• Education:

2010–2015 Ph.D., Zhejiang University

2006–2010 B.S., Shandong Agricultural University

• Working experience:

2021–present Professor and group leader, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences

2015–2021 Postdoctoral researcher, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany

The team conducts systematic research on the biosynthesis, regulatory networks, and eco-physiological functions of plant natural products, with a particular focus on insect-resistant metabolites in Solanaceous plants—including steroidal glycoalkaloids, terpenoids, and acyl sugars. We have elucidated the biosynthetic pathways of key metabolites, their herbivore-induced response mechanisms, transport dynamics, and modes of action in animal targets, thereby tracing the metabolic flux from plants to insects.

Our achievements include the complete elucidation of the diterpene glycoside biosynthetic pathway in tobacco, the identification of their conserved and broad-spectrum targets in both animals and plants, and the unveiling of molecular strategies that enable efficient diterpene glycoside accumulation while minimizing autotoxicity, offering a new paradigm for heterologous production of plant bioactives and target deconvolution. Furthermore, we have delineated the co-evolutionary arms race between plants and herbivorous insects, revealing insect detoxification mechanisms against plant defensive metabolites, which provides critical insights for resistance management of plant-derived natural products. Through forward genetic approaches, we have uncovered the molecular basis for chiral natural product formation in plants, characterized the differential bioactivities of enantiomers, and achieved stereoselective heterologous synthesis of diverse chiral compounds. Collectively, our research spans the mechanistic dissection of plant defense, the biosynthetic pathways and target identification of anti-insect metabolites, the adaptive strategies of pests toward active molecules, and the translational application toward breeding for resistant crops.