Degree: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Graduation School: Huazhong Agricultural University
Office: 101, South Building
He graduated from Huazhong Agricultural University and obtain the PhD under the supervise of Prof. Yunjiang Cheng in Huazhong Agricultural University. After graduation, he went to Prof. Alisdair Fernie’s lab at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology and worked as PostDoc. During the PhD and postdoc period, he has illustrated the transcription regulation mechanism of citrus carotenoid and ABA biosynthesis and the genetic landscape of the metabolites recycling during the senescence. Based on these research, he has published 14 papers as the first author, co-first author and co-corresponding author in high-impact journals such as Trends in Plant Science, Plant Cell, Autophagy, New Phytologist, Plant Physiology and Journal of Experimental Botany, and was invited to write three English books chapters. Now, he focuses on the illustration of postharvest biological basis and regulatory mechanism of horticultural products ripening and senesces.
[1] 2012.9-2017.12 Huazhong Agricultural University > PhD Horticulture
[2] 2008.9-2012.6 Huazhong Agricultural University > BS Agriculture
[1] 2022.7-present> Huazhong Agricultural University> Research Professor
[2] 2021.1-2022.6 > Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology >PostDoc
[3] 2018.2-2020.12> Huazhong Agricultural University>PostDoc
1) Zhu F, Alseekh S, Koper K, Tong H, Nikoloski Z, Naake T, Liu H, Yan J, Brotman Y, Wen W, Maeda H, Cheng Y*, Fernie AR* (2022). Genome-wide association of the metabolic shifts underpinning dark-induced senescence in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 34:557-578.
2) Zhu F, Luo T, Liu C, Wang Y, Yang H, Yang W, Zheng L, Xiao X, Zhang M, Xu R, Xu J, Zeng Y, Xu J, Xu Q, Guo W, Larkin RM, Deng X, Cheng Y* (2017). An R2R3-MYB transcription factor represses the transformation of alpha- and beta-branch carotenoids by negatively regulating expression of CrBCH2 and CrNCED5 in flavedo of Citrus reticulata. New Phytologist 216:178-192.
3) Zhu F#, Jadhav SS#, Tohge T, Salem MA, Li JM, Giovannoni JJ, Cheng Y, Alseekh S*, Fernie AR* (2022). A comparative transcriptomics and eQTL approach identifies SlWD40 as a novel tomato fruit ripening regulator. Plant Physiology (accepted)
4) Zhang M, Wang J, Liu R, Liu H, Yang H, Zhu Z, Xu R, Wang P, Deng X, Xue S, Zhu F*, Cheng Y* (2022). CsMYB96 confers water loss resistance in citrus fruit by simultaneous regulation of water transport and wax biosynthesis. Journal of Experimental Botany 73:953-966.
5) Zhu F#, Luo T#, Liu C, Wang Y, Zheng L, Xiao X, Zhang M, Yang H, Yang W, Xu R, Zeng Y, Ye J, Xu J, Xu J, Larkin RM, Wang P, Wen W, Deng X, Fernie AR, Cheng Y* (2020). A NAC transcription factor and its interaction protein hinder abscisic acid biosynthesis by synergistically repressing NCED5 in Citrus reticulata. Journal of Experimental Botany 71:3613-3625. (IF=6.992)
6) Zhu F, Alseekh S, Wen W, Cheng Y, Fernie AR* (2022). Genome-wide association studies of Arabidopsis dark-induced senescence reveals signatures of autophagy in metabolic reprogramming. Autophagy 18:457-458.
7) Zhu F, Ahchige MW, Brotman Y, Alseekh S, Zsögön A, Fernie AR* (2022). Bringing more players into play: Leveraging stress in genome wide association studies. Journal of Plant Physiology 271:153657.
8) Zhu F, Wen W, Cheng Y, Fernie AR* (2022). The metabolic changes that effect fruit quality during tomato fruit ripening. Molecular Horticulture 2:1-19.
9) Zhu F, Fernie AR* (2021). Plants upcycle gene functions to suit their roots. Trends in Plant Science 26:996-998. (IF=18.313) Spotlight
10) Zhu F, Wen W*, Fernie AR* (2019). Finding Noemi: The transcription factor mutations underlying trait differentiation amongst citrus. Trends in Plant Science 24:384-386.
11) Zhu F, Chen J, Xiao X, Zhang M, Yun Z, Zeng Y, Xu J, Cheng Y*, Deng X (2016). Salicylic acid treatment reduces the rot of postharvest citrus fruit by inducing the accumulation of H2O2, primary metabolites and lipophilic polymethoxylated flavones. Food Chemistry 207:68-74.
12) Zhu F, Yun Z, Ma Q, Gong Q, Zeng Y, Xu J, Cheng Y*, Deng X (2015). Effects of exogenous 24-epibrassinolide treatment on postharvest quality and resistance of Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu). Postharvest Biology and Technology 100:8-15.
13) Yun Z#, Zhu F#, Liu P, Zeng Y, Xu J, Cheng Y*, Deng X (2015). Sweating treatment enhances citrus fruit disease resistance by inducing the accumulation of amino acids and salicylic acid-induced resistance pathway. Physiologia Plantarum 155:109-125.
14)Alseekh S#, Zhu F#, Vallarino J#, Sokolowska EM, Yoshida T, Bergmann S, Wendenburg R, Bolze A, Skirycz A, Wittenberg TA*, Fernie AR* (2022). Autophagy modulates the metabolism and growth of tomato fruit during development. (accept)