Dr. Yunping Zhang

Curriculum Vitae

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy., Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis. 11/96. Dissertation: Etiological study of cherry stem pitting disease and molecular characterization of cherry green ring mottle virus.
• Bachelor of Science., Plant Pathology, Northwest Agriculture University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China, 7/85. Thesis: Study of resistance mechanism of different wheat cultivars to powdery mildew fungus.

Work Experience

• Senior Plant Pathologist, Department of Food and Agriculture, 7/06-present.
  1. Run the Nursery virus testing laboratory, conducting annual survey of stone fruit and grapevine viruses.
  2. Performs diagnostics of quarantine and regulatory seed samples for seed borne pathogens in samples submitted by government agencies, private companies, universities, and others.
  3. Carries out diagnostics of perennial fruit tree and grapevine viral diseases.
  4. Research on new diseases, develops detection methods for detection of perennial fruit tree and grapevine viral diseases and seed borne pathogens.
• Associate Plant Pathologist, California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1/01-6/06.
  1. Performs Nursery annual survey of stone fruit and grapevine viral diseases.
  2. Conduct routine diagnosis of fruit tree and grapevine viral diseases.
  3. Optimize virus detection methods of ELISA and PCR.
• Staff Research Associate, Department of Plant Pathology, UC Davis, 10/99-1/01.
  1. Supervise biological indexing, ELISA, and PCR detection of grapevine viruses and other research in the lab.
  2. Design and test PCR and nested PCR primers and optimize the reaction conditions for the detection of a full panel of grapevine viruses.
  3. Study the population diversity of grapevine leafroll associated viruses.
  4. cDNA cloning of grapevine leafroll virus 2, grapevine fleck virus, plum bark necrosis and stem pitting virus, grapevine marafivirus, and Bermuda grass etched-line virus.
  5. Sequence and genome analysis of above viruses.
  6. Phylogenetic analysis of marafiviruses and feovaviruses using PAUP, GCG SEQWEB, PILEUP, BLAST, BESTFIT, GAP, sequence comparison, secondary structure, and other programs.
• Visiting post doctoral researcher, Department of Plant Pathology, UC Davis, 1/97-9/99.
  1. ELISA, RT-PCR, DB-PCR, and colorimetric PCR detection of grapevine viruses.
  2. Production of monoclonal antibody to grape leaf roll associated closteroviruses.
  3. Phylogenetic analysis of grapevine rupestris stem pitting associated virus and its strains.
  4. Etiological study, cDNA cloning, and molecular characterization of grapevine rupestris stem pitting associated virus.
  5. Coat protein expression in E. coli, protein purification, and western blot analysis of viral protein from plants.
• Graduate Study, University of California Davis, 6/90 - 12/96.
  1. Virological study, virus indexing by mechanic transmission, graft-transmissions to herbaceous and woody plants. Virus purification.
  2. Western blot analysis of GRMV viral coat protein from plants. F(ab’)2 indirect ELISA. Immuno-electromicroscopy study of the GRMV virion.
  3. Polyclonal antibody production using fusion coat protein expressed in E. coli.
  4. Virus coat protein expression in E. coli and protein purification.
  5. Sequence, genome organization, and phylogenetic analyses.
  6. RT-PCR, IC-PCR, DB-PCR, and colorimetric PCR detection of viruses from plants.
  7. cDNA cloning, DNA sequencing, and complete full length nucleotide sequence of GRMV genome was obtained.
  8. cDNA cloning and dsRNA analysis, Southern blot and Northern blot analyses.
• Visiting Scholar, Washington State University, Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Prosser, Washington. 10/88 - 5/90.
  1. Worked in the Interregional project 2 (IR-2), include fruit tree virus indexing using indicator plants and serological methods (ELISA), virus elimination with heat treatment, and management of virus tested material.
  2. Isolated viruses associated with cherry twisted leaf, apricot ring pox and pit pox diseases to herbaceous plants Nicotiana occidentalis, and found their relationship to apple stem pitting virus by dsRNA gel electrophoresis and serological assays (gel double diffusion test and ELISA). Performed virus purification using sucrose density gradient centrifugation and fractionation. Conducted antibody decoration and EM.
• Research Assistant, Pomology Research Institute, Shaanxi Province, China. 7/85 - 9/88. Conducted fruit tree disease diagnosis, research, control, and extension consulting, help established a fruit tree clean stock program, including virus indexing, elimination, and virus-tested material certification.

Publications

1. Zhang, Y. P. and J. K. Uyemoto. Molecular diagnosis of cherry green ring mottle virus. In: Molecular Diagnosis of Plant Viruses, chapter 19. Studium Press, LLC.
2. Rosa, C., Y. P. Zhang, and A. K. Rowhani. Grapevine rupestris vein feathering virus California isolate. GenBank Submission.
3. Rowhani, A., L. Biardi, R. Johnson, P. Saldarelli, Y. P. Zhang, J. Chin, and M. Green. Simplified sample preparation method and one-tube RT-PCR for grapevine viruses. Pages 148 in: XIIIth International Council for the Study of Viruses and Virus-like Diseases of the Grapevine, Adelaide Australia.
4. Rowhani, A., Y. P Zhang, D. A. Golino, and J. K. Uyemoto. Isolation and partial characterization of two new viruses from grapevine. In: Proceedings of the 13th International Council for the study of Viruses and Virus-like Diseases of the grapevine. Adelaide, Australia.
5. Rowhani, A. Y. P. Zhang, and J.K. Uyemoto. Molecular characterization and nucleotide sequence of grapevine rootstock stem lesion associated virus. (in preparation).
6. Izadpanah, K., M. Zaki-Aghl, Y. P. Zhang, S. D. Daubert, and A. Rowhani. 2003. Bermuda grass as a potential reservoir host for grapevine fanleaf virus. Plant Disease 87:1179-1182.
7. Izadpanah, K., Y. P. Zhang, S. Daubert, M. Masumi, and A. Rowhani. Sequence of the coat protein gene of Bermuda grass etched-line virus, and of the adjacent ‘Marafibox’ motif. Virus Genes 24:131-134.
8. Zhang, Y. P., B. C. Kirkpatrick, and J. K. Uyemoto. Comparison of cherry green ring mottle virus strains using RT-PCR and coat protein sequence phylogeny. Journal of Plant Pathology 82: 49-53.
9. Zhang, Y. P., J. K. Uyemoto, D. A. Golino, and A. Rowhani. Nucleotide sequence and RT-PCR detection of a virus associated with grapevine rupestris stem pitting disease. Phytopathology 88: 1231-1237.
10. Roth, G., Y. P. Zhang, P. Saldarelli, and A. Rowhani. Use of degenerate primers for partial sequencing and RT-PCR based assays of grapevine leafroll associated viruses 4 and 5. Phytopathology 88: 1238-1243.
11. Zhang, Y. P., J. K. Uyemoto, A. Rowhani. A strategy for rapid cDNA cloning from small amount of nucleic acid of plant RNA viruses of unknown sequence by using Taq DNA polymerase. Journal of Virological Methods 84: 59-63.
12. Zhang, Y. P., B. C. Kirkpatrick, and J. K. Uyemoto. cDNA cloning and molecular characterization of sour cherry green ring mottle virus. Journal of General Virology 79: 2275-2281.
13. Zhang, Y. P., B. K. Kirkpatrick, and J. K. Uyemoto. Etiological study of cherry stem pitting disease in California. Plant Disease 82: 871-874.
14. Zhang, Y. P., J. K. Uyemoto, and B. C. Kirkpatrick. A small-scale procedure for extracting nucleic acids from woody plants infected with various phytopathogens for PCR assay. Journal of Virological Methods 71: 45-50.
15. Marini, D. B., Y. P. Zhang, A. Rowhani, and J. K. Uyemoto. Etiology and host range of a closterovirus associated with plum bark necrosis-stem pitting disease. Plant Disease 86:415-417.
16. Zhang, Y. P. and J. K Uyemoto. Detection and recovery of tomato ring spot virus from diseased peach by graft-inoculations to Prunus tomentosa Thunb. Plant Disease 77:101.
17. Zhang, Y. P., G. I. Mink, M. G. Tiffany, and W. E. Howell. Isolation of viruses associated with cherry twisted leaf, apricot ring pox and apricot pit pox diseases and their relationship to apple stem pitting virus. In preparation.
18. Howell, W. E., Y. P. Zhang, J. Burgess, G. I. Mink, and L. J. Skrzeczkowski. Elimination of apple fruit and bark deforming agents by heat therapy. Acta Horticulturae 472 :641-648.

Professional Affiliations

• American Phytopathological Society.