柴继杰
Ji-Jie CHAI

西湖大学生命科学学院植物免疫学讲席教授
博士生导师

Ph.D., Chair Professor
Westlake University, China

柴继杰，西湖大学生命科学学院植物免疫学讲席教授，博士生导师。1987年获大连轻工业学院学士学位，1994年获石油化工科学研究院硕士学位，1997年获中国协和医科大学药物研究所博士学位。1997-1999年及1999-2004年先后在中国科学院生物物理研究所和普林斯顿大学从事博士后研究，2004-2009年及2009-2010年任北京生命科学研究所研究员及高级研究员，2009-2023年任清华大学生命科学学院教授，2017-2023年任德国马克斯-普朗克植物育种研究所“洪堡教授”。2023年全职加入西湖大学。长期从事植物免疫受体RLK（受体激酶）和NLR（抗病蛋白）的信号传导机制的研究。先后在国际著名学术期刊上发表SCI论文100余篇，SCI引用22,000余次。系统总结了植物受体激酶活化的最小二聚化模式及线性小肽识别一般规律，相关研究成果获2017年国家自然科学二等奖；率先提出了植物NLR抗病小体（Resistosomes）的概念，并证明抗病小体可以作为钙离子通道或者作为NADase全酶催化产生第二信使，推动了对植物NLR信号传导机制的理解。相关研究结果获得为2023年未来科学大奖-生命科学奖。受邀国内外学术报告100余次。

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. 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.