Plant Cell Wall Biology, Plant Molecular Physiology.

Ph.D.   University of Connecticut      2002-2006

M.S.   China Agriculture University    1998-2001

B.S.    Nanchang University          1994-1998

   

 Publications (Total 27, Citation: 1918, h-index: 16)

1.  Yang H, Benatti MR, Karve RA, Fox A, Meilan R, Carpita NC, McCann MC. (2018) Rhamnogalacturonan I-lyase expression in transgenic poplar wood facilitates cell-cell separation for biomass use. Submitted to Plant Cell.

2.  Yang H, Zhang X, Luo H, Liu B, Shiga T, Li X, Kim JI, Rubinelli P, Olek AT, Abu-Omar M, Chapple C, Donohoe BS, Mo H, Makowski L, Mosier NN, McCann MC, Carpita NC, Meilan R. (2018) Optimizing cellulose conversion in the lignin first biorefinery. Submitted to Biotechnol Biofuels.

3.  Shiga TM, Xiao W, Yang H, Zhang X, Olek AT, Donohoe BS, Liu J, Makowski L, Hou T, McCann MC, Carpita NC, Mosier NS. (2017) Enhanced rates of enzymatic saccharification and catalytic synthesis of biofuel substrates in gelatinized cellulose generated by trifluoroacetic acid. Biotechnol Biofuels. 10:310. doi: 10.1186/s13068-017-0999-2

4.  Kong Q, Ma W, Yang H, Ma G, Mantyla JJ, Benning C. (2017) The Arabidopsis WRINKLED1 transcription factor affects auxin homeostasis in roots. J. of Experimental Botany. 68: 4627-4634.

5.  Sun L-J, Xie Y, Yan Y-F, Yang H, Gu H-Y, Bao N. (2017) Paper-based analytical devices for direct electrochemical detection of free IAA and SA in plant samples with the weight of several milligrams. Sensors and Actuators B: 247: 336-342.

6.  Yang H, Wei H, Ma G, Antunes M, Cox J, Zhang X, Liu X, Himmel ME, Tucker MP, McCann MC, Murphy AS, Peer WA. (2016) Cell wall targeted in planta delivery of iron enhances both biomass conversion and nutrition in Arabidopsis and rice. Plant Biotechnology J. 14(10): 1998-2009

7.  Dong J, Pineros MA, Li X, Yang H, Liu Y, Murphy AS, Kochian LV, Liu D. (2016) An Arabidopsis ABC transporter mediates phosphate deficiency-induced remodeling of root architecture by modulating iron homeostasis in roots. Molecular Plant 10, 244-259

8.  Lin CY, Jakes JE, Donohoe BS, Ciesielski PN, Yang H, Gleber SC, Vogt S, Ding SY, Peer WA, Murphy AS, McCann MC, Himmel ME, Tucker MP, Wei H. (2016) Directed plant cell-wall accumulation of iron: embedding co-catalyst for efficient biomass conversion. Biotechnol Biofuels. 21;9:225

9.  Kriegel A, Andrés Z, Medzihradszky A, Krüger F, Scholl S, Delang S, Patir-Nebioglu MG, Gute G, Yang H, Murphy A, Peer W, Pfeiffer A, Krebs M, Lohmann J, and Schumacher K. (2015) Job-sharing in the endomembrane system: Vacuolar acidification requires the combined activity of V-ATPase and V-PPase.  Plant Cell. 27: 3383-3396.

10. Wei H*, Yang H*, Ciesielski PN, Donohoe BS, McCann MC, Murphy AS, Peer WA, Ding S-Y, Himmel ME, Tucher MP. (2014) Transgenic ferritin overproduction largely enhances thermochemical pretreatments in Arabidopsis. Biomass and Bioenergy. 72: 55-56 (*equal contribution)

11. Yang H, Zhang X, Gaxiola RA, Xu G, Peer WA, Murphy AS. (2014) Overexpression of the Arabidopsis proton-pyrophosphatase AVP1 enhances transplant survival, root mass, and fruit development under limiting phosphorus conditions.  J. of Experimental Botany. 65: 3045-3053.

12. Sun L-J, Feng Q-M, Yan Y-F, Pan Z-Q, Li X-H, Song F-M, Yang H, Xu J-J, Bao N, Gu H-Y. (2014) Paper-based electroanalytical devices for in situ determination of salicylic acid in living tomato leaves. Biosensors and Bioelectronics 60C: 154-160.

13. Yang H, Richter GL, Wang X, Młodzińska E, Carraro N, Lin JE, Chao D, Peer WA, Murphy AS. (2013) Sterols and sphingolipids differentially function in trafficking of the Arabidopsis ABCB19 auxin transporter. Plant J. 74(1):37-47.

14. Yang H, Murphy AS. (2013) Membrane preparation, sucrose density gradients and two-phase Separation Fractionation from Five-day-old Arabidopsis seedlings. Bio-Protocol. 3: e1014.

15.  Kubeš M*, Yang H*, Richter GL*, Cheng Y, Wang X, Młodzińska E, Carraro N, Titapiwatanakun B, Petrášek J, Zažímalová E, Hoyerová K, Peer WA, Murphy AS. (2012) The Arabidopsis concentration-dependent influx/efflux transporter ABCB4 regulate cellular auxin levels in the root epidermis. Plant J. 69: 640-54. (*equal contribution)

16.  Undurragaa SF, Santosg MP, Paez-Valenciag J, Yang H, Hepler PK, Facanhaf AR, Hirschid KD, Gaxiola RA. (2012) Arabidopsis sodium dependent and independent phenotypes triggered by H⁺-PPase up-regulation are SOS1 dependent. Plant Science. 183: 96–105.

17.   Péret B, Swarup K, Ferguson A, Seth M, Yang Y, Dhondt S, James N, Casimiro I, Perry P, Syed A, Yang H, Reemmer J, Venison E, Howells C, Perez-Amador MA, Yun J, Alonso J, Beemster GT, Laplaze L, Murphy A, Bennett MJ, Nielsen E, Swarup R. (2012) AUX/LAX genes encode a family of auxin influx transporters that perform distinct functions during Arabidopsis development. Plant Cell. 24: 2874-85.

18.   Christie JM*, Yang H*, Richter G*, Sullivan S*, Thomson CE, Lin J, Titapiwatanakun B, Ennis M, Kaiserli E, Lee OR, Adamec J, Peer WA, Murphy AS. (2011) phot1 inhibition of ABCB19 primes lateral auxin fluxes in the shoot apex required for phototropism. PloS Biology. 9: e1001076. (*equal contribution)

19.  Tsuda E*, Nishimura T*, Yang H*, Yukiko Uehara, Tatsuya Sakai, Masahiko Furutani, Koshiba Tomokazu, Hiroshi Nozaki, Angus Murphy, Ken-ichiro Hayashi. (2011) Alkoxy-auxins are selective inhibitors of auxin transport mediated by PIN, ABCB, and AUX1 transporters. J Biol. Chem. 286:2354-64. (*equal contribution)

20.  Hildreth SB, Gehman E, Yang H, Lu R-H, Sandoe JL, Yu S, Okumoto S, Murphy AS, Jelesko JG. (2011) Tobacco nicotine uptake permease (NUP1) affects alkaloid metabolism.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA. 108:18179-84.

21.  Peer WA, Blakeslee JJ, Yang H, Murphy AS. (2011) Seven things we think we know about auxin transport. Mol. Plant. 4: 487-504.

22.  Bailly A, Yang H, Martinoia E, Geisler M, Murphy AS. (2011) Plant lessons: exploring ABCB functionality through structural modeling. Front. Plant Sci. 2: 108.

23.  Růžička K, Strader LC, Bailly A, Yang H, Blakeslee J, Łangowski L, Nejedlá E, Fujita H, Ito H, Syōno K, Hejátko J, Gray WM, Martinoia E, Geisler M, Bartel B, Murphy AS, Friml J. (2010)  Arabidopsis PIS1 encodes the ABCG37 transporter of auxinic compounds including the auxin precursor indole-3-butyric acid. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA. 107:10749-53.

24.  Zažímalová E, Murphy AS, Yang H, Hoyerová K, Hošek P. (2010) Auxin transporters: Why so many. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. 2: a001552.

25.  Titapiwatanakun B, Blakeslee JJ, Bandyopadhyay A, Yang H, Mravec J, Sauer M, Cheng Y, Adamec J, Nagashima A, Geisler M, Sakai T, Friml J, Peer WA, Murphy AS. (2009) ABCB19/PGP19 stabilises PIN1 in membrane microdomains in Arabidopsis. Plant J. 57: 27-44.

26. Yang H, Murphy AS. (2009) Functional expression and characterization of Arabidopsis ABCB, AUX1 and PIN auxin transporters in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.  Plant J. 59: 179-91.

27.  Yang H, Knapp J, Koirala P, Rajagopal D, Peer WA, Silbart LK, Murphy A, Gaxiola RA. (2007) Enhanced phosphorus nutrition in monocots and dicots over-expressing a phosphorus-responsive type I H⁺-pyrophosphatase. Plant Biotechnol J. 5: 735-45.

28.  Park S, Li J, Pittman JK, Berkowitz GA, Yang H, Undurraga S, Morris J, Hirschi KD, Gaxiola RA. (2005) Up-regulation of a vacuolar H⁺-PPase as a strategy to engineer drought-resistant crop plants.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 102: 18830-18835.

29.  Li J*, Yang H*, Peer WA, Richter G, Blakeslee JJ, Bandyopadhyay A, Titapiwantakun B, Undurraga S, Khodakovskaya M, Krizek B, Murphy A, Gilroy S, Gaxiola RA ( 2005) Arabidopsis H⁺-PPase AVP1 regulates auxin mediated organ development. Science 310: 121-125. (*equal contribution)

My future research interests are centered on plant cell structures such as cell wall and plasma membranes and their roles in plant growth, nutrition uptake and storage, and adaptation to abiotic stresses. Plant cell wall and the plasma membrane are two outmost layers of the plant cells. Together they conduct many important functions including protection, transport, signaling and cell expansion etc. Specifically, I will develop my research program in Arabidopsis, rice and soybean systems along the following primary lines:  

1.    The role of  the plant cell wall in cell adhesion and growth

The shape of a plant cell is constrained by its surrounding structure-cell wall. Multicellular plant organisms are composed of cells adhered by cell walls.  Certain type of cells including tracheary elements consists entirely of cell wall and become the major part of plant biomass.  Polysaccharides, proteins and aromatic substances are highly organized in the plant cell wall to provide structural support and adhesion for plant cells. The molecules involved in plant cell-cell adhesion are still not clear and may differ in composition and arrangements among species and tissues.  Our data suggest pectin play a primary role in cell-cell adhesion in primary walls such as in tomato fruit parenchyma cells; however, xylan and lignin also are involved in cell-cell adhesion of secondary wall such as poplar woody tissue. I am interested to understand the complex interaction of these wall molecules in cell-cell adhesion which is not only important for biomass conversion but also essential for plant cell communication, defense and development.

The plant cell wall is a dynamic compartment as wall material is continuously integrated or modified throughout the life of the cell.  Cell walls are closely related to plasma membrane (PM) as cell wall formation occurs together with PM formation and new material is added across PM. Plant growth hormone auxin induced cell expansion is described by the Acid Growth Hypothesis. Cell walls become acidified and loosened by IAA turning on activity of H⁺-ATPase and cell wall expansion is driven by turgor pressure. However, how cellulose synthesis and other wall materials are added in this rapid growth are not fully understood. Further, expansion of cells in roots and hypocotyls is longitudinal which means the synthesis rates, structures or the arrangements of cell wall molecules may be different in lateral and apical/basal sides. I am interested in understanding the membrane transport/trafficking and hormone regulation of the cell wall biosynthesis in this process, ultimately to increase plant growth and the yield of crops.

 

2.      The role of membrane transport in plant development and stress response

Plant membrane transport is energized by proton gradients across membranes. The proton gradients are generated by three classes of proton pumps: plasma membrane (PM) H⁺-ATPase, vacuolar V-ATPase and vacular pyrophosphatase H⁺-PPase. I am particular interested in understanding the interaction and coordination of plant proton pumps in stress responses. I have showed that in response to abiotic stresses such as low P: 1, H⁺-PPase was induced, which subsequently increased the abundance and activity of PM H⁺-ATPase. 2, the activities of proton pumps enhanced auxin transport which initiated a positive feedback as auxin activates PM H⁺-ATPase and induces its expression. 3, increased membrane transport and root development facilitated nutrient and water uptake.

This working model is consistent with salt, drought and low P tolerance of plants overexpressing AVP1 H⁺-PPase. However, how the abundance of PM H⁺-ATPase is increased by H⁺-PPase is still not clear. I hypothesized that H⁺-PPase facilitates the vesicular trafficking of H⁺-ATPase to PM. In the vacuole, increase of V-ATPase activity during cold acclimation also requires H⁺-PPase.  Therefor H⁺-PPase isoforms may be invovled in trafficking of two other proton pumps through divergent pathways. The pH-regulated vecicular cargo sorting and trafficking in plants will be studied to test this hypothesis.

Further, membrane transport of nutients such as P and Fe, and hormone auxin will be studied as polar auxin transport is also regulated by proton gradients and auxin-mediated plant development is important for plant stress responses³. Plant ABCB, PIN and AUX transporters coordinate polar auxin transport which is pivitol for plant development. Auxin transport has been extensively studied in Arabidopsisbut but its role in soybean development is still not clear. Forward and reverse genetic studies will be applied to study the role of auxin transport in soybean development.

 

Significance: My ultimate goal is to identify genes and mechanisms of plant cell wall and membrane transport/trafficking to increase plant growth and stress tolerance. Such a strategy will increase the crop productivity in areas with diminishing water and nutrient resources due to excessive exploitation and climate change. The knowledge of cell wall and membrane lipid will also help us with the material or fuel production from biomass and reduce our dependence on fossil fuel which is one of the main causes of the pollution and the climate change.