All People
Dazhong (Dave) Zhao

Dazhong (Dave) Zhao

  • Professor, Biological Sciences

Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Pennsylvania State University, 1998-2001
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Peking University, China, 1996-1998
  • PhD, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, 1996
  • MS, Hunan Agricultural University, China, 1993
  • BS, Huazhong Agricultural University, China, 1990

Courses Taught

  • BIOSCI 152 - Foundations of Biological Sciences II
  • BIO SCI 315 - Cell Biology
  • BIO SCI 490/490G - Molecular Genetics
  • BIO SCI 670 - Senior Seminar in Biological Sciences

Research Interests

Molecular Genetics of Plant Reproductive Development; Molecular Mechanisms of Germline Specification; Male Sterility and Hybrid Breeding; Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation of Heat Stress

Germ cells are special cells that undergo meiosis to form male and female gametes in both plants and animals. A fundamental question in developmental biology is how germ cells are specified during sexual reproduction. Using molecular genetic, cell biological, biochemical, biophysical, genomic, and proteomic approaches, research in our lab aims at elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying germ cell fate determination using the plant model organism Arabidopsis. Our current projects include:

  1. Dissect the molecular functions of EXCESS MICROSPOROCYTES1 (EMS1) receptor kinase-linked signaling pathway in differentiation of microsporocytes (also called pollen mother cells: PMC) and their surrounding somatic tapetal cells during early anther (the male reproductive organ) development.
  2. Elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which microRNA160 (miR160)-orchestrated auxin signaling controls specification of megaspore mother cell (MMC) in ovule, a part of the makeup of the female reproductive organ.

Other projects:

  1. Develop two-line hybrid breeding system using sorghum.
  2. Identify genes essential for flower development in sorghum using genomic and molecular genetic tools.
  3. Investigate genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying heat stress during male reproduction in strawberry using genomic and molecular genetic approaches.

Selected Publications

Smith, A.R., Huang, J., Aigbe, U.D., Wan, X., Chen, J., Xin, Z. and Zhao, D. (2026) The SbTDR gene is required for anther development and male fertility in Sorghum bicolor. Plant Reproduction 39:12. doi: 10.1007/s00497-026-00546-4.
Zhao, D., Ni, W., and Ma, H. (2026) Reproductive meristems and regulatory genes. In: Regulation of Plant Development (Eds. Chang, F., Wang, Y. and Ma, H.). Springer 203-239. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-7033-1-6.
Smith, A.R., Gentile, B.R., Xin, Z. and Zhao, D. (2023) The effects of heat stress on male reproduction and tillering in Sorghum bicolor. Food and Energy Security 12, e510. doi: 10.1002/fes3.510.
Huang., J., Zhao, L., Malik, S., Gentile, B.R., Xiong, V., Arazi, T., Owen, H.A., Friml, J. and Zhao, D. (2022) Specification of femal germline by microRNA orchestrated auxin signaling in Arabidopsis. Nature Communications 13 (1): 6960. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-34723-6.
Malik, S. and Zhao, D. (2022) Epigenetic regulation of heat stress in plant male reporduction. Frontiers in Plant Science 13: 826473. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.826473.
Xin, Z., Huang, J., Smith, A. R., Chen, J., Burke, J., Sattler, S. E., and Zhao, D. (2017) Morphological Characterization of a New and Easily Recognizable Nuclear Male Sterile Mutant of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). PloS One12.1: e0165195.
Li, Z., Wang, Y., Huang, J., Ahsan, N., Biener, G., Paprocki, J., Thelen, J. J., Raicu, V. and Zhao, D. (2017) Two SERK Receptor-Like Kinases Interact with EMS1 to Control Anther Cell Fate Determination. Plant Physiology 173.1: 326-337.
Zhao, D., Chong, K., and Palanivelu, R. Eds (2017). E-book: Molecular and Cellular Plant Reproduction. Frontiers in Plant Science ISBN 978-2-88945-211-8. doi: 10.3389/978-2-88945-211-8
Huang, J., Li, Z., Biener, G., Xiong, E., Malik, S., Eaton, N., Zhao, C. Z., Raicu, V., Kong, H. and Zhao, D. (2017) Carbonic Anhydrases Function in Anther Cell Differentiation Downstream of the Receptor-Like Kinase EMS1. The Plant Cell 29 (6): 1335-1356. doi: 10.1105/tpc.16.00484.
Smith, A.R. and Zhao, D. (2016)  Sterility Caused by Floral Organ Degeneration and Abiotic Stresses in Arabidopsis and Cereal Grains. Frontiers in Plant Science 7: 1503.
Klocko, A L., Brunner, A M., Huang, J., Meilan, R., Lu, H., Ma, C., Morel, A., Zhao, D., Ault, K., Dow, M., Howe, G., Shevchenko, O. and Strauss, S. H. (2016) Containment of transgenic trees by suppression of LEAFY. Nature Biotechnolog 34.9: 918-22.
Huang, J., Zhang, T., Linstroth, L., Tillman, Z., Otegui, M. S., Owen, H. A. and Zhao, D. (2016) Control of Anther Cell Differentiation by the Small Protein Ligand TPD1 and Its Receptor EMS1 in Arabidopsis. PLoS Genetics12.8: e1006147. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006147.
Huang, J., Li, Z. and Zhao, D. (2016) Deregulation of the OsmiR160 Target Gene OsARF18 Causes Growth and Developmental Defects with an Alteration of Auxin Signaling in Rice. Scientific Reports 6: 29938.
Damodharan, S., Zhao, D. and Arazi, T. (2016) A common miRNA160-based mechanism regulates ovary patterning, floral organ abscission and lamina outgrowth in tomato. The Plant Journal 86: 458-471.
Huang, J., Wijeratne, A. J., Tang, C., Zhang, T., Fenelon, R. E., Owen, H. A. and Zhao, D. (2016) Ectopic expression of TAPETUM DETERMINANT1 affects ovule development in Arabidopsis. Journal of Experimental Botany 67 (5): 1311-1326.
Huang, J., Smith, A. R., Zhang, T. and Zhao, D. (2016) Creating Completely Both Male and Female Sterile Plants by Specifically Ablating Microspore and Megaspore Mother Cells. Frontiers in Plant Science 7: 30. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00030.
Liu, X., Huang, J., Wang, Y., Khanna, K., Xie, Z., Owen, H. A. and Zhao, D. (2010) The role of floral organs in carpels, an Arabidopsis loss-of-function mutation in MicroRNA160a, in organogenesis and the mechanism regulating its expression. The Plant Journal 62 (3): 416-428.
Zhao, D. (2009) Control of anther cell differentiation: a teamwork of receptor-like kinases. Plant Reproduction 22: 221-228.
Liu, X., Huang, J., Parameswaran, S., Ito, T., Seubert, B., Auer, M., Rymaszewski, A., Jia, G., Owen, H. A. and Zhao, D. (2009) The SPOROCYTELESS/NOZZLE gene is involved in controlling stamen identity in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology 151 (3): 1401-1411.
Jia, G., Liu, X., Owen, H. A. and Zhao, D. (2008) Signaling of cell fate determination by the TPD1 small protein and EMS1 receptor kinase. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 105 (6): 2220-2225.