Publications
Genome-edited powdery mildew resistance in wheat without growth penalties
Disruption of susceptibility (S) genes in crops is an attractive breeding strategy for conferring disease resistance.However, S genes are implicated in many essential biological functions and deletion of these genes typically results in undesired pleiotropic effects1. Loss-of-function mutations in one such S gene, Mildew resistance locus O (MLO), confers durable and broad-spectrum resistance to powdery […]
Spotting the alien genes
Transposons (TEs) are mobile and alien DNAs frequently causing fatal gene mutations. In order to repress their activity, the host genomes have evolved mechanisms to achieve persistent and specific silencing. RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase 6 (RDR6) is the primary detector of these mobile elements that directly processes them to siRNAs, which triggers both de novo DNA […]
The Reference Genome Sequence of Scutellaria baicalensis Provides Insights into the Evolution of Wogonin Biosynthesis
Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is important in Chinese traditional medicine where preparations of dried roots, “Huang Qin,” are used for liver and lung complaints and as complementary cancer treatments. We report a high-quality reference genome sequence for S. baicalensis where 93% of the 408.14-Mb genome has been assembled into nine pseudochromosomes with a super-N50 of 33.2 Mb. Comparison of this […]
NRT1.1B is associated with root microbiota composition and nitrogen use in field-grown rice
Nitrogen-use efficiency of indica varieties of rice is superior to that of japonica varieties. We apply 16S ribosomal RNA gene profiling to characterize root microbiota of 68 indica and 27 japonica varieties grown in the field. We find that indica and japonica recruit distinct root microbiota. Notably, indica-enriched bacterial taxa are more diverse, and contain more genera with nitrogen metabolism functions, than japonica-enriched taxa. Using genetic approaches, we provide […]
