Reactive oxygen species (ROS), particularly singlet oxygen, are inevitable byproducts of photosynthesis produced in the chloroplast, especially under stress conditions such as drought, pathogen attack, and highlight. Low levels of ROS are essential for various basic biological processes including cell proliferation/differentiation and flowering. Elevated levels of ROS lead to biomolecule damages, growth inhibition, or even cell death. For plants, the ROS-mediated plastid-to-nucleus (retrograde) signaling is vital not only for plastid development but also for integrating multiple environmental signals into fine-tuned stress responses. Up to now, the ROS-induced retrograde signaling pathways are still poorly understood and only a few components have been identified.

The primary research interests in Wang laboratory are generation, perception, and transduction of ROS signals in the chloroplast, chloroplast-to-nucleus signaling, and chloroplast-mediated stress response including acclimation, growth inhibition, and cell death. Within this context, we aim to find key genes, primary pathways, and new mechanisms employed by plants in dealing with oxidative stresses. The research approaches/tools used in our lab include, but are not limited to, genetic screen, deep sequencing, electron microscope, metabolomics, proteomics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, and plant physiology.

* = Corresponding author

1. Liu G, Zhang R, Sen Li, Ullah R, Yang F, Wang Z, Guo W, You M, Li B, Xie C, Wang L, Liu J, Ni Z, Sun Q & Liang R (2023). TaMADS29 interacts with TaNF-YB1 to synergistically regulate early grain development in bread wheat. Science China Life Sciences. DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2286-0

2. Wang L, Xu D, Scharf K, Frank W, Leister D, Kleine T (2021). The RNA-binding protein RBP45D of Arabidopsis promotes transgene silencing and flowering time. The Plant Journal. 109:1397-1415. DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15637

3. Wang L, Leister D, Kleine T* (2020). Chloroplast development and genomes uncoupled signaling are independent of the RdDM pathway. Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 15412. DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-71907-w

4. Wang L*, Leister D, Guan L, Zheng Y, Schneider K, Lehmann M, Apel K, Kleine T (2020). The Arabidopsis SAFEGUARD1 suppresses singlet oxygen-induced stress responses by protecting grana margins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 117 (12): 6918-6927. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1918640117

5. Wang L*, Kleine T (2020). Singlet oxygen and protochlorophyllide detection in Arabidopsis thaliana. In Reactive Oxygen Species: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology. 2202: 63-69. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0896-8_5

6. Wang L*, Apel K (2019). Dose-dependent effects of ¹O₂ in chloroplasts are determined by its timing and localization of production. Journal of Experimental Botany. 70:29-40. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery343

7. Lee K, Lehmann M, Paul MV, Wang L, Luckner M, Wanner G, Geigenberger P, Leister D, Kleine T* (2019). Lack of FIBRILLIN6 in Arabidopsis thaliana affects light acclimation and sulfate metabolism. New Phytologist. 16246. DOI: 10.1111/nph.16246

8. Sun L, Wang L, Zheng Z, Liu D* (2018). Identification and characterization of an Arabidopsis phosphate starvation-induced secreted acid phosphatase as a vegetative storage protein. Plant Science. 277: 278-284. DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.09.016

9. Wang L, Liu D* (2018). Functions and regulation of phosphate starvation-induced secreted acid phosphatases in higher plants. Plant Science. 271: 108-116. DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.03.013

10. Leister D, Wang L, Kleine T* (2017). Organellar gene expression and acclimation of plants to environmental stress. Frontiers in Plant Science. 8:387. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00387

11. Wang L*, Liu D (2017). Analyses of root-secreted acid phosphatase activity in Arabidopsis. Bio-protocol. 7:7. DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.2202

12. Wang D, Liu H, Zhai G, Wang L, Shao J, Tao Y* (2016). OspTAC2 encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat protein and regulates rice chloroplast development. Journal of Genetics and Genomics. 43: 601-608. DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2016.09.002

13. Wang L, Kim C, Xu X, Piskurewicz U, Dogra D, Singh S, Mahler H, Apel K* (2016). Singlet oxygen- and EXECUTER1-mediated signaling is initiated in grana margins and depends on the protease FtsH2. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 113: E3792-E3800. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1603562113

14. Wang L, Apel K* (2016) Chapter 39 Singlet Oxygen in Higher Plants. In Singlet Oxygen: Applications in Biosciences and Nanosciences, Vol 2. The Royal Society of Chemistry, pp 265-278.

15. Chen S, Kim C, Lee J, Lee H, Fei Z, Wang L, Apel K* (2015). Blocking the QB-binding site of photosystem II by tenuazonic acid, a non–host-specific toxin of Alternaria alternata, activates singlet oxygen-mediated and EXECUTER-dependent signaling in Arabidopsis. Plant, Cell & Environment. 38:1069–1080. DOI: 10.1111/pce.12462

16. Wang L, Lu S, Zhang Y, Liu D* (2014). Comparative genetic analysis of Arabidopsis purple acid phosphatases AtPAP10, AtPAP12, and AtPAP26 provides new insights into their roles in plant adaptation to phosphate deprivation. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology. 56: 299-314. DOI: 10.1111/jipb.12184

17. Wang L, Dong J, Gao Z, Liu D* (2012). The Arabidopsis gene HYPERSENSITIVE TO PHOSPHATE STARVATION 3 encodes ETHYLENE OVERPRODUCTION 1. Plant & cell physiology. 53(6): 1093–1105. DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcs072

18. Wang L, Liu D* (2012). Arabidopsis purple acid phosphatase 10 is a component of plant adaptive mechanism to phosphate limitation. Plant signaling & behavior. 7:3 1-5. DOI: 10.4161/psb.19019

19. Wang L, Li Z, Qian W, Guo W, Gao X, Huang L, Wang H, Zhu H, Wu JW, Wang D, Liu D* (2011). The Arabidopsis purple acid phosphatase AtPAP10 is predominantly associated with the root surface and plays an important role in plant tolerance to phosphate limitation. Plant Physiology. 157: 1283-1299. DOI: 10.1104/pp.111.183723