Zhentian Lei  Ph.D.                                                                                                                              
Research Scientist 
Plant Biology Division
Phone: (580) 224-6156 Lab (580) 224-6712/6714
Fax: (580) 224-6692
Email: zlei@noble.org

Joined the Noble Foundation in 2002 

Curriculum vitae                                                                                                                                                       

My research objective is to investigate the response of Medicago trancatula to external stimuli at the proteome level using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and the state of art tandem mass spectrometry. These efforts are part of a NSF PGRP funded project "An Integrated Approach to Funtional Genomics and Bioinformatics in a Model Legume". While the genomes of plants are stable and conservative, the proteins are dynamic and influenced by the environments. By systematically identify proteins of Medicago trancatula suspension cells in response to both biotic and abiotic elicitors such as yeast elicitor, methyl jasmonate and UV irradiation, we will be able to identify changes in proteins involved in biochemical pathways associated with these external stimuli. This information will provide us with an insight into the functional genomics of Medicago trancatula.

The newly arrived Q-TOF, a LC\MS\MS instrument equipped with nano electrospray ionization (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) sources, allows us to directly analyze the sequences of peptide or proteins and characterize the post-transcriptional modification such as phosphorylation and carbohydrate modification. Its arrival will greatly facilitate our proteomics study.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

1. Lei, Z., Watson, B. S., Chen, F., Reddy, S., Nagaraj, S., Dixon, R. A., Mendes, P. J. and Sumner, L. W. (2006) Comparative Proteomics of Yeast-Induced Medicago truncatula Cell Suspensions Reveals the Induction of Enzymes Associated with Isoflavonoid Synthesis as well as Cell Wall Modifications. Plant Cell. In preparation.

2. Sumner, L. W., Huhman, D. V., Urbanczyk-Wochniak, E. and Lei, Z. (2006) Concepts, Methods, Applications, and Future Directions of Metabolic Profiling in Secondary Metabolism. In Plant Systems Biology. Fernie, A. and Baginsky, S. eds., Bierkenhauser-Verlag, Germany, Submitted.

3. Lei, Z., Watson, B. S., Anand, A., Mysore, K. S. and Sumner, L. W.  (2005) Electroelution of Intact Proteins from SDS-PAGE Gels and Their Subsequent MALDI-TOFMS Analysis. In Plant Proteomics: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology. Thiellement, H., Mechin, V., Damerval, C. and Zivy, M. eds., Humana Press, USA. In press.

4. Lei, Z., Elmer, A. M., Watson, B. S., Dixon, R. A., Mendes, P. J. and Sumner, L. W. (2005). 2-DE Proteomics Reference Map of Medicago truncatula Suspension Cell Cultures Reveals 1661 Proteins Associated with a Diversity of Functions Including Secondary Metabolism. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 4, 1812-1825.

5. Anand, A., Lei, Z., Sumner, L.W., Mysore, K.S., Arakane, Y., Bockus, W.W. and Muthukrishnan, S. (2004) Pathogenesis-Related Proteins from Apoplastic Fluid of a Transgenic Wheat Line Exhibit Combinatorial Antifungal Activity. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions17, 1306-1317.

6. Watson, B. S. Lei, Z., Dixon, R. A. and Sumner, L.W. (2004) Proteomics of Medicago sativa Cell Walls. Phytochemisty 65, 1709 -1720.

7. Elmer, A.M., Broeckling, C.D, Chen, F., Dixon, R.A., Donnelley, B.E., Duran, A.L., Huhman, D.V., Lei, Z., Watson, B.S. and L.W. Sumner. (2004) Potential of Integrated Functional Genomics in Biosafety Assessment.  In NATO Science Series:Genomics for Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology, Nap,  J.-P., Atanassov, A. and Stiekema, W. J. eds., IOS press, Netherlands, 359, 3-17.

8. Lei, Z., Jervis, J. and Helm, R. F. (2001) Use of Methanolysis for the Determination of Total Ellagic and Gallic Acid Contents of Wood and Food Products. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 49, 1165-1168.

9. Lei, Z., Jervis, J. and Helm, R. F. (1999) C-Glycosidic Ellagitannins from White Oak Heartwood and Callus Tissues. Phytochemistry 51, 751-756.

10. Helm, R. F., Lei, Z., Ranatunga, T., Jervis, J. and Elder, T. (1999) Toward Understanding Monomeric Ellagitannin Biosynthesis. In Plant Polyphenols 2: Chemistry, Biology, Pharmacology, Ecology. Gross, G. G., Hemingway, R. W. and Yoshida, T. eds., Klumer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. 83 – 99.

PRESENTATIONS

1. Lei, Z., Elmer A. M. and Sumner, L.W. (2004) Systematic Identification of the Proteome of Medicago truncatula Suspension Cells using Two-Dimensional Electrophoresis and Tandem Spectrometry. NSF-VBI-NOBLE Plant Proteomics Workshop, Ardmore, OK, August 4-6.

2. Helm, R. F. and Lei, Z.  (2000) Ellagitannin Biosynthesis in Hardwood Cell Suspension Cultures. Abstr Pap Am Chem S 219: 140-CELL Part 1. MAR 26 2000. Presented at the 219th American Chemical Meeting, San Francisco, CA. March 26 -30.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

1. Lei, Z., Watson, B. S., Farag, M., Dixon, R. A. and Sumner, L. W. (2004) Comparative Proteomics of Yeast Elicited Medicago truncatula Suspension Cell Cultures. American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) 53nd Annual Conference. San Antonio, Texas, June 5 – 9.

2. Lei, Z., Elmer, A. M. and Sumner, L. W. (2004) Systematic Identification of the Proteome of Medicago truncatula Suspension Cells using Two-Dimensional Electrophoresis and Tandem Mass Spectrometry. American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) 52nd Annual Conference. Nashville, Tennessee, May 23 – 27.

3. Elmer, A. M., Lei, Z. and Sumner, L. W. (2003) Proteomic Analysis of Cultured Medicago truncatula cells. ASPB (American Society of Plant Biologists) Annual Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, July 25 – 30.

4. Lei, Z., Elmer, A. M. and Sumner, L. W. (2003) Proteomic analysis of Medicago truncatula suspension cells using 2-DE and LC-MS/MS. Oklahoma Molecular Plant Biology Minisymposium, Stillwater, OK, March 20-21.