Staff Scientist

Yimin Tao

Ph.D. student

Room: 106

Tel: 54920496

Email: taoyimin@picb.ac.cn

Date of Arrival: 2009-09-01

Education

B.S. –China Agricultural University, Beijing 06/2009

Ph.D. – CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology expected 07/2014

Department: Plant Systems Biology.

Research

My research focuses on the molecular evolution of C4 photosynthesis. C4 photosynthesis is a natural adaptation to high temperature and low ambient CO₂  concentration based on C3 photosynthesis. All C4 version enzymes were recruited from their C3 ancestors during evolution and fixed into C4 pathway through selection. Combined with molecular evolution genetics and transgenic engineering, I am working on computational analysis of C4 version genes against their C3 paralogs and experimental exploration of ‘C4 prototype’ in evolution. My work will (1) systematically analyze the divergence between C4 version genes and their C3 paralogs on sequence level and (2) explore the key obstacle step in C4 photosynthesis evolution.