Da Cao specialises in plant science: strigolactones measurement and functions in shoot branching.
My research aims to study how strigolactones and other regulators regulate the shoot branching in pea (Pisum sativum) and Arabidopsis thaliana. I am developing the extraction and quantification method for strigolactones and other phytohormones using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. After that, I will investigate the crosstalk between strigolactones and other shoot branching-related signals to identify the mechanisms underlying shoot branching in plants.
Da (David) obtained his Bachelor degree in Biotechnology from the Henan Normal University, China, and his Master degree in plant science from the University of Melbourne, Australia. After completing his master degree in 2016, He worked as a research assistant in Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, studying proteomics and metabolomics on pomegranate seed hardness. In 2017, David began his PhD at the School of Biological Sciences, the University of Queensland. His work focuses on plant hormone measurement (mainly strigolactones) and their functions on shoot branching in plants.
Key Publications
J. Niu, Da Cao, H. Li, H. Xue, L. Chen, B. Liu, S. Cao. (2018) Quantitative proteomics of pomegranate varieties with contrasting seed hardness during seed development stages, Tree Genetics & Genomes, 14(1): 14.
Da Cao, Adrian Lutz, Camilla Beate Hill, Damien Callahan and Ute Roessner. (2017) A quantitative profiling method of phytohormones and other metabolites applied to barley roots subjected to salinity stress. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7,2070.
Shang-yin CAO, Juan NIU, Da CAO, Hao-xian LI, Hui XUE, Li-na CHEN, Fu-hong ZHANG, Di-guang ZHAO. (2015) Comparative proteomics analysis of pomegranate seeds on fruit maturation period (Punica granatum L.). Journal of Integrative Agriculture 14(12): 2558-2564.