Professor of Soybean Biology

Minjiang Scholar

Contact Information

FAFU-UCR Joint Center for Horticultural Plant Biology and  Metabolomics

Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University,

Fuzhou, Fujian, China

Email: guan@fafu.edu.cn; guanyf@sibs.ac.cn

Education

2003- 2008, Ph.D., Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, CAS, US

1999- 2003, B.S., Fudan University, China

Professional Experience

2014-Present, Professor, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, China

2012- 2014, Associate professor, Shanghai Centre for Plant Stress Biology, China

2010- 2012,  Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Missouri, US

2008- 2010,  Postdoctoral Scholar, UC Berkeley, US

Research Interests

1. Developing soybean optimized CRISPR/Cas9 tools.

The output of genetic mutant screenings in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] has been limited by its paleopolypoid genome. CRISPR/Cas9 can generate multiplex mutants in crops with complex genomes. Nevertheless, the transformation efficiency of soybean remains low and, hence, remains the major obstacle in the application of CRISPR/Cas9 as a mutant screening tool. We have developed a high-efficient high-throughput CRISPR/Cas9 platform to generate soybean multiplex mutagenesis populations. Now we are developing more cutting-edge tools to improve the efficiency, throughput, and functionality of the platform.

2. Gene mining and precision breeding in soybean quality traits

To meet future industrial needs, soybean cultivar are required to contain either higher oil, or higher protein content dedicated for food preparations. Soybean protein content is generally negatively correlated with oil content and yield, yet the genetic basis remains elusive until recently. In collaboration with other groups, we have found that GmSWEET10a, encoding a SWEET family sugar transporter, is a major QTL gene for seed oil and protein content of soybean. We are now cloning other major QTLs for oil/protein content traits, and performing precision breeding by genome editing to  customize soybean for higher oil/protein composition, better flavor, and improved nutrition.

3. Mechanism of host-tuning of nitrogenase activity in soybean

Leguminous plants can utilize atmospheric nitrogen (N) by symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) to facilitate N acquisition, whereas multiple key processes of  nodulation and SNF can be suppressed by the presence of soil inorganic N. Despite recent advances, it remains controversial how N inhibits nitrogenase activity of the nodule. We are using transcriptomic and genetic approaches to define the mechanism underlying N-tuning of SNF in soybean. In China, the heavy N fertilizer inputs in agricultural system have significantly limited the contributions of SNF. Our study might enable breeding of soybean cultivars with consistent N2 fixation ability regardless of N fertilization input, which would help optimize the current agricultural practice and provide environmental benefits.

Publications

Songli Yuan#, Danxia Ke#, et.al, Yuefeng Guan*, Xinan Zhou*(2020) Genome-wide survey of soybean papain-like cysteine proteases and their expression analysis in root nodule symbiosis. BMC Plant Biology 20, Article number: 517

Wang SD#, Liu SL#, Wang J#, et., al, Chen LQ*, Guan YF*, Shou HX*, Tian ZX* (2020)  Simultaneous changes in seed size, oil content, and protein content driven by selection of SWEET homologues during soybean domestication. National Science Review doi：10.1093/nsr/nwaa110

Wang J, Kuang HQ, Zhang ZH, Yang YQ, Yan L, Song SK, Guan YF* (2020) Generation of Seed  Lipoxygenase-free Soybean UsingCRISPR-Cas9. The Crop Journal doi：10.1016/j.cj.2019.08.008

Bai MY#, Yuan JH#, Kuang HQ#, Gong PP, Li SN, Zhang ZH, Liu B, Sun JF, Yang MX, Yang L, Wang D, Song SK, Guan YF* (2020) Generation of a Multiplex Mutagenesis Population via Pooled CRISPR-Cas9 in Soybean. Plant Biotechnology Journal doi：10.1111/pbi.13239

Wang J#, Zhou PF#, Shi XL#, Yang N, Yan L, Zhao QS, Yang CY, Guan YF*(2019) Primary metabolite exhibit significant correlations with seed protein and oil traits in near-isogenic lines of soybean. The Crop Journal doi: 10.1016/j.cj.2019.04.002

Li RZ, Qiu ZM, Gong PP, Yu QB, Guan YF* (2019) Pooled CRISPR/Cas9 Revealed Redundant  Roles of Plastidial Phosphoglycerate Kinases in Carbon Fixation and Metabolism. The Plant Journal 98: 1078-1089.

Chen W, Gong PP, Guo JZ, Li H, Li RZ, Xing WM , Yang ZB, Guan YF* (2018) Glycolysis  regulates pollen tube polarity via Rho GTPase signaling. PLOS Genetics 14(4):e1007373

Yang N, Jiang JL, Xie HL, Bai MY, Xu QZ, Wang XG, Yu XM, Chen ZC and Guan YF* (2017) Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolic Responses to Magnesium Deficiency in Leaves and Roots of Soybean [Glycine max (Linn.) Merr.]. Frontiers in Plant Science doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.02091

Guan YF, Meng XZ, Liu YD, Zhang SQ (2014) Temporal phosphorylation of WRKY transcription factors by MAPKs is required for pollen development and viability in Arabidopsis. PLOS Genetics 10(5):e1004384

Guan YF, Xu Juan, Liu YD, Zhang SQ (2014) Two mitogen-activated protein kinases, MPK3 and MPK6, are required for funicular guidance of pollen tubes in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology 165: 2-6

Guan YF*, Guo JZ, Li H, Yang ZB (2013) Pollen tube signaling: crosstalk, feedback, and missing  links. Molecular Plant 6 (4): 1053-1064

Guan YF, Huang XY, Zhu J, Gao JF, Zhang HX, Yang ZN (2008) RUPTURED POLLEN GRAIN1, a member of the MtN3/saliva gene family, is crucial for exine pattern formation and cell integrity of microspores in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology 147: 852-863