Research Paper

1. Jane Sadhna Jagernath; Shuai Meng; Jiehua Qiu; Huanbin Shi;Yanjun Kou*. Selective degradation of mitochondria by mitophagy in pathogenic fungi, American Journal of Molecular Biology, 2021, 11: 15-27.

2. Jiehua Qiu#; Feifei Lu#; Hong Wang; Junhui Xie; Congong Wang; Zhiquan Liu; Shuai Meng; Huangbin Shi; Xihong Shen*; Yanjun Kou*. A candidate gene for the determination of rice resistant to rice false smut, Molecular Breeding, 2020, 40: 105.

3. Shuai Meng; Meng Xiong; Jane Sadhna Jagernath; Congcong Wang; Jiehua Qiu; Huanbin Shi;Yanjun Kou*. UvAtg8-mediated autophagy regulates fungal growth, stress responses, conidiation, and pathogenesis in Ustilaginoidea virens, Rice, 2020, 13(1): 56.

4. Meng Xiong#; Shuai Meng#; Jiehua Qiu; Huanbin Shi; Xiangling Shen*; Yanjun Kou*. Putative phosphatase UvPsr1 is required for mycelial growth, conidiation, stress response and pathogenicity in Ustilaginonidea virens, Rice Science, 2020, 27(6): 529-536.

5. Jiehua Qiu#; Feifei Lu#; Meng Xiong; Shuai Meng; Xianglin Shen; Yanjun Kou*. Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals the mechanistic basis of Pib-mediated broad spectrum resistance against Magnaporthe oryzae, Functional & Integrative Genomics, 20(6): 787-799.

6. Yanjun Kou#* ; Yunlong He#; Jiehua Qiu; Yazhou Shu; Fan Yang; Yizhen Deng; Naweed I. Naqvi*. Mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy are necessary for proper invasive growth in rice blast, Molecular Plant Pathology, 2019, 20(8): 1147-1162.

7. Jiehua Qiu; Shuai Meng; Yizhen Deng; Shiwen Huang; Yanjun Kou*. Ustilaginoidea Virens: A fungus infects rice flower and threats world rice production. Rice Science, 2019, 26(4): 199-206. (Journal cover features, invited review)

8. Chen Xu; Qiu Jiehua; Xiong Meng; Shu Yazhou; Huang Shiwen; Kou Yanjun*, Research Progress of Rice False Smut, China Rice, 2019, 25(5): 30-36. (陈旭; 邱结华; 熊萌; 舒亚洲; 黄世文; 寇艳君*; 稻曲病研究进展, 中国稻米, 2019, 25(5): 30-36.)

9. Yanjun Kou#*; Jiehua Qiu; Zeng Tao*. Every coin has two sides: Reactive oxygen species during rice-Magnaporthe oryzae interaction. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2019, 20(5): 1191. (Invited review)

10. Yanjun Kou*; Yi Han Tan; Ravikrishna Ramanujam; Naweed I. Naqvi*. Structure-function analyses of the Pth11 receptor reveal an important role for CFEM motif and redox regulation in rice blast, New Phytologist, 2017, 214(1): 330-342.

11. Yanjun Kou* ; Naweed I. Naqvi*. Surface sensing and signaling networks in plant pathogenic fungi, Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, 2016, 57: 84-92.

12. Jun Wu#; Yanjun Kou#; Jiandong Bao#; Ya Li; Mingzhi Tang; Xiaoli Zhu; Ariane Ponaya; Gui Xiao; Jinbin Li; Chenyun Li; Min-Young Song; Christian Joseph R. Cumagun; Qiyun Deng; Guodong Lu; Jong-Seong Jeon; Naweed I. Naqvi; Bo Zhou*. Comparative genomics identifies the Magnaporthe oryzae avirulence effector AvrPi9 that triggers Pi9-mediated blast resistance in rice. New Phytologist, 2015, 206(4): 1463-1475.

13. Kou Yanjun*; Yuxiao Chang; Xianghua Li; Jinghua Xiao; Shiping Wang*. The rice RAD51C gene is required for the meiosis of both female and male gametocytes and the DNA repair of somatic cells, Journal of Experimental Botany, 2012, 63(14): 5323-5335.

14. Yanjun Kou; Shiping Wang*. Towards an understanding of the molecular basis of plant quantitative disease resistance in rice. Journal of Biotechnology, 2012, 159(4): 283-290.

15. Yanjun Kou; Xianghua Li; Jinhua Xiao; Shiping Wang*. Identification of genes contributing to quantitative disease resistance in rice, Science China Life Sciences, 2010, 53(11): 1263-1273. (Cover article)

16. Yanjun Kou; Shiping Wang*. Broad-spectrum and durability: understanding of quantitative disease resistance, Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 2010, 13(2): 181-185.

17. Yanjun Kou; Deyun Qiu; Lei Wang; Xianghua Li; Shiping Wang*. Molecular analyses of the rice tubby-like protein gene family and their response to bacterial infection, Plant Cell Reports, 2009, 28(1): 113-121.

18. Yanjun Kou; Shiping Wang*. Bacterial blight resistance in rice. In: Rajeev K. Varshney, Roberto Tuberosa (eds) Translational genomics for crop breeding, volume 1. Biotic Stress. Wiley-Blackwell/John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2013, 11–30.

19. Xie Junhui; Kou Yanjun; Shen Xiangling*; Qiu Jiehua*. Functional analysis of rice jasmonic acid synthesis gene OsAOS1 in rice blast resistance; Molecular Plant Breeding; 2021, http://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/46.1068.S.20210220.1508.002.html. (解军辉; 寇艳君; 沈祥陵*; 邱结华*; 水稻茉莉酸合成基因OsAOS1在稻瘟病抗性中的功能分析, 分子植物育种, 2021.)

20. Daniel J Klionsky; Amal Kamal Abdel-Aziz, Sara Abdelfatah; …Yanjun Kou… et al. Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition), Autophagy, 2021, 8:1-382.

21. Wang Congcong; Meng Shuai;Xie Junhui; Ding Xinhua; Qiu Jiehua; Kou Yanjun; Shi Huanbin*. MoRAD26 is required for virulence and DNA damage repair in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, Acta Phytopathologica Sinica, 2021, https://doi.org/10.13926/j.cnki.apps.000718. (王聪聪; 孟帅; 解军辉; 丁新华; 邱结华; 寇艳君; 时焕斌*; MoRAD26参与稻瘟病菌的胁迫应答和致病过程,植物病理学报, 2021.)

22. Meiling Liang; Shulin Zhang; Lihong Dong; Yanjun Kou; Chaoxiang Lin; Weijun Dai; Lian-Hui Zhang#; Yi Zhen Deng#. Label-Free quantitative proteomics of lysine acetylome identifies substrates of Gcn5 in Magnaporthe oryzae autophagyand epigenetic regulation, mSystems, 2018, 3(6): pii: e00270-18.

23. Daniel J Klionsky; Kotb Abdelmohsen; Akihisa Abe; …Yanjun Kou… et al. Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition), Autophagy, 2016, 12(1):1-222.

24. Zeng Tao; Yanjun Kou; Hongbo Liu; Xianghua Li; Jinghua Xiao; Shiping Wang*. Oswrky45 alleles play different roles in abscisic acid signalling and salt stress tolerance but similar roles in drought and cold tolerance in rice, Journal of Experimental Botany, 2011, 62(14): 4863-4874.

Ongoing Research

Host-pathogen interaction in the blast pathosystem. Blast disease, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, is a major cause of significant yield losses in rice and wheat crops. The interaction of M. oryzae and rice begins when M. oryzae establishes contact with the host plant surface. Upon perception of appropriate surface signals, M. oryzae forms appressoria and initiates host invasion. During invasive growth, M. oryzae needs to coordinate nutrient sensing, gene expression regulation, morphological changes, acquiring nutrients from live and/or dead rice cells, and eluding the host response to adapt the host milieu. Our research group focuses on surface sensing and signaling networks in Magnaporthe pathogenesis, organelle dynamics and quality control in Magnaporthe during rice blast, and effectors involved in host-pathogen interaction.

Rice breeding for resistance to rice false smut. Rice false smut, which is caused by Ustilagirtoidea virens, becomes one of the most devastating rice fungal diseases since the widespread of high-yielding cultivars and hybrids, superfluous application of chemical fertilizer, and climate change. Rice false smut not only causes severe yield losses and reduces grain quality, but also threats food safety as it produces mycotoxins. In our research, we are screening resistant sources of false smut for rice breeding, and analyzing the infection process of U. virens and the resistance mechanism of rice to rice false smut.