Biological Interactions and Evolution Group----Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden,CAS

Research Interest:

Plants and insects are key components of terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding their interactions is one of the central issues in ecology and evolution. Our group focuses on plants and their phytophagous insects. By integrating functional genomics, proteomics, molecular biology, cell biology, analytical chemistry and biochemistry, we try to reveal the mechanisms of plant defense against phytophagous insects and insects’ counteradaptations.

Research Field:

Biological interactions and evolution

Publications:

1. Zhi-Ling Yang, Hussam Hassan Nour-Eldin, Sabine Haenniger, Michael Reichelt, Christoph Crocoll, Fabian Seitz, Heiko Vogel, Franziska Beran (2021) Sugar transporters enable a leaf beetle to accumulate plant defense compounds. Nature Communications. 12: 2658.

2. Zhi-Ling Yang, Grit Kunert, Theresa Sporer, Johannes Koernig, Franziska Beran (2020) Glucosinolate abundance and composition in Brassicaceae influence sequestration in a specialist flea beetle. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 46:186-197.

3. Zhi-Ling Yang, Hai-Jing Liu, Xiao-Ru Wang, Qing-Yin Zeng (2013) Molecular evolution and expression divergence of the Populus polygalacturonase supergene family shed light on the evolution of increasingly complex organs in plants. New Phytologist. 197: 1353-1365.

4. Ting Lan^#, Zhi-Ling Yang^#, Xue Yang, Yan-Jing Liu, Xiao-Ru Wang, Qing-Yin Zeng (2009) Extensive functional diversification of the Populus glutathione S-transferase supergene family. Plant Cell. 21: 3749-3766. (^#co-first author)

5. Yuan-Jie Zhang, Wei Wang, Hai-Ling Yang, Yue Li, Xiang-Yang Kang, Xiao-Ru Wang, Zhi-Ling Yang* (2015) Molecular properties and functional divergence of the dehydroascorbate reductase gene family in lower and higher plants. PLoS One. 10:e0145038. (*corresponding author)

6. Jingyuan Chen, Chhana Ullah, Michael Reichelt, Franziska Beran, Zhi-Ling Yang, Jonathan Gershenzon, Almuth Hammerbacher, Daniel G Vassao (2020) The phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum detoxifies plant glucosinolate hydrolysis products via an isothiocyanate hydrolase. Nature Communications. 11:3090.

7. Hai-Jing Liu, Xin Wang, Zhi-Ling Yang, Lin-Ling Ren, Ting-Ting Qian (2020) Identification and biochemical characterization of the glutathione reductase family from Populus trichocarpa. Plant Science. 294:110459.

8. Nanxia Fu, Zhi-Ling Yang, Yannick Pauchet, Christian Paetz, Wolfgang Brandt, Wilhelm Boland, Antje Burse (2019) A cytochrome P450 from the mustard leaf beetles hydroxylates geraniol, a key step in iridoid biosynthesis. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 113:103212.

9. Seung-Joon Ahn, Franziska Betzin, Matilda W Gikonyo, Zhi-Ling Yang, Tobias G Koellner, Franziska Beran (2019) Identification and evolution of glucosinolate sulfatases in a specialist flea beetle. Scientific Reports. 9:15725.

10. Xue-Min Han, Zhi-Ling Yang, Yan-Jing Liu, Hai-Ling Yang, Qing-Yin Zeng (2018) Genome-wide profiling of expression and biochemical functions of the Medicago glutathione S-transferase gene family. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 126:126-133.

11. Xue-Min Han, Qi Yang, Yan-Jing Liu, Zhi-Ling Yang, Xiao-Ru Wang, Qing-Yin Zeng, Hai-Ling Yang (2018) Evolution and function of the Populus SABATH family reveal that a single amino acid change results in a substrate switch. Plant Cell and Physiology. 59:392-403.

12. Hai-Jing Liu, Zhen-Xin Tang, Xue-Min Han, Zhi-Ling Yang, Fu-Min Zhang, Hai-Ling Yang, Yan-Jing Liu, Qing-Yin Zeng (2015) Divergence in enzymatic activities in the soybean GST supergene family provides new insight into the evolutionary dynamics of whole-genome duplicates. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 32:2844-2859.

13. Hai-Ling Yang, Ying-Ru Zhao, Cai-Ling Wang, Zhi-Ling Yang, Qing-Yin Zeng, Hai Lu (2009) Molecular characterization of a dehydroascorbate reductase from Pinus bungeana. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology. 51:993-1001.