Prof Lei Li

Lei got his PhD in The University of Western Australia in 2013. His study focuses on protein homeostasis and protein turnover. His research interest is to study organellar protein homeostasis under abiotic stresses (high light and Pi starvation) and in degradation deficient mutants (proteases and autophagy related).2012.11-2018.9 Lei worked as a Research Associate with Prof Harvey Millar in ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. Lei was appointed Professor in Nankai University since 2018.9

2009-2013 The University of Western Australia PhD

2012.11-2018.9 Research Associate, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia 2018.9- Professor, Nankai University

My research is focusing on investigation of plant mitochondrial and plastidial protein homeostasis with proteomic techniques. Protein turnover research is a new frontier of proteomics. It involves the measurement of degradation and synthesis rates for specific proteins. This is a new strategy to understand the imperfect correlation between mRNA and protein abundance, proteolysis by proteases and autophagy, mitochondrial and chloroplast biological functions in plant growth and development.

1. Song C, Li YY, Hou YQ, Yang MM, Li TT, Liu YY, Xu C, Liu JJ, Millar AH, Wang NN, Li L* (2023) Protein aggregation in plant mitochondria inhibits translation and induces an NAC017-dependent ethylene-associated unfolded protein response. bioRxiv https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.11.523570v1 

2. Li L*, Lee CP, Ding XX, Qin Y, Wijerathna-Yapa A, Martyna B., Otegui M, Millar AH* (2022) Defects in autophagy lead to selective in vivo changes in turnover of cytosolic and organelle proteins in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 10.1093/plcell/koac185

3. Li L*, Duncan O, Ganguly DR, Lee CP, Crisp PA, Wijerathna-Yapa A, Salih K, Trosch J, Pogson BJ, Millar AH* (2022) Enzymes degraded under high light maintain proteostasis by transcriptional regulation in Arabidopsis. PNAS 119: e2121362119

4. Wijerathna-Yapa A, Stroeher E, Fenske R, Li L, Duncan O, Millar AH* (2021) Proteomics for Autophagy Receptor and Cargo Identification in Plants. J Proteome Res 20: 129-138  

5. Huang S, Li L, Petereit J, Millar AH* (2020) Protein turnover rates in plant mitochondria. Mitochondrion 53: 57-65

6. Joshi J, Beaudoin GAW, Patterson JA, Garcia-Garcia JD, Belisle CE, Chang LY, Li L, Duncan O, Millar AH, Hanson AD* (2020) Bioinformatic and experimental evidence for suicidal and catalytic plant THI4s. Biochemical Journal 477: 2055-2069

7. Liu S, Wang D, Mei Y, Xia T, Xu W, Zhang Y, You X, Zhang X, Li L, Wang NN* (2020) Overexpression of GmAAP6a enhances tolerance to low nitrogen and improves seed nitrogen status by optimizing amino acid partitioning in soybean. Plant Biotechnology Journal 18: 1749-1762

8. Salih KJ, Duncan O, Li L, O'Leary B, Fenske R, Troesch J, Millar AH* (2020) Impact of oxidative stress on the function, abundance and turnover of the Arabidopsis 80S cytosolic ribosome. Plant Journal 103: 128-139

9. Salih KJ, Duncan O, Li L, Trösch J, Millar AH* (2020) The composition and turnover of the Arabidopsis thaliana 80S cytosolic ribosome. Biochemical Journal 477: 3019-3032

10. Wang Y, Zhang X, Cui Y, Li L, Wang D, Mei Y, Wang NN* (2019) AHK3-Mediated Cytokinin Signaling Is Required for the Delayed Leaf Senescence Induced by SSPP. Int J Mol Sci 20

2012-2018

Li, L, Aro E-M, Millar AH* (2018) Mechanisms of Photodamage and Protein Turnover in Photoinhibition. Trends in plant science 10.1016/j.tplants.2018.05.004

Li L, Nelson CJ, Trosch J, Castleden I, Shaobai H, Millar AH* (2017) Protein degradation rate in Arabidopsis thaliana leaf gowth and development. The Plant Cell 10.1105/tpc.16.00768 （F1000 Recommendations）

Li L, Nelson CJ, Trosch J, Pruzinska A, Millar AH and Shaobai Huang* (2016) Changes in specific protein turnover in Arabidopsis reveal multiple roles of Lon1 in mitochondrial protein homeostasis. The Plant Journal 89 (3): 458-471

Li L, Nelson CJ, Solheim C, Whelan J, Millar AH* (2012) Determining degradation and synthesis rates of arabidopsis proteins using the kinetics of progressive ¹⁵N labeling of two-dimensional gel-separated protein spots. Mol Cell Proteomics 11: M111 010025

Li L, Nelson CJ, Carrie C, Gawryluk R, Solheim C, Gray MW, Whelan J, Millar AH*(2013) Subcomplexes of ancestral respiratory complex I subunits rapidly turn over in vivo as producible assembly intermediates in Arabidopsis. J Biol Chem 288: 5707-5717

Li L, Carrie C, Nelson C, Whelan J, Millar AH* (2012) Accumulation of Newly Synthesized F₁in vivo in Arabidopsis Mitochondria Provides Evidence for Modular Assembly of the Plant F1Fo ATP Synthase. J Biol Chem 287: 25749-25757

Li L, Millar AH and Shaobai Huang* (2017) Mitochondrial Lon1 has a role in homeostasis of the mitochondrial ribosome and pentatricopeptide repeat proteins in plants. Plant Signaling&Behavior 12(2): e1276686

Solheim C, Li L, Hatzopoulos P, Millar AH* (2012) Loss of Lon1 in Arabidopsis changes the mitochondrial proteome leading to altered metabolite profiles and growth retardation without an accumulation of oxidative damage. Plant Physiology 160: 1187-1203

Huang S, Nelson CJ,Li L, Taylor NL, Stroher E, Peteriet J, Millar AH* (2015) INTERMEDIATE CLEAVAGE PEPTIDASE55 Modifies Enzyme Amino Termini and Alters Protein Stability in Arabidopsis Mitochondria. Plant Physiology168: 415-427

Huang S, Jacoby RP, Shingaki-Wells RN,Li L, Millar AH* (2013) Differential induction of mitochondrial machinery by light intensity correlates with changes in respiratory metabolism and photorespiration in rice leaves. New Phytologist 198: 103-115

Jacoby RP, Li L, Huang S, Lee CP, Millar AH, Taylor NL* (2012) Mitochondrial Composition, Function and Stress Response in Plants. J Integr Plant Biol 54(11): 887-906

Nelson CJ, Li L, Jacoby RP, Millar AH* (2013) Degradation rate of mitochondrial proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana cells. J Proteome Res 12: 3449-3459

Nelson CJ, Li L, Millar AH*(2013) Quantitative analysis of protein turnover in plants. Proteomics 12: 3449-3459

Simmons LW, Beveridge M, Li L, Tan YF, Millar AH* (2014) Ontogenetic changes in seminal fluid gene expression and the protein composition of cricket seminal fluid. Evolution & Development 16: 101-10

TSPB Secretary General

100 Young Academic Leader Program in Nankai University