Professor (Tenure-Track association professor) Department of Plant Science Email: quli2019@sjtu.edu.cn Office: Room Number 515B, Building Innovation, Address: School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minghang, 200240, Shanghai, China

 

Research interests

Protein Phosphorylation and CK1-Mediated Regulation in Plant Development & Potato Improvement

Protein phosphorylation is a critical post-translational modification, with Type I Casein Kinase (CK1) playing a conserved role in eukaryotic physiological and cellular processes. In plants, CK1-mediated phosphorylation remains understudied but is hypothesized to regulate key developmental pathways.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the world’s third-largest staple crop, vital for food security, economic stability, and animal feed. China’s "Potato-as-Staple-Food" initiative underscores its strategic importance. Leverage whole-genome sequencing and GWAS (genome-wide association studies) data from prior work to pinpoint key agronomic trait genes. Engineering CK1-related variants for improved yield, disease resistance, or abiotic stress tolerance via gene editing (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9) or marker-assisted breeding.

 

Employment

2019.07–2024.02，Postdoctoral Researcher，School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University，Mentor: Prof. Hong-Wei Xue (Expert in plant hormone signaling and cell biology)

2024.03–Present，Tenure-Track Associate Professor，School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Education

2009.09–2013.07，B.Sc. Shandong Agricultural University

2013.09–2019.06，Ph.D. Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences。Advisor: Academician Zhi-Hong Xu (Renowned plant biologist, former President of Peking University)

 

Funding

1, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Green Channel High-Level Talent Program / Shanghai Jiao Tong University / Principal Investigator / Ongoing / ¥800,000 /2024.06–2027.06.

2, Shanghai Modern Seed Industry Collaborative Innovation Center: Potato High-Yield Breeding Research Project / Shanghai Municipal Education Commission / Principal Investigator / Ongoing / ¥400,000 /2024.01–2025.12.

3, Molecular Mechanism by Which Casein Kinase AELs Phosphorylates the RPN10 Subunit to Regulate Proteasome Activity and Plant Salt Tolerance / Shanghai Natural Science Foundation Youth Project (No.25ZR1402236) / Principal Investigator / Ongoing / ¥250,000 /2025.05–2028.04.

4, Functional and Mechanistic Study of AELs Casein Kinase in Regulating Cell Division in Arabidopsis thaliana / National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Youth Science Fund Project (No. BC1500248) / Principal Investigator / Completed / ¥300,000 / 2022.01–2024.12.

5, Mechanism and Application of Rice Leaf Angle-Regulating Gene LC4 / China Postdoctoral Science Foundation General Funding (No. BR1500050) / Principal Investigator / Completed / ¥80,000 / 2020.01–2021.12.

6, Functional Characterization and Applied Exploration of Rice Leaf Angle-Regulating Gene LC4 / China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Special Funding (No. BR1500049) / Principal Investigator / Completed / ¥180,000 / 2020.01–2021.12.

7, Deciphering the Molecular Mechanisms of Early Lateral Root Initiation and Temporal Development in Plants Using Single-Cell Omics / NSFC Key Project (No. 32230011) / Participant / Ongoing / ¥2,730,000 / 2023.01–2027.12.

8, Molecular Basis of Flowering Time Diversity in Higher Plants / NSFC Innovative Research Group Project (No. 317210011009296) / Participant / Completed / ¥10,500,000 / 2018.01–2023.12.

9, Molecular Basis and Germplasm Innovation for High Yield and Superior Quality Traits in Rice / Guangdong Provincial Higher Education Institutions Future Crop Precision Breeding Basic Research Excellence Center / Participant / Ongoing / ¥8,000,000 / 2025.01–2027.12.

 

Selected Publications (*co-first author)

1, Qu L, Wei Z, Zhou ST, Zhang XF, Zhang WJ, Liang AB, Wang Z, Xue HW. 2025. Phosphorylation-Dependent Stabilization of Collaborator of ARF (CARF) Suppresses Lymphoma Cell Proliferation. Advanced Science (Online) (IF=14.5).

2, Qu L, Liu MY, Zheng LL, Xue HW. 2023. Data-Independent Acquisition-based global phosphoproteomics reveals diverse roles of AEL (Arabidopsis EL1-like) Casein kinase 1s in plant development. Science Bulletin 68: 2077–2093. (IF=18.9).

3, Qu L, Huang XQ, Su X, Zhu GQ, Zheng LL, Lin J, Wang JW, Xue HW. 2024. Potato: from functional genomics to genetic improvement. Molecular Horticulture 4(34). (IF=10.6).

4, Qu L, Wei Z, Chen HH, Liu T, Liao K, Xue HW. 2021. Plant casein kinases phosphorylate and destabilize a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor to promote cell division. Plant Physiology 187 (2): 917–930. (IF=8.34).

5, Qu L, Lin LB, Xue HW. 2019. Rice miR394 suppresses leaf inclination through targeting an F-box gene, LEAF INCLINATION 4. J Integrative Plant Biology 61 (4): 406–416. (IF=11.4).

6, Qu L, Chu YJ, Lin WH, Xue HW. 2021. A secretory phospholipase D regulates rice heading time through hydrolyzing phosphatidylcholine. Plos Genetics 17 (2): e1009905. (IF=6.02).

7, Zhang F*, Qu L*, Gu, YC, Xu ZH, Xue HW. 2022. Resequencing and genome-wide association studies of autotetraploid potato. Molecular Horticulture 2 (1): 6. (IF=10.6).

8, Zhu GQ, Qu L, Xue HW. 2024. Casein kinase1 AELs promote senescence by enhancing ethylene biosynthesis through phosphorylating WRKY22 transcription factor. New Phytologist 244(1), 116–130. (IF=9.4).

9, Chen HH, Qu L, Xu ZH, Zhu JK, Xue HW. 2018. EL1-like casein kinases suppress ABA signaling and responses by phosphorylating and destabilizing the ABA receptors PYR/PYLs in Arabidopsis. Molecular Plant 11 (5): 706–19. (IF=27.5).

10, 渠莉，薛红卫。(2024).  DIA磷酸化蛋白组学全面揭示植物Ⅰ型酪蛋白激酶的功能。科学通报, 69(25), 3684–3685.