Department of Stem Cell Biology, Heidelberg University Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Research interests:
Phytohormones and plant stem cell regulation, Systems biology approach in plant development, Molecular biology.
Education:
Ph.D.: 2000-2003, (Botany) Department of Biochemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

M.S.: 1991-1994, (Cell Biology) Department of Biology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.

B.S.: 1987-1991, (Cell Biology) Department of Biology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Professional Experience:
2009- now: Postdoctoral, Jan U Lohmann Group, Department of Stem Cell Biology

Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.

2006-2009: Postdoctoral, Jan U Lohmann Group, Department of Molecular Biology

Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tuebingen, Germany.

2003-2006: Postdoctoral, Wen-Hui Shen Group, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes

(CNRS), Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.

1997-2000: Research assistant, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes

for Biological Sciences, CAS, Shanghai, China.

1994-1997: Lecturer, Department of Bioengineering, Jiangnan University (Wuxi University

of Light Industry), Jiangsu, China.

Teaching and supervisory experience:
Courses:

Introductory Biology, 1994-1997

Large Scale Cell Culture, 1994-1997

Experiments in Microbiology, 1994-1997

Tutorial in Stem Cell lectures, 2009- now
Undergraduate student:

Tobias Nasterlack (Heidelberg University, 2010)

Publications

1. 
   Zhao Z, Andersen SU, Ljung K, Dolezal K, Miotk A, Schultheiss SJ and Lohmann JU. Hormonal control of the shoot stem cell niche.
   

Nature, 465: 1089-1092, 2010.

2. 
   Busch W, Miotk A, Ariel FD, Zhao Z, Forner J, Daum G, Suzaki T, Schuster C, Schultheiss SJ, Leibfried A, Haubeiß S, Ha N, Chan R and Lohmann JU. Transcriptional control of a plant stem cell niche.
   

Developmental Cell, 18: 841-853, 2010.

3. 
   Buechel S, Leibfried A, To JP, Zhao Z, Andersen SU, Kieber JJ, Lohmann JU. Role of A-type ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATORS in meristem maintenance and regeneration.
   

Eur J Cell Biol. 89(2-3): 279-84, 2010

4. 
   Zhao Z, Zhu Y, Erhardt M, Ruan Y, Shen WH. A Non-canonical Transferred DNA Insertion at the BRI1 Locus in Arabidopsis thaliana.
   

J Integr Plant Biol., 51(4): 367-73, 2009 (cover story)

5. 
   Andersen SU, Buechel S, Zhao Z, Ljung K, Novák O, Busch W, Schuster C, Lohmann JU. Requirement of B2-type cyclin-dependent kinases for meristem integrity in Arabidopsis thaliana.
   

Plant Cell, 20(1): 88-100, 2008.

6. 
   Xu L, Zhao Z, Dong A, Soubigou-Taconnat L, Renou JP, Steinmetz A, Shen WH. Di- and tri- but not monomethylation on histone H3 lysine 36 marks active transcription of genes involved in flowering time regulation and other processes in Arabidopsis thaliana.
   

Mol Cell Biol., 28(4): 1348-60, 2008.

7. 
   Feng X*, Zhao Z*, Tian Z*, Xu S, Luo Y, Cai Z, Wang Y, Yang J, Wang Z, Weng L, Chen J, Zheng L, Guo X, Luo J, Sato S, Tabata S, Ma W, Cao X, Hu X, Sun C, Luo D. Control of petal shape and floral zygomorphy in Lotus japonicus.
   

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 103(13): 4970-4975, 2006. (*co-first authors).

8. 
   Guo X, Zhao Z, Chen J, Hu X, Luo D. A putative CENTRORADIALIS/TERMINAL FLOWER 1-like gene, Ljcen1, plays a role in phase transition in Lotus japonicus.
   

J Plant Physiol., 163(4): 436-44,2006.

9. 
   Zhao Z, Yu Y, Meyer D, Wu C and Shen WH. Prevention of early flowering by expression of FLOWERING LOCUS C requires methylation of histone H3 K36.
   

Nature Cell Biology, 7(12): 1256-60, 2005.

10. 
    Dong ZC, Zhao Z, Liu CW, Luo JH, Yang J, Huang WH, Hu XH, Wang TL, Luo D. Floral patterning in Lotus japonicus.
    

Plant Physiol., 137(4): 1272-82, 2005.

11. 
    Luo JH, Yan J, Weng L, Yang J, Zhao Z, Chen JH, Hu XH, Luo D. Different expression patterns of duplicated PHANTASTICA-like genes in Lotus japonicus suggest their divergent functions during compound leaf development.
    

Cell Res. 2005, 15(8): 665-77, 2005.

12. 
    Zhao Z and Shen WH. Plants contain a high number of proteins showing sequence similarity to the animal SUV39H family of histone methyltransferases.
    

Ann.N.Y.Acad.Sci.1030: 661-669, 2004.

13. 
    Hu.W, Zhang, S., Zhao Z, Sun. C., Zhao. Y. and Luo. D. The analysis of the structure and expression of OsTB1 gene in rice.
    

Journal of Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology, 29(6): 507-514, 2003

14. 
    Zheng LY, Zhu XD, Qian Q, Zhao Z, Zhang JJ, Hu XH, Lin HX and Luo D, Morphological and gene location analysis on rice cl mutant.
    

Chinese Science Bulletin, 48(3): 264-267, 2003

15. 
    Zhao Z and Jia J-F. Selection of methionine-resistance variant of Medicago sativa.
    

Acta Botanica Sinica. 39(10): 933-939, 1997

16. 
    Zhao Z and Jia J-F. Selection of methionine-resistance variant of Onobrychis viciaefolia Scop.
    

Acta Botanica Sinica. 38(4): 268-275, 1996

17. 
    Zhao Z, Lin H and Jia J-F. The accumulation of organic osmotica of the salt-tolerant calli under the NaCl stress in Onobrychis viciaefolia.
    

Journal of Lanzhou University (Nature Sciences). 30(suppl.): 36-39, 1994

18. 
    Zhao Z and Jia J-F. Selection of NaCl-tolerant cell line of Medicago sativa and Onobrychis viciaefolia and analysis of their physiological and biochemical characteristics.
    

Journal of Lanzhou University (Nature Sciences). 28(3): 109-114, 1992.