Dr. Min Fan

Stomata are epidermal structures that modulate gas exchanges between plants and the atmosphere. The formation of stomata is regulated by multiple developmental and environmental signals, but how these signals are coordinated to control this process remains unclear. Here, we showed that the conserved energy sensor kinase SnRK1 promotes stomatal development under short-day photoperiod or in liquid culture conditions. Mutation of KIN10, the catalytic α-subunit of SnRK1, results in the decreased stomatal index; while overexpression of KIN10 significantly induces stomatal development. KIN10 displays the cell-type-specific subcellular location pattern. The nuclear-localized KIN10 proteins are highly enriched in the stomatal lineage cells to phosphorylate and stabilize SPEECHLESS, a master regulator of stomatal formation, thereby promoting stomatal development. Our work identifies a module links connecting the energy signaling and stomatal development and reveals that multiple regulatory mechanisms are in place for SnRK1 to modulate stomatal development in response to changing environments.

12 February 2020 in The Plant Cell

Journal Article

Brassinosteroid and Hydrogen Peroxide Interdependently Induce Stomatal Opening by Promoting Guard Cell Starch Degradation

Starch degradation in guard cells is induced by the phytohormone brassinosteroid and the redox signal hydrogen peroxide to promote stomatal opening.

15 June 2021 in The Plant Cell

Journal Article

HBI transcription factor-mediated ROS homeostasis regulates nitrate signal transduction

Nitrate is both an important nutrient and a critical signaling molecule that regulates plant metabolism, growth, and development. Although several components of the nitrate signaling pathway have been identified, the molecular mechanism of nitrate signaling remains unclear. Here, we showed that the growth-related transcription factors HOMOLOG OF BRASSINOSTEROID ENHANCED EXPRESSION2 INTERACTING WITH IBH1 (HBI1) and its three closest homologs (HBIs) positively regulate nitrate signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. HBI1 is rapidly induced by nitrate through NLP6 and NLP7, which are master regulators of nitrate signaling. Mutations in HBIs result in the reduced effects of nitrate on plant growth and ∼22% nitrate-responsive genes no longer to be regulated by nitrate. HBIs increase the expression levels of a set of antioxidant genes to reduce the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants. Nitrate treatment induces the nuclear localization of NLP7, whereas such promoting effects of nitrate are significantly impaired in the hbi-q and cat2 cat3 mutants, which accumulate high levels of H₂O₂. These results demonstrate that HBI-mediated ROS homeostasis regulates nitrate signal transduction through modulating the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of NLP7. Overall, our findings reveal that nitrate treatment reduces the accumulation of H₂O₂, and H₂O₂ inhibits nitrate signaling, thereby forming a feedback regulatory loop to regulate plant growth and development.

26 August 2022 in Nature Communications

Journal Article

Spatially patterned hydrogen peroxide orchestrates stomatal development in Arabidopsis

Wen Shi

Lingyan Wang

Lianmei Yao

Wei Hao

Chao Han

Mingyi Bai

Stomatal pores allow gas exchange between plant and atmosphere. Stomatal development is regulated by multiple intrinsic developmental and environmental signals. Here, we show that spatially patterned hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) plays an essential role in stomatal development. H₂O₂ is remarkably enriched in meristemoids, which is established by spatial expression patterns of H₂O₂-scavenging enzyme CAT2 and APX1. SPEECHLESS (SPCH), a master regulator of stomatal development, directly binds to the promoters of CAT2 and APX1 to repress their expression in meristemoid cells. Mutations in CAT2 or APX1 result in an increased stomatal index. Ectopic expression of CAT2 driven by SPCH promoter significantly inhibits the stomatal development. Furthermore, H₂O₂ activates the energy sensor SnRK1 by inducing the nuclear localization of the catalytic α-subunit KIN10, which stabilizes SPCH to promote stomatal development. Overall, these results demonstrate that the spatial pattern of H₂O₂ in epidermal leaves is critical for the optimal stomatal development in Arabidopsis.

About Me

Min Fan Title: Associate Professor Professional Research Experience： 2014- Present, Associate Researcher, Shandong University, Jinan, China; 2008.9-2014.4, Postdoctoral Researcher, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA; 2007.7-2008.6, Research Assistant, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Selected Publications: 1. Lingyan Wang#, Ping Yu#, Jinyang Lyu#, Yanfei Hu, Chao Han, Ming-Yi Bai and Min Fan*. BZR1 physically interacts with SPL9 to regulate the vegetative phase change and cell elongation in Arabidopsis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021, 2, 10451. 2. Minmin Wang, Yanchen Tian, Chao Han, Chuanen Zhou, Ming-Yi Bai and Min Fan* Phospho-Mutant Activity Assays Provide Evidence for the Negative Regulation of Transcriptional Regulator PRE1 by Phosphorylation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020, 21, 9183. 3. Lingyan Wang#, Yanchen Tian#, Wen Shi, Ping Yu, Yanfei Hu, Jinyang Lv, Chunxiang Fu, Min Fan* and Ming-Yi Bai*. The miR396-GRFs Module Mediates the Prevention of Photo-oxidative Damage by Brassinosteroids during Seedling De-Etiolation in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell. 2020. 32(8): 2525-2542. 4. Qi‐Qi Zhang#, Jia‐Gang Wang#, Ling‐Yan Wang, Jun‐Fang Wang, Qun Wang, Ping Yu, Ming‐Yi Bai and Min Fan*. Gibberellin repression of axillary bud formation in Arabidopsis by modulation of DELLA‐SPL9 complex activity. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology. 2020. 62(4): 421-432.

Dr. Min Fan

Dr. Min Fan

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