Haodong Chen Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
1999 – 2003 B.S., School of Life Sciences, Peking University
2003 – 2008 Ph.D., School of Life Sciences, Peking University
2006 – 2008 Exchange student, MCDB, Yale University
2008 – 2010 Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Life Sciences, Peking University
2010 – 2020 Associate Investigator, School of Life Sciences, Peking University
2020 – present Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University
2020 – present Principal Investigator, Tsinghua-Peking Centre for Life Sciences
● Research interest：
Gravity is an ever-present environmental factor that regulates the growth direction and architecture of individual plants. From the evolutionary perspective, acquiring the capability to sense and respond to gravity dramatically expanded the living space of plants. How plants perceive and respond to gravity is a fundamental question in biology, which has attracted scientific investigation for centuries. However, the core mechanism of gravity perception is still a mystery. My lab uses Physcomitrella, Arabidopsis and Rice as models to investigate gravity perception and signal transduction. We are particularly interested in: (1) The molecular mechanism of gravity perception; (2) The molecular mechanism of the determination of gravitropic orientation; (3) The modification of plant gravitropism. These studies will benefit the improvement of crop traits on earth and even crop breeding in space with microgravity environment.
● Selected publications：
1. Li, Y., Deng, Z., Kamisugi, Y., Chen, Z., Wang, J., Han, X., Wei, Y., He, H., Terzaghi, W., Cove, D.J., Cuming, A.C., Chen, H.* (2021). A minus-end directed kinesin motor directs gravitropism in Physcomitrella patens. Nat Commun 12, 4470.
2. Wang, X., Yu, R., Wang, J., Lin, Z., Deng, Z., He, H., Fan, L., Deng, X.W., and Chen, H.*(2020). The asymmetric expression of SAUR genes mediated by ARF7/19 promotes the gravitropism and phototropism of plant hypocotyls. Cell Rep, 31, 107529.
3. Yang, P., Wen, Q., Yu, R., Han, X., Deng, X.W.*, and Chen, H.* (2020) .Light modulates the gravitropic responses through organ-specific PIFs and HY5 regulation of LAZY4 expression in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A117, 18840-18848.
4. Dong, J., Sun, N., Yang, J., Deng, Z., Lan, J., Qin, G., He, H., Deng, X.W., Irish V.F., Chen, H.* and Wei, N.* (2019) .TCP4 and PIF3 antagonistically regulate organ-specific light induction of SAUR16/50 to modulate cotyledon opening during de-etiolation in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell31, 1155-1170.
5. Dong, J., Ni, W., Yu, R., Deng, X.W.,Chen, H.* and Wei, N. (2017). Light-dependent degradation of PIF3 by SCFEBF1/2 promotes a photomorphogenic response in Arabidopsis. Curr Biol 27, 2420-2430. Highlighted by “news & views” of Nat Plants 3, 846–847 (2017)
6. Sun, N., Wang, J., Gao, Z., Dong, J., He, H., Terzaghi, W., Wei, N., Deng, X.W.,* and Chen, H.*(2016). Arabidopsis SAURs are critical for differential light regulation of the development of various organs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A113, 6071-6076.Highlighted by “Commentary” of Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113, 5774-5776 (2016)
7. Li, K., Yu, R., Fan, L.M., Wei, N., Chen, H.* and Deng, X.W.* (2016). DELLA-mediated PIF degradation contributes to coordination of light and gibberellin signalling in Arabidopsis. Nat Commun7, 11868. Highlighted by “Spotlight” of Trends Plant Sci 21, 813-815 (2016)
8. Li, K., Gao, Z., He, H., Terzaghi, W., Fan, L.M., Deng, X.W.,* and Chen, H.* (2015). Arabidopsis DET1 represses photomorphogenesis in part by negatively regulating DELLA protein abundance in darkness. Mol Plant8, 622-630.
9. Dong, J., Tang, D., Gao, Z., Yu, R., Li, K., He, H., Terzaghi, W., Deng, X.W., and Chen, H.* (2014). Arabidopsis DE-ETIOLATED1 represses photomorphogenesis by positively regulating phytochrome-interacting factors in the dark. Plant Cell26, 3630-3645.
10.Chen, H. ，# Xie, W., # He, H., # Yu, H., # Chen, W., Li, J., Yu, R., Yao, Y., Zhang, W., He, Y., Tang, X., Zhou, F., Deng, X.W., and Zhang, Q. (2014). A high-density SNP genotyping array for rice biology and molecular breeding. Mol Plant7, 541-553.
11.Chen, H.* He, H., Zhou, F., Yu, H., and Deng, X.W.* (2013). Development of genomics-based genotyping platforms and their applications in rice breeding. Curr Opin Plant Biol 16, 247-254.
12.Chen, H. # Huang, X.,# Gusmaroli, G., Terzaghi, W., Lau, O.S., Yanagawa, Y., Zhang, Y., Li, J., Lee, J.H., Zhu, D., and Deng, X.W. (2010). Arabidopsis CULLIN4-Damaged DNA Binding Protein 1 interacts with CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1-SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA complexes to regulate photomorphogenesis and flowering time. Plant Cell 22, 108-123.
13.Chen, H. Shen, Y., Tang, X., Yu, L., Wang, J., Guo, L., Zhang, Y., Zhang, H., Feng, S., Strickland, E., Zheng, N., and Deng, X.W. (2006). Arabidopsis CULLIN4 forms an E3 ubiquitin ligase with RBX1 and the CDD complex in mediating light control of development. Plant Cell 18, 1991-2004.
（# First author, * Corresponding author）
● Award：
National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars (2020)
Green Leaf Distinguished Young Scholars Award, Peking University (2016)
Excellent Postdoctoral Fellow, Peking University (2010)
Excellent Ph.D. Graduate Student, Peking University (2008)
● Contact information：
E-mail: chenhaodong@tsinghua.edu.cn
Tel: 86-10-62790868 (Office); 86-10-62793033 (Lab)
Address (Office): Room 3-112, Biotech Building, Tsinghua University
Address (Lab): Rooms 3-105 and 3-110, Biotech Building, Tsinghua University
