Yibing Zeng

The paper identifies TE-like methylated genes in maize endosperm that are demethylated and highly expressed, revealing a switch from heterochromatin to euchromatin that activates protein storage genes.

This paper describes the engineering of chromosome fission in maize using synthetic centromeres, resulting in stable, functional chromosome pairs that increase the diploid chromosome number from 20 to 22.

The paper identifies 58 DNG target genes in maize pollen that are silenced in plant body tissues but expressed in pollen, revealing their role in pollen viability and function.

The paper demonstrates the feasibility of using synthetic centromeres in maize to transmit chromosomes across generations through a LexA-CENH3 tethering approach.

This paper identifies MDR1 as a DNA glycosylase in maize that demethylates DNA and reduces siRNA expression in endosperm, challenging the role of demethylation in transposon repression and genomic imprinting.

A multi-genome analysis of maize reveals previously unknown variation in gene content, genome structure, and methylation.