Dr. Chai earned his bachelor’s degree in Dalian Polytechnic University in 1987 and Ph.D. in medicinal analysis at Peking Union of Medical College in 1997. From 1997 to 1999, Dr. Chai did postdoctoral training at the institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Science. Afterward he went to the Princeton University as a postdoctoral fellow in 1999. Dr. Chai started professional career at the Beijing Institute of Biological Sciences as a assistant investigator in 2004, and then promoted to associate investigator in 2009. Subsequently, he became a faculty member at Tsinghua University as the tenure-track professor (2009-2023), and the Institute of Biochemistry in University of Cologne as “Humboldt professor” (2017-2023). In April 2023, Dr. Chai joined the Laboratory of Plant Immune Signaling, Westlake University, as Chair Professor.

2017

Humboldt professor, the Institute of Biochemistry in University of Cologne，Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research

2023

the Life Science Prize at the 2023 Future Science Prize

Dr Chai's group focuses on structural and functional studies of plant receptor-like kinases (RLKs) and NOD-like receptors (NLRs) involved in plants innate immunity. Previous studies from Chai’s group have shown that specific recognition of pathogen effectors by plant NLR families leads to the formation of large protein complexes termed NLR resistosomes to initiate plant immunity including hypersensitive response (HR), featured as programmed cell death at the infected site. Among NLR families, CNL resistosomes act as calcium-permeable channels, conferring calcium ion influx to initiate plant disease resistance. Whilst TNL resistosomes are NAD+ hydrolases with ADPR transferase activity that produce nucleosides as the second messengers, which in turn activate helper CNL family. By employing multidisciplinary approaches (genetics, omics, biochemistry, molecular biology, bioinformatics, etc.), Chai’s group is currently focusing on dissection of the signaling process that causes cellular immunity or programmed death after initiation of calcium signaling by plant NLR activation, and the identification of small molecules regulating plant immune signaling to improve crops in disease-resistance and production.

1. Alexander Förderer, Ertong Li, Aaron W Lawson, Ya-nan Deng, Yue Sun, Elke Logemann, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Jie Wen, Zhifu Han, Junbiao Chang, Yuhang Chen*, Paul Schulze-Lefert*, Jijie Chai*. A wheat resistosome defines common principles of immune receptor channels. Nature  610 (7932), 532-539(2022)

2. Shijia Huang, Aolin Jia, Wen Song, Giuliana Hessler, Yonggang Meng, Yue Sun, Lina Xu, Henriette Laessle, Jan Jirschitzka, Shoucai Ma, Yu Xiao, Dongli Yu, Jiao Hou, Ruiqi Liu, Huanhuan Sun, Xiaohui Liu, Zhifu Han*, Junbiao Chang*, Jane E Parker*, Jijie Chai*. Identification and receptor mechanism of TIR-catalyzed small molecules in plant immunity. Science 377 (6605), eabq3297(2022)

3. Aolin Jia, Shijia Huang, Wen Song, Junli Wang, Yonggang Meng, Yue Sun, Lina Xu, Henriette Laessle, Jan Jirschitzka, Jiao Hou, Tiantian Zhang, Wenquan Yu, Giuliana Hessler, Ertong Li, Shoucai Ma, Dongli Yu, Jan Gebauer, Ulrich Baumann, Xiaohui Liu, Zhifu Han*, Junbiao Chang*, Jane E Parker*, Jijie Chai*. TIR-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation reactions produce signaling molecules for plant immunity. Science 377 (6605), eabq8180 (2022)

4. Shoucai Ma, Dmitry Lapin, Li Liu, Yue Sun, Wen Song, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Elke Logemann, Dongli Yu, Jia Wang, Jan Jirschitzka, Zhifu Han, Paul Schulze-Lefert*, Jane E Parker*, Jijie Chai*. Direct pathogen-induced assembly of an NLR immune receptor complex to form a holoenzyme. Science 370 (6521), eabe3069(2022)

5. Jizong Wang, Meijuan Hu, Jia Wang, Jinfeng Qi, Zhifu Han, Guoxun Wang, Yijun Qi, Hong-Wei Wang*, Jian-Min Zhou*, Jijie Chai*. Reconstitution and structure of a plant NLR resistosome conferring immunity. Science 364 (6435), eaav5870(2019)

chaijijie@westlake.edu.cn