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Tai-ping Sun

John Carlisle Kilgo Distinguished Professor of Biology
Biology
Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708-0338
3104 French Family Science Center, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


The diterpenoid phytohormone gibberellin (GA) plays pivotal roles in regulating growth and development throughout the life cycle of higher plants.  Mutations affecting GA biosynthesis or GA response were the key to control plant stature in wheat and rice that led to dramatically increased grain yield and contributed greatly to the success of the ‘Green Revolution’ in the 1960s.  By multi-faceted approaches using the reference plant Arabidopsis, my lab has made major breakthroughs in elucidating the sites and regulatory mechanisms of GA biosynthesis, and the conserved molecular events of GA perception and the early GA signaling pathway.  We identified the nuclear transcriptional regulators DELLA proteins, which function as master growth repressors by inhibiting all aspects of GA responses.  Binding of GA to its nuclear receptor GID1 enhances the GID1-DELLA interaction, which in turn leads to the rapid proteolysis of DELLA through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, and allows transcriptional reprogramming of GA-responsive genes.  We and other researchers further showed that GA-GID1-DELLA is a key regulatory module that controls plant growth by integrating internal developmental cues, and external biotic and abiotic signals (light, cold, salt and pathogen stresses).  DELLA proteins play a central role in these processes via direct protein-protein interactions with key transcription factors.  Our recent studies using genetic and physiological analyses together with chemical biology methods indicate that DELLA’s binding affinity to interacting proteins are oppositely regulated by two novel O-linked glycosylations on specific Ser/Thr residues: O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification reduces DELLA activity, whereas O-fucosylation enhances DELLA activity.  We are investigating the global functions of O-GlcNAcylation and O-fucosylation in regulating plant development.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


John Carlisle Kilgo Distinguished Professor of Biology · 2025 - Present Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Biology · 2006 - Present Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published March 25, 2025
Duke Honors 31 New Distinguished Professors
Published May 3, 2024
Five Duke Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Published April 13, 2023
The Secret to More Resilient Tomatoes? No Seeds

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Recent Publications


Green Revolution DELLA Proteins: Functional Analysis and Regulatory Mechanisms.

Journal Article Annual review of plant biology · May 2025 The DELLA genes, also referred to as Green Revolution genes, encode conserved master growth regulators in plants. The nuclear-localized DELLA proteins are transcription regulators that interact with hundreds of transcription factors and other transc ... Full text Cite

O-Fucosyltransferase SPINDLY attenuates auxin-induced fruit growth by inhibiting ARF6/8-coactivator mediator complex interaction in Arabidopsis.

Journal Article Nature communications · April 2025 The phytohormone auxin plays a pivotal role in promoting fruit initiation and growth upon fertilization in flowering plants. Upregulation of auxin signaling by genetic mutations or exogenous auxin treatment can induce seedless fruit formation from unpollin ... Full text Cite

Plasmonics nanorod biosensor for in situ intracellular detection of gene expression biomarkers in intact plant systems.

Journal Article Biosensors & bioelectronics · October 2024 The intracellular developmental processes in plants, particularly concerning lignin polymer formation and biomass production are regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs). MiRNAs including miR397b are important for developing efficient and cost-effective biofuels. H ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Elucidation of Molecular Mechanism of Master Growth Regulator DELLA Signaling in Arabidopsis

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2024 - 2028

Structural and Functional Analysis of Nucleocytoplasmic Protein O-Glycosyltransferases in Plants

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2023 - 2027

Elucidation of the Roles of Protein Glycosyltransferases SlSPY and SlSECs in Tomato Fruit Development

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Department of Agriculture · 2023 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


Duke University · 1987 Ph.D.
National Tsing Hua University (Taiwan) · 1980 B.S.