Main work

Prof. Yin Hengfu has been engaged in research on the molecular mechanisms of traits in economically and ecologically important tree species, with the goal of establishing a system for molecular breeding. In recent years, he has applied breeding techniques such as whole genome sequencing and genetic engineering to the selection and breeding of new tree varieties, which has facilitated the transition from "empirical breeding" to efficient "precision breeding" in trees. He has carried out research on the molecular regulation mechanism of growth, quality, resistance and other traits, and elucidated the molecular  basis of domestication breeding of forest trees. My main areas of research interest include: 

• high-throughput forest tree genomics and population genomics studies to uncover key regulatory genes in the formation and regulation of forest tree traits;

• the genetic and genomic mechanisms underlying tree adaptations, including gene family composition, evolutionary   mechanisms, and gene function.

• utilize current molecular breeding techniques (e.g. genomic selection, gene editing) to enhance the effectiveness and precision of breeding and to produce high-value and sustainable forest tree varieties.

Key research projects

• 2030-Biological Breeding Project, Molecular Design and Breeding of High Quality and High Yield Pine 2023

• NSFC, Molecular mechanism of BASIC PENTACYSTEINE transcription factors mediated gene suppression in the control of double flower development in Camellia japonica 2022

• Non-profit R&D project of CAF, Genome resequencing uncovers key regulatory genes in forest trees 2021

• Zhejiang Forest Tree Breeding Special Project, Rapid functional gene discovery and characterization of forest trees using phenomic and genomic techniques 2021

Published articles & books

• Ma, X., Nie, Z., Huang, H., Yan, C., Li, S., Hu, Z. & Yin, H*. (2023). Small RNA profiling reveals that an ovule-specific microRNA, cja-miR5179, targets a B-class MADS-box gene in Camellia japonica. Annals of Botany, mcad155

• Ping Lin, Kailiang Wang, Yupeng Wang, Hengfu Yin*. The genome of oil-Camellia and population genomics analysis provide insights into seed oil domestication. Genome Biology, 23(1). DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02599-2

• Zhikang Hu, Tao Lyu, Chao Yan, Hengfu Yin*. Identification of alternatively spliced gene isoforms and novel noncoding RNAs by single-molecule long-read sequencing in Camellia [J] RNA biology, 2020, 17(7): 966-976.

• Yupeng Wang, Zhikang Hu, Ning Ye, Hengfu Yin*. IsoSplitter: identification and characterization of alternative splicing sites without a reference genome [J] RNA 2021, 27(8).

• Tao Lyu, Zhengqi Fan, Wen Yang Hengfu Yin*. CjPLE, a PLENA-like gene, is a potential regulator of fruit development via activating the FRUITFUL homolog in Camellia. [J] Journal of Experimental Botany, 2019, 70: 3153-3164.

• Hengfu Yin*, Zhengqi Fan, Xinlei Li, Jiangying Wang Weixin Liu, Bin Wu, Zhen Ying, Liping Liu, Zhongchi Liu, Jiyuan Li* Phylogenetic tree informed microRNAome analysis uncovers conserved and lineage specific miRNAs in Camellia during floral organ development Journal of Experimental Botany (in press) 2016/02 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw095.

• Hengfu Yin^#, Chun Ju Chen^#, Jun Yang, David J. Weston, Jin-Gui Chen, Wellington Muchero, Ning Ye, Timothy J. Tschaplinski, Stan D. Wullschleger, (Max) Zong-Ming Cheng, Gerald A. Tuskan, Xiaohan Yang. Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 2013. Functional genomics of drought tolerance in bioenergy crops.

• Paul E. Abraham, Hengfu Yin, Anne M. Borland, Deborah Weighill, Sung Don Lim, Henrique Cestari De Paoli, Nancy Engle, Piet C. Jones, Ryan Agh, David J. Weston, Stan D. Wullschleger, Timothy Tschaplinski, Daniel Jacobson, John C. Cushman, Robert L. Hettich, Gerald A. Tuskan and Xiaohan Yang*. Transcript, protein and metabolite temporal dynamics in the CAM plant Agave. Nature Plants. DOI: 10.1038/NPLANTS.2016.178 2016.

• Yang, X., Hu, R., Yin, H., Jenkins, J., Shu, S., Tang, H. & Heyduk, K. (2017). The Kalanchoë genome provides insights into convergent evolution and building blocks of crassulacean acid metabolism. Nature communications, 8(1), 1899.