Plant Assistant
Resume:
Jiarui Li
Email: *******@*****.***
Address: **** ******* **** **
City: Manhattan
State: KS
Zip: 66502
Country: USA
Phone: 785-***-****
Skill Level: Senior
Salary Range: 800**-******
Willing to Relocate
Primary Skills/Experience:
Vector construction
DNA recombination
Molecular biology software tools
Gene cloning
PCR
Northern blot
Real time RT-PCR
siRNA deep sequencing
Southern blot
Promoter isolation and identification
Patent application
Plant transformation
Educational Background:
Plant molecular biology
Job History / Details:
Jiarui Li, Ph.D
Department of Plant Pathology Research assistant professor ****@***.***
Kansas State University Mobile: 785-***-****
SUMMARY
Research assistant professor with 12 years of experience in plant biotechnology. Employed various molecular biology skills to analyze plants. Highly motivated with strong communication, presentation, project management, organizational, problem solving, handling multitasks and cooperative skills.
Areas of skills and techniques
Vector construction
DNA recombination
Molecular biology software tools
Gene cloning
PCR
Northern blot
Real time RT-PCR
siRNA deep sequencing
Southern blot
Promoter isolation and identification
Patent application
Plant transformation
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Research Assistant Professor 2010-present
Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University
Managing projects for controlling plant parasitic nematodes via RNA interference (RNAi) strategy.
Applied for a US patent based on the SCN control by RNAi strategy.
Developed artificial microRNA strategy to overcome off target problem of RNAi.
Investigated several RNAi constructs of soybean cyst nematode (SCN) genes via hairy roots transgenic soybean system.
Constructed a vector to increase the amount of siRNAs from transgenic plants.
Supervised two graduate students for their projects in our lab.
Assisted collaborators from Kansas State University (KSU) and USDA.
Achieved two research grants from North Central Soybean Research Program and United Soybean Board.
Postdoctoral Research Associate 2005-2010
Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University
Cloned more than 25 separate genes related to nematode reproduction or fitness by PCR and made RNAi constructs by Gateway cloning.
Established a rapid composite soybean transgenic system via Agrobacterium rhizogenes.
Transferred RNAi constructs of nematode genes into soybean composite plants and evaluated transgenic plants by molecular analysis.
Postdoctoral Research Associate (continued)
Performed deep sequencing of siRNAs in transgenic soybean via Illumina GA sequencing technology.
Performed bioassays to identify nematode resistance of transgenic plants.
Demonstrated a significant reduction in transcript levels of SCN genes of the nematodes feeding on the transgenic roots via real time RT-PCR.
Performed stable soybean transformation for several effective RNAi constructs.
Cloned two essential genes from Pratylenchus neglectus and made RNAi constructs.
Transformed RNAi constructs into wheat plants by biolistic mediated methods.
Identified and analyzed transgenic wheat plants by PCR, RT-PCR and semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Pratylenchus neglectus bioassay.
Collaborated with four other groups in the plant biotechnology field.
Graduate Research Assistant 2000-2005 College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, China
Constructed a cDNA library using wheat seed tissues.
Identified 216 different genes by differential hybridization using RNA probes of unpollinated ovary, embryo and endosperm.
Performed sequence comparison by Blastn, Blastx, Blastp, and Clustal.
Isolated and identified promoters from wheat storage protein gene using Universal GenomeWalkerTM Kit.
Cloned GBSSI gene of wheat and made RNAi construct.
Transferred RNAi construct into wheat by Agrobacterium-mediated approach.
Generated four different transgenic lines with lower amylose content.
AWARDS
Second Place of Postdoc Oral Presentation Competition, SIVB, Charleston, SC 2009
Second Place of Science and Technology Progress Award, Shandong, China 2006
Outstanding Bachelor Thesis, Shandong, China 2000
PERTINENT PUBLICATIONS
1. Lin Z., Li X., Shannon L.M., Yeh C.T.,Wang M. L., Bai G., Peng Z, Li J., Trick H. N., Clemente T.E., Doebley J., Schnable P.S., Tuinstra M. R., Tesso T. T., Frank White F., Yu J. 2012. Parallel Domestication of SHATTERING1 Gene in Crops. Nature Genetics, 44: 720-724.
2. Liu X., Khajuria C., Li J., et al. 2012 The Mds-1 Gene in Wheat Encodes a Small Heat-Shock Protein and Governs Susceptibility towards the Hessian Fly Gall Midge. Nature Communications (Revision).
3. Wu Y., Li X., Xiang W., Zhu C., Lin Z., Wu Y., Li J., Pandravada S., Ridder D., Guihua Bai, Wang M.L., Trick H.N., Bean S., Tuinstra M., Tesso T.T., and Yu J. Presence of Tannins in Sorghum Grains Is Conditioned by Different Natural Alleles of Tan1. PNAS, 109 (26): 102**-*****.
4. Liu S., Sehgal S.K., Li J., et al. 2012. Mis-splicing causes loss of pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) resistance during wheat domestication. Nature Genetics (Submitted).
5. Li J., An B. and Zhang X. 2012. Identification and promoter analysis of some important storage protein genes from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Plant Omics Journal, 5(4):326-332.
6. She M., Yin G., Li J., Li X., Du L., Ma W., Ye X. 2012. Efficient regeneration potential is closely related to auxin exposure time and hydrogen peroxide metabolism during the somatic embryogenesis of immature embryos in Triticum aestivum L. Molecular Biotechnology, in press.
7. Li J., Ye X., An B., Du L., Xu H. 2012. Genetic transformation of wheat: current status and future prospects. Plant Biotechnology Reports, 6:183 193.
8. Lee J., Welti R., Roth M., Schapaugh W.T., Li J., and Trick H.N. 2012. Enhanced seed viability and lipid compositional changes during natural aging by suppressing phospholipase D in soybean seed. Plant Biotechnol J, 10(2): 164-173.
9. Fahmy A.H., Li J., Abou El-Wafa W., El-Khodary S.E., El Shihy O.M. 2012. Effects of different combinations of benzyl adenine and indole acetic acid concentrations on in vitro plant regeneration in hexaploid wheat. GM Crops Food, 3(2): 111-114.
10. Li J., Todd T.C., Lee J. and Trick H.N. 2011. Biotechnological application of functional genomics towards plant parasitic nematode control. Plant Biotechnol J, 9(9):936-944.
11. Li J., Todd T.C., Oakley T.R., Lee J. and Trick H.N. 2010. Host derived suppression of nematode reproductive and fitness genes decreases fecundity of Heterodera glycines. Planta, 232(3):775-785.
12. Li J., Todd T.C., Trick H.N. 2010. Rapid in planta evaluation of root expressed transgenes in chimeric soybean plants. Plant Cell Reports, 29(2): 113-123.
13. Li J., Zhao W., Li Q., Ye X., An B., Li X. and Zhang X. 2005. RNA silencing of Waxy gene results in low levels of amylose in the seeds of transgenic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Journal of Genetics and Genomics, 32 (8): 846-854.
14. Zhao X., Liu M., Li J., Guan C., and Zhang X. 2005. The wheat TaGI1, involved in photoperoidic flowering, encodes an Arabidopsis GI ortholog. Plant Molecular Biology, 58(1): 53-64.
15. Li J., Wang F., Zhao X., Dong Y., Zhang L., An B. and Zhang X. 2004. Analysis of seed-expressed sequence tags in Triticum aestivum. Journal of integrative plant biology, 3: 363-370.
Notes: 8 additional peer-reviewed publications- upon request
PATENTS
1. Trick H.N., Li J. and Timothy T.C. Provisional US patent, filed on 11/9/2009 with title Enhancement of non-endogenous siRNA molecules using host-delivered RNAi strategy . Pub. No.: WO/2011/060151.
2. Zhang X., An B., Li J. and Li X. Isolation Methods and Utilization of Alfalfa Na+/H+ Antiporter Gene. 2006. Patent number: ZL 2004 1 0035915.2
EDUCATION
Ph. D., Plant Molecular Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, 2005, Dissertation: Isolation of wheat genes involved in quality and genetic improvement of starch quality of seeds . Advisor: Xiansheng Zhang
B.S., Plant Biotechnology, Shandong Agricultural University, 2000, Dissertation: Isolation and sequence analysis of cucumber sex-determination genes .
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