arabidopsis proteins recently defined in the host laboratory, demonstrates that evolutionarily divergent effectors converge onto a limited set of interconnected host proteins. TCP transcription factors, especially TCP14, are among the most common targets of these effectors, and the host proteins interacting with TCPs are highly interconnected. A better understanding of how TCP proteins serve to modulate the plant immune system will shed light on co-evolutionary arms race between plants and their pathogens. I will use genetic, computational and biochemical tools to dissect the functions of several TCP genes in the plant immune system.
Publications:
Weßling R*, P Epple*,
S Altmann*, Y He*, L Yang*, SR Henz, N McDonald, ...(2014) Convergent Targeting
of a Common Host Protein-Network by Pathogen Effectors from Three Kingdoms of
Life Cell host & microbe 16 (3), 364-375
Yang L, H Huang (2014) Roles of
small RNAs in plant disease resistance Journal of integrative plant biology
Yang L, M Xu, Y Koo, J He, RS
Poethig (2013) Sugar promotes vegetative phase change in Arabidopsis thaliana
by repressing the expression of MIR156A and MIR156CeLife 2
Yang L, Wu G, and Poethig RS (2012) Mutations in the
GW-protein SUO reveal a developmental function for miRNA-mediated translational
repression in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jan 3;109(1):315-20.
Yang L, Conway SR and Poethig RS. (2011) Vegetative phase
change is mediated by a leaf-derived signal that represses the transcription of
miR156. Development. 2011 Jan;138(2):245-9.
Yamaguchi A, Wu MF, Yang L, Wu G, Poethig RS, Wagner D.
(2009) The microRNA-regulated SBP-Box transcription factor SPL3 is a direct
upstream activator of LEAFY, FRUITFULL, and APETALA1. Dev Cell. 2009
Aug;17(2):268-78.
Schmidt PS,
Zhu CT, Das J, Batavia M,
Yang L, Eanes WF.
(2008) An amino acid polymorphism in the couch potato gene forms the basis for
climatic adaptation in Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008
Oct 21;105(42):16207-11.
Yao X, Wang H, Li H, Yuan Z, Li F, Yang L, Huang H. (2009)
Two types of cis-acting elements control the abaxial epidermis-specific
transcription of the MIR165a and MIR166a genes. FEBS Lett. 2009 Nov
19;583(22):3711-7.
Xu L, Yang L, Huang H. (2007) Transcriptional,
post-transcriptional and post-translational regulations of gene expression
during leaf polarity formation. Cell Res. 2007 Jun;17(6):512-9. Review.
Fu Y, Xu L, Xu B, Yang L, Ling Q, Wang H, Huang H. (2007)
Genetic interactions between leaf polarity-controlling genes and ASYMMETRIC
LEAVES1 and 2 in Arabidopsis leaf patterning. Plant Cell Physiol. 2007
May;48(5):724-35.
Yang L*, Liu Z*, Lu F, Dong A, Huang H. (2006) SERRATE
is a novel nuclear regulator in primary microRNA processing in Arabidopsis.
Plant J. 2006 Sep;47(6):841-50.
Yang L*, Huang W*, Wang H, Cai R, Xu Y, Huang H. (2006)
Characterizations of a hypomorphic argonaute1 mutant reveal novel AGO1
functions in Arabidopsis lateral organ development. Plant Mol Biol. 2006
May;61(1-2):63-78.
Xu L*, Yang L*, Pi L, Liu Q, Ling Q, Wang H, Poethig RS,
Huang H. (2006) Genetic interaction between the AS1-AS2 and RDR6-SGS3-AGO7
pathways for leaf morphogenesis. Plant Cell Physiol. 2006 Jul;47(7):853-63.