高等植物有性生殖包括雌、雄配子体形成、雌-雄配子体及雌-雄配子相互作用、受精以及胚胎发生发育等生物学过程，这些过程受到严格的遗传调控。我们以双子叶模式植物拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）为研究对象，研究高等植物有性生殖过程的分子调控机理，主要通过遗传学、生物化学和分子生物学、生物信息学等方法研究参与高等植物有性生殖过程调控的三大类主要因子，并研究其作用机制：参与生殖过程调控的受体类激酶、多肽信号；参与生殖过程调控的蛋白质降解和/或内膜运输途径中的重要调控因子；参与生殖过程调控的转录因子。此外，我们还关注单子叶植物水稻中新的转基因技术的开发与完善。

1.Zhong S.#, Li L.#, Wang Z.#, Ge Z.#, Li Q.#, Bleckmann A., Wang J., Song Z., Shi Y., Liu T., Li L., Zhou H., Wang Y., Zhang L., Wu H.-M., Lai L., Gu H., Dong J., Cheung A.Y., Dresselhaus T., and Qu L.-J.* (2022), RALF peptide signaling controls the polytubey block in Arabidopsis. Science 375: 290-296.
2.Li W.#, Li Q.#, Lyu M.#, Wang Z., Song Z., Zhong S., Gu H., Dong J., Dresselhaus T., Zhong S.*, Qu L.-J.* (2022), Lack of ethylene does not affect reproductive success and synergid cell death in Arabidopsis. Molecular Plants 15: 354-362.
3.Hou S.#, Shi J.#, Hao L.#, Wang Z., Liao Y., Gu H., Dong J., Dresselhaus T., Zhong S.*, Qu L.-J.* (2021), VPS18-regulated vesicle trafficking controls the secretion of pectin and its modifying enzyme during pollen tube growth in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 33: 3042-3056.
4.Liu M.#, Wang Z.#, Hou S., Wang L., Huang Q., Gu H., Dresselhaus T., Zhong S.*, Qu L.-J.* (2021), AtLURE1/PRK6-mediated signaling promotes conspecific micropylar pollen tube guidance. Plant Physiology 186: 865-873.
5.Zhong S., Wang Z., Qu L.-J. (2020), Pollen and pollen tube biology. (Chapter 6) Semi-in vivo assay for pollen tube attraction. Humana Press, 85-92.
6.Zhong S., Wang Z., Qu L.-J. (2020), Pollen and pollen tube biology. (Chapter 12) Obtaining mutant pollen for phenotypic analysis and pollen tube dual staining. Humana Press, 181-190.
7.Ge Z., Zhao Y., Liu M.-C., Zhou L.-Z., Wang L., Zhong S., Hou S., Jiang J., Liu T., Huang Q., Xiao J., Gu H., Wu H.-M., Dong J., Dresselhaus T., Cheung A.Y., Qu L.-J. (2019), LLG2/3 are co-receptors in BUPS/ANX-RALF signaling to regulate Arabidopsis pollen tube integrity. Current Biology 29: 3256-3265.
8.Zhong S., Qu L.-J. (2019), Cysteine-rich peptides: signals for pollen tube guidance, species isolation and beyond. Science China Life Sciences 62: 1243-1245.
9.Zhong S.#, Liu M.#, Wang Z.#, Huang Q., Hou S., Xu Y.-C., Ge Z., Song Z., Huang J., Qiu X., Shi Y., Xiao J., Liu P., Guo Y.-L., Dong J., Dresselhaus T., Gu H., Qu L.-J. (2019), Cysteine-rich peptides promote interspecific genetic isolation in Arabidopsis. Science 364: eaau9564.
10.Zhong S., Qu L.-J. (2019), Peptide/receptor-like kinase-mediated signaling involved in male-female interactions. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 51: 7-14.
11.Zhou H., Song Z., Zhong S., Zuo L., Qi Z.*, Qu L.-J.*, Lai L.* (2019), Mechanism of DNA-induced phase separation for transcriptional repressor VRN1. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 58: 4858-4862.
12.Sun Y., Huang J., Zhong S., Gu H., He S.*, Qu L.-J.* (2018), Novel DYW-type pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein BLX controls mitochondrial RNA editing and splicing essential for early seed development of Arabidopsis. Journal of Genetics and Genomics 45: 155-168.
13.Ge Z., Bergonci T., Zhao Y., Zou Y., Du S., Liu M.-C., Luo X., Ruan H., Garcia-Valencia L., Zhong S., Hou S., Huang Q., Lai L., Moura D., Gu H., Dong J., Wu H.-M., Dresselhaus T., Xiao J., Cheung A.*, Qu L.-J.* (2017), Arabidopsis pollen tube integrity and sperm release are regulated by RALF-mediated signaling. Science 358: 1596-1600.
14.Zhang J.#, Huang Q.#, Zhong S.#, Bleckmann A., Huang J., Guo X., Lin Q., Gu H., Dong J., Dresselhaus T., Qu L.-J. (2017), Sperm cells are passive cargo of the pollen tube in plant fertilization. Nature Plants 3: 17079.
15.Zhong S., Zhang J., Qu L.-J. (2017), The signals to trigger the initiation of ovule enlargement are from the pollen tubes: The direct evidence. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology 59: 600-603.
16.Hao L.#, Liu J.#, Zhong S.#, Gu H., Qu L.-J. (2016), AtVPS41-mediated endocytic pathway is essential for pollen tube-stigma interaction in Arabidopsis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U. S. A. 113: 6307-6312.
17.Liu J., Zhong S., Guo X., Hao L., Wei X., Huang Q., Hou Y., Shi J., Wang C., Gu H., Qu L.-J. (2013), Membrane-bound RLCKs LIP1 and LIP2 are essential male factors controlling male-female attraction in Arabidopsis. Current Biology 23: 993-998.
#Equal contribution, *Corresponding author