新锐奖获奖人杜璇

杜璇，深圳大学生命与海洋科学学院特聘教授。杜璇长期致力于植物表观遗传调控的分子机制研究，主要围绕“植物DNA甲基化和去甲基化动态过程的分子作用原理”这一核心问题开展工作。通过整合生物化学、结构生物学以及遗传学等多种研究手段，在植物从头甲基化调控方面建立了RNA依赖的RNA聚合酶2的催化和激活模型，并提出了RNA聚合酶V独特的染色质滞留机制；在去甲基化调控研究中，揭示了植物特有的DNA去甲基化酶ROS1的识别和催化机制；在甲基化维持方面，提出了由AGDP1介导的组蛋白H3K9me2标记和DNA甲基化之间的一种新型关联机制，以及MCM10在DNA复制过程中重要作用。这些研究成果系统阐述了植物DNA甲基化和去甲基化的动态调控原理，近年来相关成果发表于Science、Nature Plants、Plant Cell等高水平期刊，被国际同行高度评价，为今后基于DNA甲基化在农业生产中的应用及基因编辑工具的开发奠定了坚实的理论基础。

Du Xuan‌, Distinguished Professor at the College of Life and Ocean Sciences, Shenzhen University, has long been dedicated to research on the molecular mechanisms of plant epigenetic regulation, focusing on the core question of "the molecular principles underlying dynamic DNA methylation and demethylation in plants." By integrating biochemical, structural biology, and genetic approaches, she has made significant contributions to the field.

In de novo methylation regulation, she established a catalytic and activation model for RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 2 (Pol II) and proposed a unique chromatin retention mechanism for RNA polymerase V. In demethylation regulation, she elucidated the recognition and catalytic mechanisms of the plant-specific DNA demethylase ROS1. Regarding methylation maintenance, she uncovered a novel association mechanism between histone H3K9me2 marks and DNA methylation mediated by AGDP1, as well as the critical role of MCM10 during DNA replication.

These studies systematically elucidate the dynamic regulatory principles of plant DNA methylation and demethylation. Her recent findings have been published in high-impact journals such as Science, Nature Plants, and The Plant Cell, earning high recognition from international peers. Her work lays a solid theoretical foundation for future applications of DNA methylation in agricultural production and the development of gene-editing tools.