Biosciences Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Phone: (865) 574-9094
Fax: (865) 576-9939
Email :

Jay Chen

Staff Scientist

  • Ph.D., Plant Physiology, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1997
  • B.S., Agronomy, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1991

Research Interests

  • Plant hormone signal transduction
  • Regulation of plant cell wall biosynthesis
  • Regulation of plant architecture
  • Molecular mechanism of plant stress responses
  • Molecular mechanism of plant-microbe interaction

Recent Publications

  • Guo J, Morrell-Falvey JL, Labbé JL, Muchero W, Kalluri UC, Tuskan GA, Chen JG (2012) Highly efficient isolation of Populus mesophyll protoplasts and its application in transient expression assays. PLoS ONE, in press.
  • Wang S, Chang Y, Guo J, Zeng Q, Ellis BE, Chen JG (2011) Arabidopsis ovate family proteins, a novel transcriptional repressor family, control multiple aspects of plant growth and development. PLoS ONE 6(8): e23896.
  • Guo J, Wang S, Valerius O, Hall H, Zeng Q, Li JF, Weston DJ, Ellis BE, Chen JG (2011) Involvement of Arabidopsis RACK1 in protein translation and its regulation by abscisic acid. Plant Physiol 155: 370–383.
  • Guo J, Yang X, Weston DJ, Chen JG (2011) Abscisic acid receptors: past, present and future. J Integr Plant Biol 53: 469–479.
  • Wang S, Barron C, Schiefelbein J, Chen JG (2010) Distinct relationships between GLBRA2 and single-repeat R3 MYB transcription factors in the regulation of trichome and root hair patterning in Arabidopsis. New Phytol 185: 387–400.
  • Guo J, Wang S, Wang J, Huang WD, Liang J, Chen JG (2009) Dissection of the relationship between RACK1 and heterotrimeric G-proteins in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell Physiol 50: 1681–1694.
  • Guo J, Wang J, Xi L, Huang WD, Liang J, Chen JG (2009) RACK1 is a negative regulator of ABA responses in Arabidopsis. J Exp Bot 60: 3819–3833.
  • Sack FD, Chen JG (2009) Pores in place. Science 323: 592–593.
  • Guo J, Chen JG (2008) RACK1 genes regulate plant development with unequal genetic redundancy in Arabidopsis. BMC Plant Biol 8: 108.
  • Wang S, Chen JG (2008) Arabidopsis transient expression analysis reveals that activation of GLABRA2 may require concurrent bindings of GLABRA1 and GLABRA3 to the promoter of GLABRA2. Plant Cell Physiol 49: 1792–1804.
  • Guo J, Zeng Q, Emami M, Ellis BE, Chen JG (2008) The GCR2 gene family is not required for ABA control of seed germination and early seedling development in Arabidopsis. PLoS ONE 3: e2982.
  • Wang S, Hubbard L, Chang Y, Guo J, Schiefelbein J, Chen JG (2008) Comprehensive analysis of single-repeat R3 MYB proteins in epidermal cell patterning and their transcriptional regulation in Arabidopsis. BMC Plant Biol 8: 81.
  • Gao Y, Wang S, Asami T, Chen JG (2008) Loss-of-function mutations in the Arabidopsis heterotrimeric G-protein α subunit enhance the developmental defects of brassinosteroid signaling and biosynthesis mutants. Plant Cell Physiol 49: 1013–1024.
  • Chen JG (2008) Heterotrimeric G proteins in plant development. Front Biosci 13: 3321–3333.
  • Wang S, Kwak SH, Zeng Q, Ellis BE, Chen XY, Schiefelbein J, Chen JG (2007) TRICHOMELESS1 regulates trichome patterning by suppressing GLABRA1 in Arabidopsis. Development 134: 3873–3882.
  • Gao Y, Zeng Q, Guo J, Cheng J, Ellis BE, Chen JG (2007) Genetic characterization reveals no role for the reported ABA receptor, GCR2, in ABA control of seed germination and early seedling development in Arabidopsis. Plant J 52: 1001–1013.
  • Wang S, Chang Y, Guo J, Chen JG (2007) Arabidopsis Ovate Family Protein 1 is a transcriptional repressor that suppresses cell elongation. Plant J 50: 858–872.
  • Chen JG (2007) Sweet sensor, surprising partners. Science STKE 2007, pe7.

Other Selected Publications

  • Weston DJ, Pelletier DA, Morrell-Falvey JL, Tschaplinski TJ, Jawdy SS, Lu TY, Allen SM, Melton SJ, Martin MZ, Schadt CW, Karve AA, Chen JG, Yang X, Doktycz MJ, Tuskan GA (2012) Pseudomonas fluorescens induces strain-dependent and strain-independent host plant responses in defense networks, primary metabolism, photosynthesis, and fitness. Mol Plant Microbe Interact 25: 765–778.
  • Klopffleisch K, Phan N, Augustin K, Bayne RS, Booker S, Botella JR, Carpita NC, Carr T, Chen JG, Cooke TR, Frick-Cheng A, Friedman EJ, Fulk B, Hahn MG, Jiang K, Jorda L, Kruppe L, Liu C, Lorek J, McCann MC, Molina A, Moriyama EN, Mukhtar MS, Mudgil Y, Pattathil S, Schwarz J, Seta S, Tan M, Temp U, Trusov Y, Urano D, Welter B, Yang J, Panstruga R, Uhrig JF, Jones AM (2011) Arabidopsis G-protein interactome reveals connections to cell wall carbohydrates and morphogenesis. Mol Syst Biol 7: 532.
  • Xu T, Wen M, Nagawa S, Fu Y, Chen JG, Wu MJ, Perrot-Rechenmann C, Friml J, Jones AM, Yang Z (2010) Cell surface- and rho GTPase-based auxin signaling controls cellular interdigitation in Arabidopsis. Cell 143: 99–110.
  • Lee JS, Wang S, Sritubtim S, Chen JG, Ellis BE (2009) Arabidopsis mitogen-activated protein kinase MPK12 interacts with the MAPK phosphatase IBR5 and regulates auxin signaling. Plant J 57: 975–985. Fan LM, Zhang W, Chen JG, Taylor JP, Jones AM, Assmann SM (2008) Abscisic acid regulation of guard-cell K+ and anion channels in Gβ and RGS–deficient Arabidopsis lines. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105: 8476–8481.
  • Johnston CA, Taylor JP, Gao Y, Kimple AJ, Grigston JC, Chen JG, Siderovski DP, Jones AM, Willard FS (2007) GTPase acceleration as the rate-limiting step in Arabidopsis G protein-coupled sugar signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104: 17317–17322.
  • Trusov Y, Rookes JE, Tilbrook K, Chakravorty D, Mason MG, Anderson D, Chen JG, Jones AM, Botella JR (2007) Heterotrimeric G protein γ subunits provide functional selectivity in Gβγ dimer signaling in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 19: 1235–1250.
  • Chen JG, Gao Y, Jones AM (2006) Differential roles of Arabidopsis heterotrimeric G-protein subunits in modulating cell division in roots. Plant Physiol 141: 887–897.
  • Huang J, Taylor JP, Chen JG, Uhrig JF, Schnell DJ, Nakagawa T, Korth KL, Jones AM (2006) The plastid protein THYLAKOID FORMATION1 and the plasma membrane G-protein GPA1 interact in a novel sugar-signaling mechanism in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 18: 1226–1238.
  • Joo JH, Wang S, Chen JG, Jones AM, Fedoroff NV (2005) Different signaling and cell-death roles of heterotrimeric G protein α and β subunits in the Arabidopsis oxidative stress response to ozone. Plant Cell 17: 957–970.
  • Chen JG, Pandey S, Huang J, Alonso JM, Ecker JR, Assmann SM, Jones AM (2004) GCR1 can act independently of heterotrimeric G-protein in response to brassinosteroids and gibberellins in Arabidopsis seed germination. Plant Physiol 135: 907–915.
  • Chen JG, Jones AM (2004) AtRGS1 function in Arabidopsis thaliana. Methods Enzymol 389: 338–350.
  • Chen JG, Willard FS, Huang J, Liang J, Chasse SA, Jones AM, Siderovski DP (2003) A seven-transmembrane RGS protein that modulates plant cell proliferation. Science 301: 1728–1731.
  • Ullah H, Chen JG, Temple B, Boyes DC, Alonso JM, Davis KR, Ecker JR, Jones AM (2003) The β-subunit of the Arabidopsis G protein negatively regulates auxin-induced cell division and affects multiple developmental processes. Plant Cell 15: 393–409.
  • Ullah H, Chen JG, Wang S, Jones AM (2002) Role of a heterotrimeric G protein in regulation of Arabidopsis seed germination. Plant Physiol 129: 897–907.
  • Woo EJ, Marshall J, Bauly J, Chen JG, Venis M, Napier RM, Pickersgill RW (2002) Crystal structure of auxin-binding protein 1 in complex with auxin. EMBO J 21: 2877–2885.
  • Chen JG, Shimomura S, Sitbon F, Sandberg G, Jones AM (2001) The role of auxin-binding protein 1 in the expansion of tobacco leaf cells. Plant J 28: 607–617.
  • Chen JG, Ullah H, Young JC, Sussman MR, Jones AM (2001) ABP1 is required for organized cell elongation and division in Arabidopsis embryogenesis. Genes Dev 15: 902–911.
  • Chen JG (2001) Dual auxin signaling pathways control cell elongation and division. J Plant Growth Regul 20: 255–264.
  • Ullah H, Chen JG, Young JC, Im KH, Sussman MR, Jones AM (2001) Modulation of cell proliferation by heterotrimeric G protein in Arabidopsis. Science 292: 2066–2069.

My Curriculum Vitae