Last week saw Dr. Zhu Jiankang, the member of the American Academy of Sciences (NAS) give the 220th lecture in the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) Lecture Series. He spoke on the topic of “Botanical Research – Genetic Screening, Genes and Pathways.” His lecture was presided over by Director Guo Hongwei of the Institute of Plant and Food Sciences.
Dr. Zhu Jiankang is a world-famous plant biologist who received his Ph.D. in plant physiology from Purdue University in 1993. In 2010, he was elected as an academician of the American Academy of Sciences. In 2012, he returned to China to establish the Shanghai Plant Stress Biology Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and serve as its director. Dr. Zhu Jiankang is engaged in the study of plant stress molecular biology, and has made great contributions in plant stress and epigenetics. He is a leader in the field of plant resistance to molecular biology.
In the lecture, Dr. Zhu Jiankang explained the significant advantages of using plants for genetic experiments, and introduced his own research on plants using genetic screening. He also shared his research experience, including discovering the signaling pathways of calcium ions affecting environmental stress, and proposing SOS pathways for plant salt resistance.
The DNA demethylation process (the chemical process resulting in the removal of a methyl group from a molecule) was studied by establishing a new genetic screening model. Dr. Zhu Jinnian’s research led to the discovery of a previously unrecognized demethylation pathway and a major breakthrough. He said that enriching the basic biological theory is very important and long road, so the practical application of theory is crucial.
Dr. Zhu Jiankang believes that plants offer significant advantages in the field of genetics when it comes to the advancement of biological theory. At the same time, translating theory into practice is essential for scientific research.
During the subsequent Q&A session, Dr. Zhu Jiankang answered many questions from faculty members and students that covered many different areas.
