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  Location: Home >> Faculty >> Faculty
  Faculty


Baocai Zhang


EDUCATION
2006-2010
Ph.D. in Genetics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS
2003-2006
M.S., Institute of Cotton Research of CAAS
2007-2010
B.S., College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University
 
EMPLOYMENT
2024-Present
Principal Investigator at Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS
2020-2023
Young Investigator at Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS
2010-2019
Research Associate/Research Assistant at Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS
 
SELECTED ACADEMIC HONORS
2020
Excellent Member of Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS
2019
Excellent Young Scientists Fund of NSFC


Baocai Zhang's group focuses on understanding the formation and functional control of plant structural polysaccharides in crops. Polysaccharide macromolecules are the main material units, energy carriers and carbon reservoirs for organism building. They constitute a majority of plant biomass and play crucial roles in regulating plant growth and development and environmental adaptation. Our group employs the developed state-of-the-art tools for the analysis of structural polysaccharide to investigate the formation of functional structural polysaccharide network and elucidate the molecular mechanism underpinning cellular structural compartmentalization and biomechanical regulation in the formation of crop traits and environmental resilience. Ultimately, the knowledge gained from our research would be applied to develop effective strategies for rationally tailoring polysaccharide in crop trait improvement and biomass utilization.
Research Activities
1. Panoramic mechanism of plant structural polysaccharide formation.
2. Polysaccharide-based subcellular compartmentalization and its regulation on cell performance.
3. Polysaccharide network-mediated biomechanical regulation and its relevant applications.
 

PUBLICATIONS
 
Zhang L, Zhou Y, Zhang B*. 2024. Xylan-directed cell wall assembly in grasses. Plant Physiol 194: 2197–2207.
 
Xu R#, Liu Z#, Zhou Y, Zhang B*. (2024) Xylan clustering on the pollen surface is required for exine patterning. Plant Physiol 194: 153-167.
 
Cao S, Wang Y, Gao Y, Xu R, Ma J, Xu Z, Shang-Guan K, Zhang B*, Zhou Y* (2023) The RLCK-VND6 module coordinates secondary cell wall formation and adaptive growth in rice. Mol Plant 16: 999-1015.
 
Xu Z#, Gao Y#, Gao C#, Mei J, Wang S, Ma J, Yang H, Cao S, Wang Y, Zhang F, Liu X, Liu Q, Zhou Y*, Zhang B*. (2022) Glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor lipid remodeling directs proteins to the plasma membrane and governs cell wall mechanics. Plant Cell 34: 4778–4794.
(Highlighted by The Plant Cell 2022, 34: 4671–4672)
 
Wang H#, Yang H#, Wen Z, Gao C, Gao Y, Tian Y, Xu Z, Liu X, Persson S, Zhang B*, Zhou Y*. (2022) Xylan-based nanocompartments orchestrate plant vessel wall patterning. Nat Plants 8: 295–306.
(Highlighted by Research Briefing in Nature Plants 2022, 8:330–331)
 
Zhou Y, Zhang B. (2022) Unprecedented polysaccharide nanostructures sustain vessel wall patterning and robustness. Nat Plants 8: 330–331. (Research Briefing)
 
Peng J#, Zhang B#, Chen H#, Wang M#, Wang Y, Li H, Cao S, Yi H, Wang H, Zhou Y*, Gong J*. (2021). Galactosylation of rhamnogalacturonan-II for cell wall pectin biosynthesis is critical for root apoplastic iron reallocation in Arabidopsis. Mol Plant 14: 1640–1651.
 
Zhang B, Gao Y, Zhang L, Zhou Y*. (2021) The plant cell wall: biosynthesis, construction, and functions. J Integr Plant Biol 63: 251–272.
 
Cai Y#, Zhang B#, Liang L#, Wang S, Zhang L, Wang L, Cui H*, Zhou Y*, Wang D*. (2021) A solid-state nanopore-based single-molecule approach for label-free characterization of plant polysaccharides. Plant Commun 2: 100106.
 
Gao Y#, Xu Z#, Zhang L#, Li S, Wang S, Yang H, Liu X, Zeng D, Liu Q, Qian Q, Zhang B*, Zhou Y*. (2020) MYB61 is regulated by GRF4 and promotes nitrogen utilization and biomass production in rice. Nat Commun 11: 5219.
 
Xue J#, Zhang B#, Zhan H#, Lv Y, Jia X, Wang T, Yang N, Lou Y, Zhang Z, Hu W, Gui J, Cao J, Xu P, Zhou Y, Hu J, Li L*, Yang Z*. (2020) Phenylpropanoid derivatives are essential components of sporopollenin in vascular plants. Mol Plant 13: 1644–1653.
 
Zhang L, Zhang B*, Zhou Y*. (2019) Cell wall compositional analysis of rice culms. Bio-protocol 9: e3398.
 
Wang S#, Yang H#, Mei J, Liu X, Wen Z, Zhang L, Xu Z, Zhang B*, Zhou Y*. (2019) A rice homeobox protein KNAT7 integrates the pathways regulating cell expansion and wall stiffness. Plant Physiol 181: 669–682.
(Highlighted with News and Views in Plant Physiol 181(2): 385-386)
 
Zhang L, Gao C, Mentink-Vigier F, Tang L, Zhang D, Wang S, Cao S, Xu Z, Liu X, Wang T, Zhou Y*, Zhang B*. (2019) Arabinosyl deacetylase modulates the arabinoxylan acetylation profile and secondary wall formation. Plant Cell 31: 1113–1126.
(Highlighted with In Brief in Plant Cell 31(5):936)
 
Zhang Z#, ZhangB#, Chen Z, Zhang D, ZhangH, Wang H, Zhang Y, Cai D, Liu J, Xiao S, Huo Y, Liu Jie, Zhang L, Wang M, Liu X, Xue Y, Zhao L*, Zhou Y*, Chen H*. (2018) A PECTIN METHYLESTERASE at the Maize Ga1 locus confers male function in unilateral cross-incompatibility. Nat Commun 9: 3678.
 
Zhang D, Xu Z, Cao S, Chen K, Li S, Liu X, Gao C, Zhang B*, Zhou Y*. (2018) An uncanonical CCCH-tandem zinc finger protein represses secondary wall synthesis and controls mechanical strength in rice. Mol Plant 11: 163–174.
 
Zhang B#, Zhang L#, Li F#, Zhang M, Liu X, Wang H, Xu Z, Chu C*, and Zhou Y*. (2017) Control of secondary cell wall patterning involves xylan deacetylation by a GDSL esterase. Nat Plants 3: 17017.
(Highlighted with News and Views in Nat Plants 3: 17024)
 
Gao Y#, He C#, Zhang D, Liu X, Xu Z, Tian Y, Liu XH, Zang S, Pauly M, Zhou Y*, Zhang B*. (2017) Two trichome birefringence-like proteins mediate xylan acetylation, which is essential for leaf blight resistance in rice. Plant Physiol 173: 470–481.
 
Zhang B and Zhou Y. (2017) Carbohydrate composition analysis in xylem. Methods Mol Biol 1544: 213–222. (Chapter)
 
Shi Y, Liu X, Li R, Gao Y, Xu Z, Zhang B*, Zhou Y. Retention of OsNMD3 in the cytoplasm disturbs protein synthesis efficiency and affects plant development in rice. (2014) J Exp Bot 65: 3055–3069.
 
Wu B#, Zhang B#, Dai Y#, Zhang L, Shang-Guan K, Peng Y, Zhou Y*, Zhu Z*. (2012) Brittle Culm15 encodes a membrane-associated chitinase-like protein required for cellulose biosynthesis in rice. Plant Physiol 159: 1440–1452.
 
Ning J#, Zhang B#, Wang N, Zhou Y*, and Xiong L*. (2011) Increased leaf angle1, a Raf-Like MAPKKK that interacts with a nuclear protein family, regulates mechanical tissue formation in the lamina joint of rice. Plant Cell 23: 4334–4347.
 
Zhang B#, Liu X#, Qian Q#, Liu L, Dong G, Xiong G, Zeng D, and Zhou Y. (2011) A Golgi nucleotide sugar transporter modulates cell wall biosynthesis and plant growth in rice. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108: 5110–5115.
 
Zhang B and Zhou Y. (2011) Study on rice brittleness mutants: A way to open the ‘black box’ of monocot cell wall biosynthesis. J Integr Plant Biol 53: 136–142.
 
Zhang M#, Zhang B#, Qian Q#, Yu Y, Li R, Zhang J, Liu X, Zeng D, Li J, Zhou Y. (2010) Brittle Culm 12, a dual-targeting kinesin-4 protein, controls cell-cycle progression and wall properties in rice. Plant J 63: 312–328.
 
Zhang B#, Deng L#, Qian Q#, Xiong G, Zeng D, Li R, Guo L, Li J, Zhou Y. (2009) A missense mutation in the transmembrane domain of CESA4 affects protein abundance in the plasma membrane and results in abnormal cell wall biosynthesis in rice. Plant Mol Biol 71: 509–524.
 
Updated at June 2024
(Full publication list can be found in https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Baocai-Zhang/research)