Yingqi Cai
Res Associate Biology, BI Plant Science, Biology Department

Brookhaven National Laboratory
Biology Department
Bldg. 463, Room B-111
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631) 344-7759
ycai@bnl.gov
Expertise
Lipid metabolism, lipid droplet biogenesis, metabolic engineering
Selected Publications
- Cai Y, Goodman JM, Pyc M, et al (2015) Arabidopsis SEIPIN Proteins Modulate Triacylglycerol Accumulation and Influence Lipid Droplet Proliferation. The Plant Cell 27:2616–2636. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.15.00588
- Gidda SK, Park S, Pyc M, et al (2016) Lipid Droplet-Associated Proteins (LDAPs) Are Required for the Dynamic Regulation of Neutral Lipid Compartmentation in Plant Cells. Plant Physiology 170:2052–2071. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.15.01977
- Pyc M, Cai Y, Greer MS, et al (2017) Turning Over a New Leaf in Lipid Droplet Biology. Trends in Plant Science 22:596–609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2017.03.012
- Pyc M, Cai Y, Gidda SK, et al (2017) Arabidopsis lipid droplet-associated protein (LDAP) – interacting protein (
LDIP ) influences lipid droplet size and neutral lipid homeostasis in both leaves and seeds. The Plant Journal 92:1182–1201. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.13754 - Cai Y, McClinchie E, Price A, et al (2017) Mouse fat storage-inducing transmembrane protein 2 (
FIT 2) promotes lipid droplet accumulation in plants. Plant Biotechnology Journal 15:824–836. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.12678 - Liu F, Zhao Q, Mano N, et al (2015) Modification of starch metabolism in transgenicArabidopsis thalianaincreases plant biomass and triples oilseed production. Plant Biotechnology Journal 14:976–985. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.12453
- Greer MS, Cai Y, Gidda SK, et al (2020) SEIPIN Isoforms Interact with the Membrane-Tethering Protein VAP27-1 for Lipid Droplet Formation. The Plant Cell 32:2932–2950. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00771
- Ivarson E, Iven T, Sturtevant D, et al (2017) Production of wax esters in the wild oil species Lepidium campestre. Industrial Crops and Products 108:535–542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.07.002
- Stoeckman AK, Cai Y, Chapman KD (2019) iCURE (iterative course-based undergraduate research experience): A case-study. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education 47:565–572. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21279
- Pyc M, Gidda SK, Seay D, et al (2021) LDIP cooperates with SEIPIN and LDAP to facilitate lipid droplet biogenesis in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell 33:3076–3103. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab179
- Cai Y, Whitehead P, Chappell J, Chapman KD (2019) Mouse lipogenic proteins promote the co-accumulation of triacylglycerols and sesquiterpenes in plant cells. Planta 250:79–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-019-03148-9
- Cai Y (2020) SnRK1-ZmRFWD3-Opaque2: A Nexus of Seed Nutrient Accumulation and Diurnal Cycles. The Plant Cell 32:2671–2672. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00592
- Dyer J, Yurchenko O, Park S, et al (2015) Production of Oil in Plant Vegetative Tissues. The FASEB Journal 29:. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.485.2
- Cai Y (2020) Lipid Synthesis and Beyond: SAD Fatty Acid Desaturases Contribute to Seed Development. The Plant Cell 32:3386–3387. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00792
- Cai Y (2020) Shaping the Plant Cell Wall: Molecular Characteristics of XOAT1 in Polysaccharide Acetylation. The Plant Cell 32:2075–2076. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00346
- Cai Y (2021) Sugar traffic jam: impaired cellulose deposition in the phloem retards long-distance sucrose transport. The Plant Cell 33:3187–3188. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab195
- Cai Y (2021) Leading the way out: how a plant myosin facilitates vesicle tethering during exocytosis. The Plant Cell 33:2104–2105. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab111
- Cai Y (2021) Knocksideways in plants: an inducible system for in planta visualization of protein interactions. The Plant Cell 33:1085–1086. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab002
- Cai Y (2020) A Closer Look at Acyl-ACPs in Lipid Metabolism. The Plant Cell 32:779–780. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00141

Brookhaven National Laboratory
Biology Department
Bldg. 463, Room B-111
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631) 344-7759
ycai@bnl.gov