Dr. Yuanyuan Zhang is working on development of genome design breeding system and understanding the asymmetrical polyploid genome evolution, especially in subgenome diploidization and diversification. He integrates the genomic, transcriptomics, metabolic, phenotypic and epigenomic data of thousands of B. napus accessions to facilitate genome design breeding. As a part of these he and his partners using a mixture of big data analysis, functional genetics, plant biology, evolutionary biology and transcript/metabolite profiling to develop as in depth and broad a picture as possible.

• Brassica napus population genomics reveals asymmetrical allopolyploid diploidization and diversification.
• Developing the crop genome design breeding platform/system.
• Genome-wide association study to dissect the genetic regulation of metabolism and resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Brassica napus.
• Cis- and trans-effect of genome structural variation on gene expression and trait formation in Brassica napus.
• Exploiting glucosinolate biosynthesis and transport pathway in Brassicaceae.
• Improving the pedigree breeding with genome synthetic biology in Brassica napus.

Funding

1. Regulation mechanism and germplasm creation of high-leaf and low-seed glucosinolate contents in Brassica napus. ¥500,000, National Natural Science Foundation of China, 32370681, 2024.01-2027.12
2. Construction and application of biological database in Brassica napus. ¥360,000, National Key Research and Development Program of China, 2016YFD0101001, 2016.07-2021.06
3. Metabolite-based genome-wide association study to identify resistance-related genes against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Brassica napus. ¥230,000, National Natural Science Foundation of China, 31801730, 2019.01-2021.12
4. Metabolite-based genome-wide association studies to identify resistance-related genes against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Brassica napus. ¥150,000, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, 2018T110166, 2018.04-2019.10
5. Metabolite-based genome-wide association studies to dissect the genetic regulation of the resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Brassica napus. ¥50,000, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, 2016M601188, 2016.09-2017.08