Academic Education & Work Career：

12/2019-present, Associate Prof., South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

07/2017-11/2019, Postdoc., South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

09/2013-07/2017, Ph.D., South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

09/2010-07/2012, M.Eng., Wuhan University, China

09/2006-07/2010, B.Eng., South-central University for Nationalities, China

Research Interest：

1. Elucidation of mechanisms underlying key economic trait formation in tea and development of quality- and efficiency-improving technologies

2. Research on the molecular mechanisms of light-regulated seed germination mediated by epigenetic factors in Arabidopsis thaliana

Supported Projects：

1. Guangdong S&T Program, 2023.01-2026.12.

2. Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, 2021.01-2023.12.

3. Foundation of Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou, 2021.04-2023.03.

4. National Natural Science Foundation of China, 2019.01-2021.12.

5. China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, 2017.11-2019.07.

Awards and Honors：

1. First Prize of the Chaozhou Agricultural Technology Extension Award, 2023.

2. First Prize of the Chaozhou Agricultural Technology Extension Award, 2022.

3. First Prize of the “Innovative Qingyuan” Science and Technology Progress Award, 2022.

4. Second Prize of the “Innovative Qingyuan” Science and Technology Progress Award, 2021.

5. President’s Excellence Award of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2017.

6. Outstanding Graduate of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2017.

7. BIOMIGA scholarship from SCBG, 2017.

Publication：

(# Co-first authors, * Corresponding author)

[1]      Gu, D.C. ^#, Wang, Y.H. ^#, Zhao, M.L. ^#, Chen, H.C., Wu, S.H., Jin, X., Deng, L., Ji, R.J., Xu, J.Y., Zheng, F., Liu, X.C. ^* (2025). Phytochrome B stabilizes the KNOX transcription factor BP/KNAT1 to promote light-initiated seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Communications, 6, 101517.

[2]      Wang, Y.X.^#, Li, J.L.^#, Wu, S.H., Li, H.X., Gu, D.C.^* (2025). The effects of exogenous gibberellic acid on the economic traits of tea plants. European Journal of Agronomy, 168: 127640.

[3]       Gu, D.C.^#, Wu, S.H.^#, Wang, Y.X., Yang, Y.H., Chen, J.M., Mao, K.Q., Liao, Y.Y., Li, J.L., Zeng, L.T., Yang, Z.Y.^* (2024). Tea green leafhopper infestations affect tea plant growth by altering the synthesis of brassinolide. Plant, Cell & Environment, 47, 3780-3796.

[4]       Chen, J.M.^#, Wu, S.H.^#, Mao, K.Q., Li, J.L., Dong, F., Tang, J.C., Zeng, L.T., Gu, D.C.^* (2023). Adverse effects of shading on the tea yield and the restorative effects of exogenously applied brassinolide. Industrial Crops and Products, 197, 116546.

[5]       Mao, K.Q.^#, Li, J.L.^#, Wu, S.H., Qian, J.J., Liao, Y.Y., Zeng, L.T., Gu, D.C.^* (2023). Melatonin treatment promotes cold adaptation and spring growth of tea plants. Industrial Crops and Products, 200, 116834.

[6]        Wu, S.H.^#, Yang, Y.H.^#, Chen, J.M., Li, J.L., Jian, G.T., Yang, J., Mao, K.Q., Zeng, L.T., Gu, D.C.^* (2023). Histone deacetylase CsHDA6 mediates the regulated formation of the anti-insect metabolite α-farnesene in tea (Camellia sinensis). Plant Science, 326, 111501.

[7]       Wu, S.H.^#, Gu, D.C.^#, Chen, Y.Z., Wang, F., Qian, J.J., Zeng, L.T., Tang, J.C., Yan, Y., Chen, C.S.^*, Li, J.L.^* (2023). Variations in oolong tea key characteristic floral aroma compound contents among tea (Camellia sinensis) germplasms exposed to postharvest stress. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 197, 112201.

[8]       Wang, Y.H.^#, Gu, D.C.^#, Deng, L., He, C.M., Zheng, F., Liu, X.C.^* (2023). The histone H3K27 demethylase REF6 is a positive regulator of light-initiated seed germination in Arabidopsis. Cells, 12, 295.

[9]       Gu, D.C.^#, Wu, S.H.^#, Yu, Z.M.^#, Zeng, L.T., Qian, J.J., Zhou, X.C., Yang, Z.Y.^* (2022). Involvement of histone deacetylase CsHDA2 in regulating (E)-nerolidol formation in tea (Camellia sinensis) exposed to tea green leafhopper infestation. Horticulture Research, 9, uhac158.

[10]     Gu, D.C.^#, Yang, J.^#, Wu, S.H., Liao, Y.Y., Zeng, L.T., Yang, Z.Y.^* (2021). Epigenetic regulation of the phytohormone abscisic acid accumulation under dehydration stress during postharvest processing of tea (Camellia sinensis). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 69, 1039-1048.

[11]      Chen, J.M.^#, Wu, S.H.^#, Dong, F., Li, J.L., Zeng, L.T., Tang, J.C., Gu, D.C.^* (2021). Mechanism underlying the shading-induced chlorophyll accumulation in tea leaves. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12, 779819.

[12]     Yang, J.^#, Gu, D.C.^#, Wu, S.H., Zhou, X.C., Chen, J.M., Liao, Y.Y., Zeng, L.T., Yang, Z.Y.^* (2021). Feasible strategies for studying the involvement of DNA methylation and histone acetylation in the stress-induced formation of quality-related metabolites in tea (Camellia sinensis). Horticulture Research, 8, 253.

[13]     Gu, D.C., Ji, R.J., He, C.M., Peng, T., Zhang, M.Y., Duan, J., Xiong, C.Y.^*, Liu, X.C.^* (2019). Arabidopsis histone methyltransferase SUVH5 is a positive regulator of light-mediated seed germination. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, 841.

[14]     Gu, D.C.^#, Chen, C.Y.^#, Zhao, M.L., Zhao, L.M., Duan, X.W., Duan, J.^*, Wu, K.Q.^*, Liu, X.C^*. (2017). Identification of HDA15-PIF1 as a key repression module directing the transcriptional network of seed germination in the dark. Nucleic Acids Research, 45, 7137-7150.