Kang Chunying

My research interests are the molecular mechanisms of strawberry organ development and germplasm innovation. Recent main research achievements are: 1) Established EMS mutagenesis and gene cloning methods in woodland strawberry, screened and characterized a number of mutants with organ developmental defects, 13 of which have been published; generated white-fruited octoploid cultivated strawberry by genome editing; 2) regarding plant architecture, identified the SL1 gene critical for the formation of simple or compound leaves, demonstrated that LAM is a positive regulator of axillary bud initiation, and then MYB117a inhibits the transition of axillary buds from dormancy to outgrowth by suppressing cytokinin accumulation; 3) regarding floral organ development, revealed the biological functions of the miR164-CUC2 module, LFYa and SEP3 in the morphogenesis of different floral organs. These results have enriched the regulatory mechanisms of plant organ development and provided a theoretical basis and genetic resources for genetic improvement of cultivated strawberries.

1. 2004.09-2010.06 Ph.D., Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CHINA
2. 2000.09-2004.07 B.Sc., China Agricultural University, CHINA

The first- and corresponding-author papers:

Note: #, co-first; *, co-corresponding

1. Yafan Han, Minghao Qu, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. Transcription factor FveMYB117a inhibits axillary bud outgrowth by regulating cytokinin homeostasis in woodland strawberry. Plant Cell, 2024, doi: 10.1093/plcell/koae097
2. Qi Gao, Shaoqiang Hu, Xiaoli Wang, Fu Han, Huifeng Luo, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. The red/far-red light photoreceptor FvePhyB regulates tissue elongation and anthocyanin accumulation in woodland strawberry. Horticulture Research, 2023, 10(12):uhad232, doi: 10.1093/hr/uhad232
3. Yunming Zhang#, Yingxin Yuan#, Minghao Qu, Chunying Kang. Brassinosteroid catabolic enzyme CYP734A129 regulates the morphologies of leaves and floral organs in woodland strawberry. Plant Science, 2023, 335:111788, doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111788
4. Zhongchi Liu*, Tong Liang, Chunying Kang*. Molecular bases of strawberry fruit quality traits: advances, challenges, and opportunities. Plant Physiology, 2023, 193(2):900-914, doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad376
5. Rui Lu, Mengting Pi, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. Auxin biosynthesis gene FveYUC4 is critical for leaf and flower morphogenesis in woodland strawberry. Plant Journal, 2023, 115(5):1428–1442, doi: 10.1111/tpj.16333
6. Yafan Han, Chunying Kang. The trithorax group factor ULTRAPETALA1 controls flower and leaf development in woodland strawberry. Plant Science, 2023, 333:111729, doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111729
7. Yunming Zhang, Lijun Kan, Shaoqiang Hu, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. Roles and evolution of four LEAFY homologs in floral patterning and leaf development in woodland strawberry. Plant Physiology, 2023, 192(1):240-255, doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad067
8. Mengting Pi, Ruhan Zhong, Shaoqiang Hu, Zhuoying Cai, Madison Plunkert, Weiyi Zhang, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. A GT-1 and PKc domain-containing transcription regulator SIMPLE LEAF1 controls compound leaf development in woodland strawberry. New Phytologist, 2023, 237(4):1391-1404, doi: 10.1111/nph.18589
9. Guanghui Zheng, Shaoqiang Hu, Simin Cheng, Liyang Wang, Lijun Kan, Zhengming Wang, Qiang Xu, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. Factor of DNA Methylation 1 affects woodland strawberry plant stature and organ size via DNA methylation. Plant Physiology, 2023, 191(1):335-351, doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac462
10. Chunying Kang, Jia-Long Yao, Zhongchi Liu, Yuepeng Han. Editorial: Rosaceae Fruit Development and Quality. Frontiers in Plant Science, 2022, 12:837300, doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.837300
11. Mengting Pi, Shaoqiang Hu, Laichao Cheng, Ruhan Zhong, Zhuoying Cai, Zhongchi Liu, Jia-Long Yao, Chunying Kang. The MADS-box gene FveSEP3 plays essential roles in flower organogenesis and fruit development in woodland strawberry. Horticulture Research, 2021, 8:247, doi: 10.1038/s41438-021-00673-1
12. Jia Feng#, Laichao Cheng#, Zhenying Zhu, Feiqi Yu, Cheng Dai, Zhongchi Liu, Wen-Wu Guo, Xiao-Meng Wu, Chunying Kang. GRAS transcription factor LACK OF AXILLARY MERISTEMS is essential for stamen and runner formation in wild strawberry. Plant Physiology, 2021, 186(4):1970-1984, doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiab184
13. Qi Gao, Huifeng Luo, Yongping Li, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. Genetic modulation of RAP alters fruit coloration in both wild and cultivated strawberry. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 2020, 18(7):1550-1561, doi: 10.1111/pbi.13317
14. Yongping Li#, Jia Feng#, Laichao Cheng, Cheng Dai, Qi Gao, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. Gene expression profiling of the shoot meristematic tissues in woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca. Frontiers in Plant Science, 2019, 10:1624, doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01624
15. Guanghui Zheng, Wei Wei, Yongping Li, Lijun Kan, Fuxi Wang, Xi Zhang, Feng Li, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. Conserved and novel roles of miR164-CUC2 regulatory module in specifying leaf and floral organ morphology in strawberry. New Phytologist, 2019, 224(1):480-492 doi: 10.1111/nph.15982
16. Yongping Li, Mengting Pi, Qi Gao, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. Updated annotation of the wild strawberry Fragaria vesca V4 genome. Horticulture Research, 2019, 6:61, doi: 10.1038/s41438-019-0142-6
17. Jia Feng, Cheng Dai, Huifeng Luo, Yafan Han, Zhongchi Liu*, Chunying Kang*. Reporter gene expression reveals precise auxin synthesis sites during fruit and root development in the wild strawberry. Journal of Experimental Botany, 2019, 70(2):563-574, doi: 10.1093/jxb/ery384
18. Mengting Pi, Qi Gao, Chunying Kang. Transient expression assay in strawberry fruits. Bio-protocol, 2019, 9(11): e3249, doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.3249
19. Chunying Kang*, Zhongchi Liu*. An Easy-to-Follow Pipeline for Long Noncoding RNA Identification: A Case Study in Diploid Strawberry Fragaria vesca. Methods in Molecular Biology 2019, 1933:223-243, doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9045-0_13
20. Huifeng Luo, Cheng Dai, Yongping Li, Jia Feng, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. RAP codes for a GST anthocyanin transporter that is essential for the foliage and fruit coloration in strawberry. Journal of Experimental Botany, 2018, 69(10):2595-2608, doi: 10.1093/jxb/ery096
21. Yongping Li, Wei Wei, Jia Feng, Huifeng Luo, Mengting Pi, Zhongchi Liu, Chunying Kang. Genome re-annotation of the wild strawberry Fragaria vesca using extensive Illumina- and SMRT-based RNA-seq datasets. DNA Research, 2018, 25(1):61-70, doi: 10.1093/dnares/dsx038
22. Yongping Li, Cheng Dai, Chungen Hu, Zhongchi Liu*, Chunying Kang*. Global identification of alternative splicing via comparative analysis of SMRT- and Illumina-based RNA-seq in strawberry. Plant Journal, 2017, 90:164-176, doi: 10.1111/tpj.13462
23. Chunying Kang*, Zhongchi Liu*. Global identification and analysis of long non-coding RNAs in diploid strawberry Fragaria vesca during flower and fruit development. BMC Genomics, 2015, 16(1):815. doi: 10.1186/s12864-015-2014-2.
24. Courtney A. Hollender#, Chunying Kang#, Omar Darwish, Aviva Geretz, Benjamin F. Matthews, Janet Slovin, Nadim Alkharouf, Zhongchi Liu. Floral Transcriptomes in Woodland Strawberry Uncover Developing Receptacle and Anther Gene Networks. Plant Physiology, 2014, 165: 1062-1075.
25. Chunying Kang, Omar Darwish, Aviva Geretz, Rachel Shahan, Nadim Alkharouf, Zhongchi Liu. Genome-Scale Transcriptomic Insights into Early-Stage Fruit Development in Woodland Strawberry Fragaris vesca. Plant Cell, 2013, 25:1960-1978
26. Chun-ying Kang, Hong-li Lian, Fang-fang Wang, Ji-rong Huang, Hong-quan Yang. Cryptochromes, Phytochromes and COP1 Regulate Light-controlled Stomatal Development. Plant Cell, 2009, 21:2624-2641