Dr. Yue Zhou

Boya Junior Researcher

Plant Chromatin Status Research Group
State Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Modulation Research
School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences
Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences
Peking University

Email: yue_zhou@pku.edu.cn

Research Area

Epigenetic and plant development.

Plant research serves as a cornerstone of agricultural science. Our laboratory is dedicated to systematically deciphering the central role of epigenetic regulation in plant growth and development, focusing on the fundamental scientific question: “How do epigenetic mechanisms control plant development by regulating the spatiotemporal transcription of genes?” This research aims to provide a theoretical framework for crop genetic improvement. The vast majority of key genes governing plant development are precisely controlled by epigenetic modifications. Only by deeply uncovering the mechanisms through which epigenetic networks dynamically regulate gene expression can we truly understand the molecular basis of developmental plasticity in plants, which is also a critical prerequisite for achieving precision molecular breeding. At present, significant knowledge gaps remain in the agricultural field regarding the plant epigenetic regulatory system: ranging from the dynamic mechanisms of histone modifications, the organizational principles of three-dimensional chromatin architecture, to how epigenetic information is translated into spatiotemporal gene expression patterns, all urgently require systematic elucidation. To address this core direction, our lab focuses on analyzing the mechanisms of histone-modifying enzyme complexes and their regulation of chromatin structure and gene transcription, as well as establishing molecular networks linking dynamic epigenetic changes to developmental phenotypes. These studies will provide new theoretical support for overcoming bottlenecks in existing agricultural biotechnology.

Short Bio

Yue Zhou, Ph.D in Cell Biology from the Lanzhou University and National Institute of Biological Sciences, holds the Boya Junior Researcher at Peking University and is a researcher at the State Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Modulation Research and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences. His lab overarching research interests focuses on the role of epigenetic regulation in plant development. He uses combined genetics, genomics, cell biology and biochemistry approach to study the molecular mechanism of histone modification and 3D chromatin regulation, and how epigenetic is able to affect transcription and plant development. Dr. Zhou has published 32 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Molecular Cell, Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, PNAS, Plant Cell, etc.

Publications

1.  Zhang, Y., Huang, R., Yang, T., Li, A., Wang, Z., Wu, Y., Deng, Y., Zhang, J., He, XQ, Zhou, Y. PRC2 regulates cytokinin and HD-ZIP III pathways to orchestrate vascular tissue pattern formation in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell, 8:koaf194.

2.  Xiao, S., Luo, L., Yang, M., He, H., Zhou, Y. Fine-scale 3D chromatin architectures and their regulatory mechanisms in plants. Curr Opin Plant Biol, doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102786

3.  Luo, L., Yang, M., Song, Z., Liu, Y., Xiao, S., Wang, D., Calonje, M., He, H., Zhou, Y (2025). PRC1-Mediated H2Aub Loop Formation and Function in Arabidopsis. Adv Sci 12: e2304377.

4.  Shu, J., Xiao, S., Wang, D., Yang, M., Zhou, Y (2025). Protocol for capturing genome-wide chromatin interactions in Arabidopsis. STAR Protoc 6: 103702.

5.  Liu, Y., Xiao, S., Yang, M., Guo, G., Zhou, Y (2025). The Impact of Polycomb Group Proteins on 3D Chromatin Structure and Environmental Stresses in Plants. Plants (Basel) 14: 1308. (Invited review)

6.  Luo, L., Yang, M., Zhou, Y (2025). BMI1s interact with condensin complexes to regulate chromatin 3D structure and gene expression in Arabidopsis. aBIOTECH, 10.1007/s42994-025-00202-x.

7.  Song, Z., Xia, Q., Yang, M., Yang, T., Liu, Y., Wang, D., Shu, J., Liu, Z., Chi, Y., Xu, H., Xing, D., Zhou, Y (2025). Dynamic changes in 3D chromatin structure during male gametogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Genome Biol 26: 27.

8.  Wang, D., Xiao, S., Shu, J., Luo, L., Yang, M., Calonje, M., He, H., Song, B., Zhou, Y (2024). Promoter capture Hi‑C identifies promoter‑related loops and fountain structures in Arabidopsis. Genome Biol 25: 324.

9.  Shu, J., Sun, L., Wang, D., Yin, X., Yang, M., Yang, Z., Gao, Z., He, Y., Calonje, M., Lai, J., Deng, X. W., He, H., Zhou, Y (2024). EMF1 functions as a 3D chromatin modulator in Arabidopsis. Mol Cell 84: 4729-4739.

10. Yang, T., Wang, D., Luo, L., Yin, X., Song, Z., Yang, M., Zhou, Y (2024). PWOs repress gene transcription by regulating chromatin structures in Arabidopsis. Nucleic Acids Res 52: 12918-12929.

11. Yin, X., Romero-Campero, F. J., Yang, M., Baile, F., Cao, Y., Shu, J., Luo, L., Wang, D., Sun, S., Yan, P., Gong, Z., Mo, X., Qin, G., Calonje, M., Zhou, Y (2023). Binding by the Polycomb complex component BMI1 and H2A monoubiquitination shape local and long-range interactions in the Arabidopsis genome. Plant Cell 35: 2484-2503.

12. Yang, T., Wang, D., Tian, G., Sun, L., Yang, M., Yin, X., Xiao, J., Sheng, Y., Zhu, D., He, H., Zhou, Y (2022). Chromatin remodeling complexes regulate genome architecture in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 34: 2638-2651.

13. Yin, X., Romero-Campero, F. J., de los Reyes, P., Yan, P., Yang, J., Tian, G., Yang, X., Mo, X., Zhao, S., Calonje, M., Zhou, Y (2021). H2AK121ub in Arabidopsis associates with a less accessible chromatin state at transcriptional regulation hotspots. Nat Commun 12: 315.

14. Zhou, Y., Wang, Y., Krause, K., Yang, T., Dongus, JA., Zhang, Y., Turck, F (2018). Telobox motifs recruit CLF/SWN-PRC2 for H3K27me3 deposition via TRB factors in Arabidopsis. Nature Genet 50: 638-644.

15. Zhou, Y., Tergemina, E., Cui, H., Forderer, A., Hartwig, B., James, GV., Scheeberger, K., Turck, F (2017). Ctf4-related protein recruits LHP1-PRC2 to maintain H3K27me3 levels in dividing cells in Arabidopsis thaliana. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114: 4833-4838.

16. Zhou, Y., Romero-Campero, FJ., Gomez-Zambrano, A., Turck, F., Calonje, M (2017). H2A monoubiquitination in Arabidopsis thaliana is generally independent of LHP1 and PRC2 activity. Genome Biol 16: 69.

17. Zhou, Y., Hartwig, B., James, GV., Schneeberger, K., Turck, F (2016). Complementary Activities of TELOMERE REPEAT BINDING Proteins and Polycomb Group Complexes in Transcriptional Regulation of Target Genes. Plant Cell 28: 87-101.