Faculty
Research Interests：
◆ Plant Gene Regulation
◆ Plant Epigenetics
◆ Biochemistry and Structural Biology
Professional Experience：
◆ 2019/02–now, Professor, Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology
◆ 2017/10–2019/01, Young Research Fellow, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences; National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics
◆2014/09–2019/01, Professor, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
◆ 2009/10–2014/08, Postdoc Research Fellow, Structural Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
◆ 2008/07–2009/09, Research Assistant, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
Educational Background：
◆ 2003/09–2008/07, PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
◆ 1999/09–2003/07, BS in Biology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Honors & Awards：
◆ 2018 The CAS Excellent Mentor Award
◆ 2017 The Excellent Young Scientist Fund of NSFC
◆ 2016 Project Leader of National Key R&D Project of MOST
Selected Publication：
(1) Xie, G#, Du, X#, Hu, H#, Li, S, Cao, X, Jacobsen, S.E, and Du, J. Structure and mechanism of the plant RNA polymerase V. Science. 2023, adf8231.
(2) Du X, Yang Z, Xie G, Wang C, Zhang L, Yan K, Yang M, Li S, Zhu JK, Du J. Molecular basis of the plant ROS1-mediated active DNA demethylation. Nat Plants. 2023, 9: 271-279.
(3) Zhang J#, Yuan J#, Lin J#, Chen L, You LY, Chen S, Peng L, Wang CH, Du J*, Duan CG*. Molecular basis of locus-specific H3K9 methylation catalyzed by SUVH6 in plants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023, 120: e2208525120.
(4) Leichter SM, Du J, Zhong X. Structure and Mechanism of Plant DNA Methyltransferases. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2022, 1389: 137-157.
(5) Zhou X#, Wei M#, Nie W#, Xi Y, Peng L, Zheng Q, Tang K, Satheesh V, Wang Y, Luo J, Du X, Liu R, Yang Z, La H, Zhong Y, Yang Y, Zhu JK, Du J*, Lei M*.The H3K9me2-binding protein AGDP3 limits DNA methylation and transcriptional gene silencing in Arabidopsis. J Integr Plant Biol. 2022, 64: 2385-2395.
(6) Du J*, Patel DJ*. Cofactor-assisted dicing: insights from structural snapshots. Cell Res. 2022 32: 965-966.
(7) Li S*, Du J*. Making a 6mA demethylase. Nat Chem Biol. 2022, 18: 683-684.
(8) Wang Q#, Xue Y#, Zhang L#, Zhong Z, Feng S, Wang C, Xiao L, Yang Z, Harris JC, Wu Z, Zhai J, Yang M, Li S*, Jacobsen SE*, Du J*. A SYBR Gold-based Label-free in vitro Dicing Assay. Bio Protoc. 2022, 12: e4382.
(9) Hu H, Du J*. Structure and mechanism of histone methylation dynamics in Arabidopsis. Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2022, 67:102211.
(10) Du X#, Yang Z#, Ariza AJF, Wang Q, Xie G, Li S, Du J*. Structure of plant RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE 2, an enzyme involved in small interfering RNA production. Plant Cell. 2022, 34: 2140-2149.
(11) Zeng X#, Lv X#, Liu R, He H, Liang S, Chen L, Zhang F, Chen L, He Y*, Du J*. Molecular basis of CONSTANS oligomerization in FLOWERING LOCUS T activation. J Integr Plant Biol. 2022, 64: 731-740.
(12) Wang Q#, Xue Y#, Zhang L#, Zhong Z, Feng S, Wang C, Xiao L, Yang Z, Harris CJ, Wu Z, Zhai J, Yang M, Li S*, Jacobsen SE*, Du J*. Mechanism of siRNA production by a plant Dicer-RNA complex in dicing-competent conformation. Science. 2021, 374: 1152-1157
(13) Hu H#, Tian S#, Xie G, Liu R, Wang N, Li S, He Y*, Du J*. TEM1 combinatorially binds to FLOWERING LOCUS T and recruits a Polycomb factor to repress the floral transition in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021, 118: e2103895118
(14) Wang Y#, Zhou X#, Luo J, Lv S, Liu R, Du X, Jia B, Yuan F, Zhang H, Du J*. Recognition of H3K9me1 by maize RNA-directed DNA methylation factor SHH2. J Integr Plant Biol. 2021, 63: 1091-1096.
(15) Niu Q#, Song Z#, Tang K, Chen L, Wang L, Ban T, Guo Z, Kim C, Zhang H, Duan CG, Zhang H, Zhu JK, Du J*, Lang Z*. A histone H3K4me1-specific binding protein is required for siRNA accumulation and DNA methylation at a subset of loci targeted by RNA-directed DNA methylation. Nat Commun. 2021, 12: 3367.
(16) Lv X, Zeng X, Hu H, Chen L, Zhang F, Liu R, Liu Y, Zhou X, Wang C, Wu Z, Kim C, He Y, Du J*. Structural insights into the multivalent binding of the Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS T promoter by the CO-NF-Y master transcription factor complex. Plant Cell. 2021, 33: 1182-1195.
(17) Zhang YZ#, Yuan J#, Zhang L#, Chen C, Wang Y, Zhang G, Peng L, Xie SS, Jiang J, Zhu JK*, Du J*, Duan CG*.. Coupling of H3K27me3 recognition with transcriptional repression through the BAH-PHD-CPL2 complex in Arabidopsis. Nat Commun. 2020, 11: 6212.
(18) Tan LM#, Liu R#, Gu BW, Zhang CJ, Luo J, Guo J, Wang Y, Chen L, Du X, Li S, Shao CR, Su YN, Cai XW, Lin RN, Li L, Chen S, Du J*, He XJ*. Dual Recognition of H3K4me3 and DNA by the ISWI Component ARID5 Regulates the Floral Transition in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell. 2020, 32: 2178-2195.
(19) Tao Z#, Hu H#, Luo X#, Jia B, Du J*, He Y*. Embryonic resetting of the parental vernalized state by two B3 domain transcription factors in Arabidopsis. Nature Plants 2019, 5: 424-435.
(20) Zheng S, Hu H, Ren H, Yang Z, Qiu Q, Qi W, Liu X, Chen X, Cui X, Li S, Zhou B, Sun D*, Cao X*, Du J*. The Arabidopsis H3K27me3 demethylase JUMONJI 13 is a temperature and photoperiod dependent flowering repressor. Nat Commun. 2019 10: 1303.
(21) Harris CJ#, Scheibe M#, Wongpalee SP, Liu W, Cornett EM, Vaughan RM, Li X, Chen W, Xue Y, Zhong Z, Yen L, Barshop WD, Rayatpisheh S, Gallego-Bartolome J, Groth M, Wang Z, Wohlschlegel JA, Du J, Rothbart SB, Butter F*, Jacobsen SE*. A DNA methylation reader complex that enhances gene transcription. Science 2018; 362: 1182-1186.
(22) Zhang C#, Du X#, Tang K#, Yang Z, Pan L, Zhu P, Luo J, Jiang Y, Zhang H, Wan H, Wang X, Wu F, Tao WA, He XJ, Zhang H, Bressan RA, Du J*, Zhu JK*. Arabidopsis AGDP1 links H3K9me2 to DNA methylation in heterochromatin. Nat Commun. 2018b; 9: 4547. (* co-corresponding authors)
(23) Li X#, Harris CJ#, Zhong Z, Chen W, Liu R, Jia B, Wang Z, Li S, Jacobsen SE*, Du J*. Mechanistic insights into plant SUVH family H3K9 methyltransferases and their binding to context biased non-CG DNA methylation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018; 115: E8793-E8802. (* co-corresponding authors)
(24) Yang Z#, Qian S#, Scheid RN, Lu L, Chen X, Liu R, Du X, Lv X, Boersma MD, Scalf M, Smith LM, Denu JM, Du J*, Zhong X*. EBS is a bivalent histone reader that regulates floral phase transition in Arabidopsis. Nat Genet. 2018; 50: 1247-1253. (* co-corresponding authors)
(25) Qian S#, Lv X#, Scheid RN#, Lu L, Yang Z, Chen W, Liu R, Boersma MD, Denu JM, Zhong X*, Du J*. Dual recognition of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 by a plant histone reader SHL. Nat Commun. 2018; 9: 2425. (* co-corresponding authors)
(26) Yang Z, Qiu Q, Chen W, Jia B, Chen X, Hu H, He K, Deng X, Li S, Tao WA, Cao X*, Du J*. Structure of the Arabidopsis JMJ14-H3K4me3 Complex Provides Insight into the Substrate Specificity of KDM5 Subfamily Histone Demethylases. Plant Cell. 2018; 30: 167-177. (* co-corresponding authors)
(27) Liu R#, Li X#, Chen W, Du J*. Structure and mechanism of plant histone mark readers. Sci China Life Sci. 2018; 61: 170-177. Review Article.
(28) Du J*. Structure and Mechanism of Plant DNA Methyltransferases. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016; 945: 173-92. Book Chapter.
(29) Yuan W, Luo X, Li Z, Yang W, Wang Y, Liu R, Du J, He Y. A cis cold memory element and a trans epigenome reader mediate Polycomb silencing of FLC by vernalization in Arabidopsis. Nat Genet. 2016; 48:1527-34
(30) Li S, Yang Z, Du X, Liu R, Wilkinson AW, Gozani O, Jacobsen SE, Patel DJ, Du J*. Structural Basis for the Unique Multivalent Readout of Unmodified H3 Tail by Arabidopsis ORC1b BAH-PHD Cassette. Structure. 2016; 24: 486-94
(31) Du J#, Johnson LM#, Jacobsen SE, Patel DJ. DNA methylation pathways and their crosstalk with histone methylation. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2015; 1839: 519-32. (# co-first authors) Review Article
(32) Du J*, Patel DJ*. Structural biology-based insights into combinatorial readout and crosstalk among epigenetic marks. Biochim Biophys Acta (Gene Regulatory Mechanisms). 2014; 1839:719-27. (* co-corresponding authors) Review Article
(33) Du J#, Johnson LM#, Groth M, Feng S, Hale CJ, Li S, Vashisht AA, Gallego-Bartolome J, Wohlschlegel JA, Patel DJ, Jacobsen SE. Mechanism of DNA Methylation-Directed Histone Methylation by KRYPTONITE. Mol Cell. 2014; 55, 495–504. (# co-first authors)
(34) Zhong X#, Du J#, Hale CJ, Gallego-Bartolome J, Feng S, Vashisht AA, Chory J, Wohlschlegel JA, Patel DJ, Jacobsen SE. Molecular Mechanism of Action of Plant DRM De Novo DNA Methyltransferases. Cell. 2014; 157: 1050-60. (# co-first authors)
(35) Johnson LM#, Du J#, Hale CJ, Bischof S, Feng S, Chodavarapu RK, Zhong X, Marson G, Pellegrini M, Segal DJ, Patel DJ, Jacobsen SE. SRA- and SET-domain-containing proteins link RNA polymerase V occupancy to DNA methylation. Nature. 2014; 507: 124-8. (# co-first authors)
(36) Stroud H, Do T, Du J, Zhong X, Feng S, Johnson L, Patel DJ, Jacobsen SE. Non-CG methylation patterns shape the epigenetic landscape in Arabidopsis. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2014; 21: 64-72.
(37) Law JA#, Du J#, Hale CJ#, Feng S, Krajewski K, Palanca AM, Strahl BD, Patel DJ, Jacobsen SE. Polymerase-IV occupancy at RNA-directed DNA methylation sites requires SHH1. Nature. 2013; 498: 385-89. (# co-first authors)
(38) Du J#, Zhong X#, Bernatavichute YV, Stroud H, Feng S, Caro E, Vashisht AA, Terragni J, Chin HG, Tu A, Hetzel J, Wohlschlegel JA, Pradhan S, Patel DJ, Jacobsen SE. Dual binding of chromomethylase domains to H3K9me2-containing nucleosomes directs DNA methylation in plants. Cell. 2012; 151:167-80. (# co-first authors)