Education background

1996-1999: Institute of Genetics, Chinese Academy of  Sciences, Beijing, postdoctor on plant molecular genetics. Development of molecular markers linked to resistance genes, cloning, sequencing and mapping R-gene analogs.

1995-1996: Institute of Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, as a guest researcher on soybean molecular genetics.

1993-1996: Nanjing Agricultural University, Ph.D., and the Major is Plant Genetics and Breeding. Project: 1) Genetic analysis of resistance to SMV(soybean mosaic virus);  2) Molecular markers (RAPD, SCAR, RFLP) were used in fingerprinting of soybean germplasm resources with resistance to SMV and soybean cyst nematode.

1991-1992: English Training Course(in top class), Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences

1988-1989: English Training Center, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Studied English systematically

1984-1987: Shenyang Agricultural University, Master of Agriculture Degree. The major is Plant Genetics and Breeding. Project: Genetic analysis of protein and
oil contents as well as fatty acid contents in soybean seeds.

1980-1984: Zhelimu Animal Husbandry College of Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, Bachelor of Agriculture Degree. Project: Cytogenetic analysis of hexploid wheat with high protein contents.

Working Experience

1999-now: Max-Planck-Institute for Plant Breeding

          Project: Map-based cloning of RGF(reduced grain filling) in maize

1) Develop Single Nucleotide Polymorphism markers from the genomic DNA sequence of Incw2.

    Based on the genomic DNA sequence of Incw2(a gene encoding a cell-wall bound invertase) , I developed a ASH(Allele-specific hybridization) marker to locate Incw2 gene in the region around rgf.

    Using both Taq DNA polymerase and Pfx DNA polymerase to amplify genomic DNAs from rgf(mutant) and RGF(wild type), I obtained the correct fragments for the specific sequence. Sequencing results showed that some changes(transition or transversion)  happened in rgf   in introns as compared with RGF. A nucleotide transversion (A to G) at 196bp of the  sequence was used to synthesize a allele-specific probe(12bp, the mutation located at the centre) matched the DNA template from rgf,  and the ASH results showed that a positive signal for rgf was quite strong, while the signal for RGF was almost blank. Now I am trying to use the ASH marker  on a segregating population in a large scale.

     At the same time, I practiced Heteroduplex , SSCP techniques  and CAPs system to detect SNP among different cultivars.

2). Construct a fine map around rgf locus with molecular markers.

    A BC₁F₂ population with totally 135 individuals was used to construct the map. Additionally, I also extracted DNAs from 384 BC₁F₂ RGF lines and 267 BC₁F₂ rgf lines in order to verify markers tightly linked to rgf in a large segregating population.

    I synthesized 23 pairs of SSR marker primers through Bin 2.03 – 2.05, and 8 pairs of STS marker primers in Bin 2.04 on chromosome 2.

    These primer pairs have been screened for polymorphism between rgf and RGF, and between RGF pool and rgf pool, 11 of them generated clear polymorphisms between rgf and RGF, and it is consistent between RGF pool and rgf pool. Two pools were made with BSA(Bulked segregant analysis) method as Michelmore reported(1991). These 11 markers (9 SSR and 2 STS)  have been  mapped around rgf, SSR marker Bnlg1613  and Bnlg1140 are located on both sides of rgf with genetic distance about 2.7cM and 2.3cM.

    In order to raise the marker density around rgf locus, I made 2 DNA pools with both homozygous Bnlg1613 genotypes and homozygous Bnlg1140 genotypes as recommended by Giovannoni et al (1991).  AFLP system is being used to seek for much more tightly linked markers to rgf within the target interval between Bnlg1613 and Bnlg1140. I prepared 8 EcoR I- selective PCR primers (E₃₂, E₃₃,  E₃₅,  E₃₆, E₃₇, E₃₈, E₄₀, E₄₁) and 8 Mse I-selective PCR primers (M₄₇, M₄₈, M₄₉, M₅₀, M₅₉, M₆₀, M₆₁, M₆₂). Up to now 21 EcoR I/Mse I primer combinations have been screened for polymorphism between rgf and RGF, as well as between RGF pool with homozygous Bnlg1613 and Bnlg1140 from WT parent and rgf pool with homozygous Bnlg1613 and Bnlg1140 from  mutant parent. Eighteen polymorphic bands between rgf and RGF and  consistently between corresponding RGF pool and rgf pool were identified. Two AFLP markers E₃₅M_60-230rgf and E₃₅M_60-85rgf have been approved to be co-segregated with rgf in individuals used for making homozygous DNA pools, the two AFLP markers have been recovered and cloned, and they are going to be sequenced.

1993-1999: Institute of Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Institute of Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

         Soybean Research Institute, Nanjing Agricultural University

1) Identification of molecular markers linked to SMV-resistance genes. Several molecular markers including two RAPD markers OPAS-06₁₈₀₀ and OPW-05₆₆₀, a RFLP marker pK644H, and a codominant SCAR marker SCW-05 have been found to be linked to Rsa, a resistant gene to SMV-strain Sa. Have done some researches on resistance gene analogs. Several fragments from a SMV-resistant variety's genomic DNAs amplified by degenerate primers designed according to known R-genes have been sequenced, some of these fragments were highly similar to NBS regions in L6, N, RPS2 and RPM1. Using them as probes,  polymorphisms were found among a series of soybean cultivars and between two parents of 202 recombinant inbred lines, mapping results showed one band of the RGA located between a SSR marker HSP176 and a RFLP marker pK644, a region several resistance genes locate there.

2) Construction of a soybean genetic linkage map with molecular markers using 202 RILs. RFLP, SSR and AFLP markers  have been mapped.

1987-1993: Soybean Research Institute, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences

1) Identification of resistance to soybean mosaic virus, downy mildew, soybean cyst nematode, aphids and pod borer on 2340 soybean accessions from northeast of China.

2) Development of new soybean varieties resistant to soybean cyst nematode or tolerant to drought. Two resistant cultivars Jilin 32 and Jilin 33 were developed by me and my colleagues there.

3) Have done some interpreting of Japanese and English.

Email: zhyzhang@igtp.ac.cn

Selected publications:

1)Studies on using near-isogenic crop lines in genetic linkage analysis,  Hereditas  (Beijing), No.4: 9-11(1992)

2) Review of studies on soybean germplasm and genetic linkage with RFLP, Soybean Science, No.4:341-348(1995)

3) Utilization of RAPD in soybean germplasm resources and genetic linkage studies. Soybean Science, No.1:60-65(1997)

4) RAPD and RFLP markers linked with the gene resistant to a SMV strain in China, Soybean Genetics Newsletter, Vol.24:75-78(1997)

5) Polymorphisms and cluster analysis of cultivated soybeans with RAPD, Soybean Science, No.1:1-9(1998)

6) A codominant SCAR marker linked to SMV-resistance gene Rsa, Soybean Genetics Newsletter, Vol.25: 27-28(1998)

7) SCAR fingerprinting of cultivated soybean accesions with resistance to SMV, High Technology Letters, Vol.8(10):49-52(1998)

8) Southern blotting and FISH analysis of telomeric DNAs in soybean, High Technology Letters, Vol. 8(12)(1998)

9) Molecular markers linked to Rsa resistant to soybean mosaic virus, Chinese Science Bulletin, Vol. 43(20)2197-2202(1998)