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Chentao Lin

Work Address:
LSB
Los Angeles, CA 90095 TLSB
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Affiliations
Affiliations
Member, Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, Cell & Developmental Biology GPB Home Area, Gene Regulation GPB Home Area, Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology GPB Home Area
Research Interests
Plants respond to changes in the light environment by altering their developmental programs. For example, seedlings of dicotyledonous plants (such as pea, tomato, or Arabidopsis) grown in the dark develop elongated hypocotyl (primary stem) and small unopened cotyledons (primary leaf). Upon exposure to light, hypocotyl elongation is inhibited and resources are devoted to cotyledon expansion, chloroplast development, changes in gene expression, as well as other developmental processes, which eventually result in the establishment of the seedling as a photoautotrophic organism. Although it is known that these photomorphogenic responses of plants rely on the combined action of two photosensory receptor systems: the red-light receptor phytochrome and blue light receptor cryptochrome, the molecular mechanisms of neither receptor systems is understood. We are interested in deciphering the signal transduction mechanisms of the blue-light receptor cryptochrome, and we use Arabidopsis as our model organism in our study. Recently, we have isolated the Arabidopsis gene encoding the apoprotein of a cryptochrome, CRY2, and found that it involves in mediating blue-light induction of cotyledon expansion, as well as hypocotyl inhibition response. We are currently employing molecular genetic approaches to dissecting the signal perception and transduction mechanisms of CRY2.
Biography

Signal Transduction of plant photoreceptors Plants respond to changes in the light environment by altering their developmental programs. For example, seedlings of dicotyledonous plants (such as pea, tomato, or Arabidopsis) grown in the dark develop elongated hypocotyl (primary stem) and small unopened cotyledons (primary leaf). Upon exposure to light, hypocotyl elongation is inhibited and resources are devoted to cotyledon expansion, chloroplast development, changes in gene expression, as well as other developmental processes, which eventually result in the establishment of the seedling as a photoautotrophic organism. Although it is known that these photomorphogenic responses of plants rely on the combined action of two photosensory receptor systems: the red-light receptor phytochrome and blue light receptor cryptochrome, the molecular mechanisms of neither receptor systems is understood. We are interested in deciphering the signal transduction mechanisms of the blue-light receptor cryptochrome, and we use Arabidopsis as our model organism in our study. Recently, we have isolated the Arabidopsis gene encoding the apoprotein of a cryptochrome, CRY2, and found that it involves in mediating blue-light induction of cotyledon expansion, as well as hypocotyl inhibition response. We are currently employing molecular genetic approaches to dissecting the signal perception and transduction mechanisms of CRY2.

Publications

A selected list of publications:

Lu Sheen X, Liu Hongtao, Knowles Stephen M, Li Jian, Ma Ligeng, Tobin Elaine M, Lin Chentao   A role for protein kinase casein Kinase2 ?-subunits in the Arabidopsis circadian clock Plant physiology, 2011; 157(3): 1537-45.
Liu Bin, Zuo Zecheng, Liu Hongtao, Liu Xuanming, Lin Chentao   Arabidopsis cryptochrome 1 interacts with SPA1 to suppress COP1 activity in response to blue light Genes & development, 2011; 25(10): 1029-34.
Li Xu, Wang Qin, Yu Xuhong, Liu Hongtao, Yang Huan, Zhao Chenxi, Liu Xuanming, Tan Chuang, Klejnot John, Zhong Dongping, Lin Chentao   Arabidopsis cryptochrome 2 (CRY2) functions by the photoactivation mechanism distinct from the tryptophan (trp) triad-dependent photoreduction Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2011; 108(51): 20844-9.
Zuo Zecheng, Liu Hongtao, Liu Bin, Liu Xuanming, Lin Chentao   Blue light-dependent interaction of CRY2 with SPA1 regulates COP1 activity and floral initiation in Arabidopsis Current biology : CB, 2011; 21(10): 841-7.
Liu Hongtao, Liu Bin, Zhao Chenxi, Pepper Michael, Lin Chentao   The action mechanisms of plant cryptochromes Trends in plant science, 2011; 16(12): 684-91.
Liu Bin, Liu Hongtao, Zhong Dongping, Lin Chentao   Searching for a photocycle of the cryptochrome photoreceptors Current opinion in plant biology, 2010; 13(5): 578-86.
Yu Xuhong, Liu Hongtao, Klejnot John, Lin Chentao   The Cryptochrome Blue Light Receptors The Arabidopsis book / American Society of Plant Biologists, 2010; 8(5): e0135.
Mockler, T. C. Yu, X. Shalitin, D. Parikh, D. Michael, T. P. Liou, J. Huang, J. Smith, Z. Alonso, J. M. Ecker, J. R. Chory, J. Lin, C.   Regulation of flowering time in Arabidopsis by K homology domain proteins Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2004; 101(34): 12759-12764.
Shalitin, D Yu, X Maymon, M Mockler, T Lin, C   Blue light-dependent in vivo and in vitro phosphorylation of Arabidopsis cryptochrome 1 The Plant cell. , 2003; 15(10): 2421-9.
Lin, Chentao Shalitin, Dror   Cryptochrome Structure and Signal transduction Annu. Rev. Plant Biol, 2003; 54(1): 469-496.
Mockler, T Yang, H Yu, X Parikh, D Cheng, YC Dolan, S Lin, C   Regulation of photoperiodic flowering by Arabidopsis photoreceptors Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. , 2003; 100(4): 2140-5.
Lin, C.   Blue light receptors and signal transduction, Plant Cell, 2002; 2002S: S207-S225.
Lin, C   Phototropin blue light receptors and light-induced movement responses in plants Science's STKE [electronic resource] : signal transduction knowledge environment. , 2002; 2002(118): PE5.
Shalitin, D Yang, H Mockler, TC Maymon, M Guo, H Whitelam, GC Lin, C   Regulation of Arabidopsis cryptochrome 2 by blue-light-dependent phosphorylation Nature. , 2002; 417(6890): 763-7.
Guo, H., Mockler, T., Duong, H., and Lin, C   SUB1, an Arabidopsis Ca2+-binding protein involved in cryptochrome and phytochrome co-action Science , 2001; 291: 487-490.
Guo, H Mockler, T Duong, H Lin, C   SUB1, an Arabidopsis Ca2+-binding protein involved in cryptochrome and phytochrome coaction Science. , 2001; 291(5503): 487-90.
Lin, C.   Photoreceptors and Regulation of Flowering Time, Plant Physiol, 2000; 123: 39-50.
Lin, C.   Photoreceptors and regulation of flowering time, Plant Physiol, 2000; 123: 39-50.
Lin, C.   Plant blue-light receptors Trends Plant Sci, 2000; 5(8): 337-342.
Mockler, TC Guo, H Yang, H Duong, H Lin, C   Antagonistic actions of Arabidopsis cryptochromes and phytochrome B in the regulation of floral induction Development (Cambridge, England) , 1999; 126(10): 2073-82.
Mockler, TC Guo, H Yang, H Duong, H Lin, C   Antagonistic actions of Arabidopsis cryptochromes and phytochrome B in the regulation of floral induction Development (Cambridge, England) , 1999; 126(10): 2073-82.
Guo, H. Duong, H. Ma, N. Lin, C.   The Arabidopsis blue light receptor cryptochrome 2 is a nuclear protein regulated by a blue light-dependent post-transcriptional mechanism Plant J, 1999; 19(3): 279-287.
Guo, H., Duong, H., Ma, N., and Lin, C.   The Arabidopsis blue-light receptor cryptochrome 2 is a nuclear protein regulated by a blue light-dependent post-transcriptional mechanism Plant J, 1999; 19: 279-287 .
Lin, C., Yang, H., Guo, H., Mockler, T., Chen, J. and Cashmore, A. R.   Enhancement of Blue-Light Sensitivity of Arabidopsis Seedlings by a Blue Light Receptor Cryptochrome 2 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. UAS, 1998; 95: 2686-2690.
Lin, C. Yang, H. Guo, H. Mockler, T. Chen, J. Cashmore, A. R.   Enhancement of blue-light sensitivity of Arabidopsis seedlings by a blue light receptor cryptochrome 2, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1998; 95(5): 2686-2690.
Guo, H. Yang, H. Mockler, T. C. Lin, C.   Regulation of Flowering Time by Arabidopsis Photoreceptors, Science, 1998; 279(5355): 1360-1363.
Guo, H., Yang, H., Mockler,T. C., and Lin, C.   Regulation of Flowering Time by Arabidopsis Photoreceptors Science, 1998; 279: 1360-1363.