| 教授、博士生导师 个人主页：https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9qofTFwAAAAJ&hl=en |
研究领域（Research Area）：
根瘤共生过程中屏障结构的功能与调控机制
氮素是植物生长发育必需的营养元素。豆科植物通过与根瘤菌互作，在根部形成根瘤，将空气中的氮气转化为可被植物直接利用的氨，实现生物固氮。根内皮层的凯氏带和木栓质作为重要的屏障结构，在调控养分选择性吸收和提升植物逆境适应能力方面发挥关键作用。
本课题组聚焦根瘤共生过程中根系屏障结构的功能及其分子调控机制，以大豆、百脉根等豆科植物为研究对象，综合运用转录组学、代谢组学等多组学技术及分子生物学手段，系统挖掘参与屏障结构形成与动态调控的关键因子，解析其在根瘤发育及固氮过程中的作用机制。在此基础上，力图通过优化屏障结构提升豆科作物生物固氮效率，为减少化肥施用和推动农业绿色发展提供理论依据。
Functions and regulatory mechanisms of root barriers in root nodule symbiosis
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth and development. Legumes establish symbiotic interactions with rhizobia to form root nodules, where atmospheric nitrogen is converted into ammonia that can be directly utilized by the host plant, thereby enabling biological nitrogen fixation. The Casparian strip and suberin in the root endodermis serve as important barrier structures, playing key roles in regulating selective nutrient uptake and enhancing plant adaptation to environmental stresses.
Our research group focuses on the functions and molecular regulatory mechanisms of root barrier structures during symbiotic nodulation. Using leguminous plants such as soybean and Lotus japonicus as research models, we integrate multi-omics approaches (including transcriptomics and metabolomics) with molecular biology techniques to systematically identify key factors involved in the formation and dynamic regulation of barrier structures, and to elucidate their roles in nodule development and nitrogen fixation. Based on these studies, we aim to explore strategies to improve biological nitrogen fixation efficiency in legumes through modulation of root barrier structures, providing a theoretical basis for reducing chemical fertilizer use and promoting sustainable agriculture.
教育经历（Educational Background）：
2006-2010，东北林业大学（Northeast Forestry University），学士（BSc）。
2010-2013，北京师范大学（Beijing Normal University），硕士（MSc），导师：王英典 教授。
2013-2019，荷兰瓦赫宁根大学（Wageningen University, the Netherlands），博士（PhD），导师：Ton Bisseling 教授。
工作经历（Work Experience）：
2020-2025，德国马克斯普朗克植物育种研究所（Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Germany），Tonni Grube Andersen团队，博士后（Postdoc）。
2026-至今，华南农业大学生命科学学院（College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, China），教授（Professor）。
代表性著作（Selected Publications）:
1.Defeng Shen; Nikola Micic; Rafael E. Venado; Nanna Bjarnholt; Christoph Crocoll; Daniel Pergament Persson; Sebastian Samwald; Stanislav Kopriva; Philip Westhoff; Sabine Metzger; Ulla Neumann; Ryohei Thomas Nakano; Macarena Marín Arancibia; Tonni Grube Andersen; Apoplastic barriers are essential for nodule formation and nitrogen fixation in Lotus japonicus, Science, 2025, 387(6740): 1281-1286
2.Swati Mahiwal; Tonni Grube Andersen; Defeng Shen; Establishment and functions of the Casparian strip, Molecular Plant, 2025, 18(8): 1249-1252
3.Defeng Shen#; Ton Bisseling#; Soybean breeders can count on nodules, Trends in Plant Science, 2025, 30(1): 10-12
4.Ting Ting Xiao*; Sophia Müller*; Defeng Shen*; Jieyu Liu; Kelvin Adema; Amber van Seters; Henk Franssen; Ton Bisseling; Olga Kulikova; Wouter Kohlen; Nodule organogenesis in Medicago truncatula requires local stage-specific auxin biosynthesis and transport, Plant Physiology, 2025, 197(4): kiaf133
5.Defeng Shen; Kathrin Wippel; Simone Remmel; Yuanyuan Zhang; Noah Kuertoes; Ulla Neumann; Stanislav Kopriva; Tonni Grube Andersen; The Arabidopsis SGN3/GSO1 receptor kinase integrates soil nitrogen status into shoot development, The EMBO Journal, 2024, 43(12): 2486-2505
6.Defeng Shen; Rens Holmer; Olga Kulikova; Chanaka Mannapperuma; Nathaniel R. Street; Zhichun Yan; Thomas van der Maden; Fengjiao Bu; Yuanyuan Zhang; Rene Geurts; Kévin Magne; The BOP‐type co‐transcriptional regulator NODULE ROOT1 promotes stem secondary growth of the tropical Cannabaceae tree Parasponia andersonii, The Plant Journal, 2021, 106(5): 1366-1386
7.Defeng Shen*; Ting Ting Xiao*; Robin van Velzen; Olga Kulikova; Xiaoyun Gong; René Geurts; Katharina Pawlowski; Ton Bisseling; A homeotic mutation changes legume nodule ontogeny into actinorhizal-type ontogeny, The Plant Cell, 2020, 32(6): 1868-1885
8.Defeng Shen; Olga Kulikova; Kerstin Guhl; Henk Franssen; Wouter Kohlen; Ton Bisseling; René Geurts; The Medicago truncatula nodule identity gene MtNOOT1 is required for coordinated apical-basal development of the root, BMC Plant Biology, 2019, 19
*Co-first author; #Co-corresponding author
承担科研项目情况：
国家青年人才项目，在研，主持（2026-2028）。
华南农业大学高层次人才启动经费（2026-2029）。
本课题组常年招收博士后和研究生，欢迎有兴趣的同学和同行与我联系，一起做一些有趣又有用的工作。
Our group is continuously recruiting postdoctoral researchers and graduate students. We welcome motivated applicants to get in touch. We aim to work together on projects that are both intellectually exciting and scientifically impactful.
（2026年3月更新）
