EDUCATION
Ph.D2009, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences;
Master2005, Nanjing Agricultural University;
Bachelor2002, Shandong Agricultural University.
WORK EXPERIENCE
2015-now, Professor, Shandong University;
2011-2015, Research Associate, North Carolina State University;
2009-2011, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Maryland Baltimore County;
RESEARCH INTERESTS
1. Identification and functional analysis of genes modulating hypersensitive defense response mediated by a maize NLR autoactive mutant;
2. Investigation the role of genes in maize disease resistance;
3. Characterization of genes in lignin biosynthesis pathway in plant defense response.
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
The plant hypersensitive defense response (HR) is a rapid, localized cell death, usually occurring upon the recognition of specific pathogen-encoded molecules and consequent activation of nucleotide binding-leucine rich repeat (NLR) proteins. Rp1-D21, a naturally-occurring mutant caused by the recombination of two NLR genes, confers a ‘lesion mimic’, HR-like phenotype in the absence of pathogen infection and provides a powerful tool to investigate the molecular mechanisms of NLR regulation. Using genome-wide associate study, candidate genes involved in different biological pathways associated with variation in Rp1-D21-indcued HR were identified in maize. We have shown that two genes in lignin biosynthesis pathway are important for Rp1-D21-induced HR.
We will further use different methods, eg. transcriptional and metabolic analyses, yeast-two-hybridization and other functional analysis methods to identify and investigate the role of genes involved in plant HR and disease resistance.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Guan-Feng Wang# (Co-corresponding author), Jiabing Ji, Farid EI-Kasmi, Jeffery L. Dangl, Guri Johal, Peter Balint-Kurti#. 2015. Molecular and functional analyses of a maize autoactive NB-LRR protein identify precise structural requirements for activity. Plos Pathogens 11: e1004674 (Five-year IF= 8.364).
2. Guan-Feng Wang# (Corresponding author), Peter Balint-Kurti. 2016. Maize homologs of CCoAOMT and HCT, two key enzymes in lignin biosynthesis, form complexes with the NLR Rp1 protein to modulate the defense response. Plant Physiology 171: 2166-2177 (Five-year IF= 8.030).
3. Guan-Feng Wang# (Co-corresponding author), Yijian He, Renee Strauch, Bode A Olukolu, Dahlia Nielsen, Xu Li, Peter Balint-Kurti#. 2015. Maize homologs of hydroxycinnamoyltransferase, a key enzyme in lignin biosynthesis, bind the nucleotide binding leucine-rich repeat Rp1 proteins to modulate the defense response. Plant Physiology 169: 2230-2243 (Five-year IF= 8.030).
4. Bode A Olukolu*, Guan-Feng Wang*(Co-first author), Vijay Vontimitta*(Co-first author), Bala P Venkata, Sandeep Marla, Jiabing Ji, Emma Gachomo, Kevin Chu, Adisu Negeri, Jacqueline Benson, Rebecca Nelson, Peter Bradbury, Dahlia Nielsen, James B Holland, Peter J Balint-Kurti, Gurmukh Johal. 2014. A genome-wide association study of the maize hypersensitive defense response identifies genes that cluster in related pathways. Plos Genetics 10: e1004562 (Five-year IF= 8.555).
5. Guan-Feng Wang, Savanna Seabolt, Safae Hamdoun, Ng Gina, Jin Park, Hua Lu. 2011. Multiple roles of WIN3 in regulating disease resistance, cell death, and flowering time in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology 156:1508-1519 (Five-year IF= 8.030).
6. Guan-Feng Wang*, Xuening Wei*(Co-first author), Renchun Fan, Huanbin Zhou, Xianping Wang, Chunmei Yu, Lingli Dong, Zhenning Dong, Xiaojie Wang, Zhensheng Kang, Hongqing Ling, Qian-Hua Shen, Daowen Wang, Xiangqi Zhang. 2011. Molecular analysis of common wheat genes encoding three types of cytosolic Hsp90s: evidence for differential involvement of cytosolic Hsp90s in the control of wheat seedlinggrowth and disease resistance. New Phytologist 191: 418-431 (Five-year IF= 7.837).
7. Guan-Feng Wang# (Co-corresponding author), Peter Balint-Kurti#. 2015. Cytoplasmic and nuclear localizations are important for the hypersensitive response conferred by maize autoactive Rp1-D21 protein. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 28: 1023-1031 (Five-year IF= 4.414).
8. Guan-Feng Wang# (Co-corresponding author), Renchun Fan, Xianping Wang, Daowen Wang#, Xiangqi Zhang#. 2015. TaSGT1 and TaRAR1 associated with TaHsp90 function in wheat seedling growth and disease resistance to stripe rust. Plant Molecular Biology 87: 577-589 (Five-year IF= 4.573).
9. Adisu Negeri*, Guan-Feng Wang*(Co-first author), Larissa Benavente, Cromwell M. Kibiti, Vijay Chaikam, Guri Johal, Peter Balint-Kurti. 2013. Characterization of temperature and light effects on the defense response phenotypes associated with the maize Rp1-D21 gene. BMC Plant Biology 13:106 (Five-year IF= 4.714).
10. Hua Lu, Chong Zhang, Ute Albrecht, Rena Shimizu, Guanfeng Wang, Kim D. Bowman. 2013. Overexpression of a citrus NDR1 ortholog increases disease resistance in Arabidopsis. Frontiers in Plant Science, 4:157 (Five-year IF= 3.990).
11. Chunmei Yu, Yiwen Li, Bin Li, Lifang Hao, Jing Chen, Weiqiang Qian, Shiming Li, Guanfeng Wang, Shiwei Bai, Hua Ye, Huanju Qin, Qianhua Shen, Liangbiao Chen, Aimin Zhang, Daowen Wang. 2010. Molecular analysis of phosphomannomutase (PMM) genes reveals a unique PMM duplication event in diverse Triticeae species and the main PMM isozymes in bread wheat tissues. BMC Plant Biology 10: 214 (Five-year IF= 4.714).
AWARDS
1. 2015-2020, Qilu Scholarship
