Dr. Liping Wang

My interest in plants began during my undergraduate studies, when a plant taxonomy course and field trips introduced me to the remarkable diversity of plant life. Seeing plants from different families, with distinct forms and adaptations across habitats and elevations, sparked my curiosity about how plants develop and adapt. This interest led me to pursue a Ph.D. at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where I studied the genetic regulation of floral and reproductive development in rice. After completing my Ph.D, I moved to Canada in 2007 for postdoctoral training at the National Research Council Canada in Saskatoon. I was subsequently promoted to Assistant Research Officer, where my research focused on phospholipid metabolism and membrane lipid remodeling in oilseed species. In 2016, I moved to Ontario with my family and joined the University of Guelph as a Senior Research Associate, working with Dr. Michael Emes and Dr. Ian Tetlow. Over the years, my research has expanded from fundamental studies of plant metabolism to crop improvement and biotechnology. I am now an Adjunct Professor and lead research in plant molecular genetics, metabolism, genome editing, and crop improvement, with a particular focus on translating discoveries in fundamental plant biology into traits of agricultural value.

• B.Sc., Shandong Normal University, China
• Ph.D., Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

My research focuses on understanding and engineering carbohydrate metabolism in plants. A major area of my current research is the application of gene-editing technologies to modify carbohydrate metabolism for crop improvement, particularly in canola. By targeting key genes involved in carbohydrate synthesis and metabolism, I aim to uncover how changes in carbon allocation and utilization can influence plant growth, productivity, and responses to environmental stresses, and ultimately translate these discoveries into traits of agricultural value. In parallel, I am interested in the fundamental mechanisms underlying starch metabolism. My research explores how different metabolic pathways and enzymes interact to regulate starch formation, degradation, and the metabolism of associated α-glucans. Together, these fundamental and applied research directions seek to connect our understanding of plant carbon metabolism with innovative strategies for crop improvement.

• Liping Wang, Michael Kazachkov, Li Qin, Yuxing Niu, Yangdou Wei, Qiang Li, Jitao Zou (2026). Lysophosphatidylcholine homeostasis via the Lands cycle regulates root growth in Arabidopsis. Plant and Cell Physiology https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcaf174
• Liping Wang*(Co-corresponding author), You Wang, Regina Feil, Gregory J. MacNeill, John E. Lunn, Ian J. Tetlow, Michael J. Emes*. (2025). Role of plastidial starch phosphorylase 1 in maltodextrin turnover regulation during starch initiation in Arabidopsis leaves. Plant Physiology Volume 198, Issue 2, kiaf216. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf216 (selected as the Article of the Week)
• Jingpu Song, Ioannis Mavraganis, Wenyun Shen, Hui Yang, Nii Patterson, Liping Wang, Daoquan Xiang, Yuhai Cui, Jitao Zou. (2024). Evidence of pistil-derived lipids influencing pollen tube growth and male fertility in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiology 196: 763–772. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiae276
• Linhui Yu, Wenyun Shen, Jilian Fan, Saroj Kumar Sah, Ioannis Mavraganis, Liping Wang, Peng Gao, Jie Gao, Qian Zheng, Dauenpen Meesapyodsuk, Hui Yang, Qiang Li, Jitao Zou, Changcheng Xu. (2023). A chloroplast diacylglycerol lipase modulates glycerolipid pathway balance in Arabidopsis. The Plant Journal https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16228
• Liping Wang*(Co-corresponding author), Wang, Y., Makhmoudova, A., Nitschke F., Tetlow, I.J. and Emes, M.J.* (2022) CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome editing of STARCH BRANCHING ENZYMEs in Brassica napus generates a range of mutants with altered starch granule properties. Plant Physiology 188 (4):1866-1886. 10.1093/plphys/kiab535
• Qiang Li, Wenyun Shen, Ioannis Mavraganis, Liping Wang, Peng Gao, Jie Gao, Dustin Cram, Yifeng Li, Ziying Liu, David Brian Fowler, Youlian Pan, Jitao Zou. (2021) Elucidating the biochemical basis of trans-16:1 fatty acid change in leaves during cold acclimation in wheat. Plant-environment Interactions. https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10044
• Wang L, Li Q, Xia Q, Shen W, Selvaraj G, Zou J. On the role of DGAT1 in seed glycerolipid metabolic network and critical stages of plant development in Arabidopsis. (2020) Lipids 10.1002/lipd.12229
• Kazachkov M, Li Q, Shen W, Wang L, Gao P, Xiang D, Datla R, Zou J. Molecular identification and functional characterization of a Cyanogenic Glucosyltransferase from Flax (Linum unsitatissimum). (2020) Plos One 15(2):e0227840. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227840
• You Wang, Liping Wang, Barry J. Micallef, Ian J. Tetlow, Robert T. Mullen, Regina Feil, John E. Lunn and Michael J. Emes. (2020). AKINβ1, a subunit of SnRK1, regulates organic acid metabolism and acts as a global modulator of genes involved in carbon, lipid, and nitrogen metabolism. Journal of Experimental Botany 71 (3): 1010-1028. 10.1093/jxb/erz460
• Wang L, Kazachkov M, Shen W, Bai M, Wu H, Zou J. (2014). Deciphering the roles of Arabidopsis LPCAT and PAH in phosphatidylcholine homeostasis and pathway coordination for chloroplast lipid synthesis. Plant Journal 80(6): 965-976. 10.1111/tpj.12683
• Wang L, Shen W, Kazachkov M, Chen G, Chen Q, Carlsson AS, Stymne S, Weselake RJ, Zou J. (2012). Metabolic Interactions between the Lands Cycle and the Kennedy Pathway of Glycerolipid Synthesis in Arabidopsis Developing Seeds. The Plant Cell 24: 4635-4651. 23150634
• Wang L, Yin H, Qian Q, Yang J, Huang C, Hu X, Luo D. (2009). NECK LEAF 1, a GATA type transcription factor, modulates organogenesis by regulating the expression of multiple regulatory genes during reproductive development in rice. Cell Research. 19: 598-611. 10.1038/cr.2009.36
• Huang Y, Chen L, Wang L, Vijayan K, Phan S, Liu Z, Wan L, Ross A, Xiang D, Datla R, Pan Y, Zou J. (2009) Probing the endosperm gene expression landscape in Brassica napus. BMC Genomics 10: 256. 19490642 14. Kazachkov M, Chen Q, Wang L, Zou J. (2008) Substrate preferences of a lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase highlights its role in phospholipid remodeling. Lipids 43: 895-902. 10.1007/s11745-008-3233-y
• Wang Z, Luo Y, Li X, Wang L, Xu S, Yang J, Weng L, Sato S, Tabata S, Ambrose M, Rameau C, Feng X, Hu X, Luo D. (2008) Genetic control of floral zygomorphy in pea (Pisum sativum L.). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105: 10414-9. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0803291105
• Zhang S, Hu W, Wang L, Lin C, Cong B, Sun C, Luo D. TFL1/CEN-like genes control intercalary meristem activity and phase transition in rice. Plant Science. 2005, 168(6):1393-1408. 10.1016/j.plantsci.2004.10.022