Staff profile

Dr Song F Li

Senior Research Fellow

Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Life Sciences
Department of Botany

Melbourne (Bundoora)

 

Area of study

Botany

Brief Profile

Dr li studies the molecular and cellular networks that regulate seed coat and pollen development in plants, using cutting-edge technologies in biochemistry, molecular biology and molecular genetics to identify and characterise the components in these networks.

The new technologies developed and knowledge gained in these studies are used to develop hybrid seed production systems to increase grain yields in crop plants.

Recent Publications

Li, S.F., Iacuone, S. and Parish, R.W. (2007). Suppression and restoration of male fertility using a transcription factor. Plant Biotech. J. 5: 297-312.

Li, S.F., Milliken, O.N., Pham, H., Seyit, R., Napoli, R., Preston, J., Koltunow, A.M. and Parish, R.W(2009) The Arabidopsis MYB5 transcription factor regulates mucilage synthesis, seed coat development, and trichome morphogenesis. The Plant Cell, 21, 72–89.

Parish, R.W. and Li, S.F. (2010). Death of a tapetum: A programme of developmental altruism. Plant Sci. 178: 73-89.

Phan, H.A., Iacuone, S., Li, S.F and Parish, R.W (2011). The MYB80 transcription factor is required for pollen development and the regulation of tapetal programmed cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana. The Plant Cell (in press).