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Principal Investigator
Researcher
Email:jclong@cemps.ac.cn
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Research Direction

Epigentic regulation on maize reproductive development


Research Unit

State Key Laboratory of Plant Trait Design

Jincheng Long

Personal Profile

Jun. 2022 – Present Principal Investigator, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences

Sep. 2018 – Jun. 2022 Postdoctoral researcher, John Innes Centre, UK

Jun. 2012 – Jun. 2018 PhD student, China Agricultural University

Sep. 2008 – Jun. 2012 Undergraduate student, China Agricultural University


Research Work

Maize is the China's most widely planted crop and a cornerstone for safeguarding national food security and supplying livestock‑derived protein. With global warming, frequent and intensifying extreme high‑temperature events have become a major stressor constraining the stable and high yield of maize in China. The reproductive development of maize is highly sensitive to high temperature. In particular, pollen development is readily disrupted by heat stress, which leads to reduced pollen viability and impaired fertility, and ultimately substantial yield losses. Therefore, identifying key genes conferring pollen thermotolerance, dissecting the underlying molecular mechanisms, and improving pollen heat tolerance in existing varieties represent an urgent need to tackle climate warming and sustain maize production. Focusing on the intricate interaction among “maize reproductive development – high‑temperature stress response – epigenetic regulation”, our research group integrates multidisciplinary approaches including genetics, epigenetics, multi‑omics, biochemistry and bioinformatics to carry out the following research:

1. Identification of key genes conferring maize pollen thermotolerance, dissection of their molecular mechanisms, and applications in molecular design‑based breeding.

2. Elucidation of epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying high‑temperature responses in maize pollen.

3. Elucidation of molecular mechanisms and biological functions of epigenetic reprogramming during maize reproductive development.



Main Achievements


Publications

1. Long J#, Yang C#, Xu S#, Jeager-Braet J, She W, Ono S, Walker J, Souza-Vieira Y, Schnittger A, Feng X* (2026). Multiple Argonaute complexes orchestrate epigenetic silencing in the Arabidopsis germline. Nature Communication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77326-1.


2. Wang J#, Wang Q#, Peng Y, Jiang L, Lu Z, Zheng L, Li X, Liu J, Long J*, Liu J*, He Y*. (2025). ZmSSRP1 facilitates the progression of RNA polymerase II and is essential for kernel development in maize. Plant Cell. 37(4).


3. Long J#, Walker J#, She W#, Aldridge B, Gao H, Deans S, Vickers M, Feng X*. (2021) Nurse cell-derived small RNA defined paternal epigenetic inheritance in Arabidopsis. Science 373:eabh0556.


4. Long J#, Liu J#, Xia A#, Springer NM, He Y*. (2021). Maize decrease in DNA methylation 1 targets RNA-directed DNA methylation on active chromatin. Plant Cell 33:2183-2196.


5. Christophorou N#, She W, Long J, Hurel A, Beaubiat S, Idir Y, Tagliaro-Jahns M, Chambon A, Solier V, Vezon D, Grelon M, Feng X, Bouché N, Mézard C*. (2020). AXR1 affects DNA methylation independently of its role in regulating meiotic crossover localization. PLOS Genetics 16:e1008894.


6. Long J#, Xia A#, Liu J, Jing J, Wang Y, Qi C, He Y*. (2019). Decrease in DNA methylation 1 (DDM1) is required for the formation of mCHH islands in maize. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology 61:749-764.


7. Xue M#, Long J#, Jiang Q, Wang M, Chen S, Pang Q, He Y*. (2015) Distinct patterns of the histone marks associated with recruitment of the methionine chain-elongation pathway from leucine biosynthesis. Journal of Experimental Botany 66:805-12.