• Research in the Tian group at Chenshan Botanical Garden is focused on understanding the regulatory control of hydrolyzable tannin metabolism in pomegranate using molecular, biochemical, genetic and omics approaches. Our long term goal is apply this knowledge to improving the nutritional value of pomegranate as functional food.



• Current research topics include:
1. 1. Elucidating the regulatory architecture of hydrolyzable tannin accumulation in pomegranate.
2. 2. Establishing the transformation platform for functional characterization of candidate genes in pomegranate.
3. 3. Cataloging and discovering novel secondary/specialized metabolites in pomegranate tissues.

1. Wu, S. and Tian, L. (2018) A new flavone glucoside together with known ellagitannins and flavones with anti-diabetic and anti-obesity activities from the flowers of pomegranate (Punica granatum). Natural Product Research. In press.

2. Wu, S. and Tian, L. (2017) Diverse phytochemicals and bioactivities in the ancient fruit and modern functional food pomegranate (Punica granatum). Molecules 22:1606.

3. Wilson, A.E., Feng, X., Ono, N.N., Holland, D., Amir, R. and Tian, L. (2017) Characterization of a UGT84 family glycosyltransferase provides new insights into substrate binding and reactivity of galloylglucose ester-forming UGTs. Biochemistry 56: 6389-6400.

4.Wilson, A.E., Hosea, M. and Tian, L.(2016) Glucose ester enabled acylation in plant specialized metabolism. Phytochemistry Reviews 15: 1057-1074..

• Dr. Li Tian obtained her B.S. in Biochemistry at Nankai University, her Ph.D. in Plant Biology at Michigan State University, and was a postdoctoral fellow in Plant Biochemistry at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. She joined UC Davis in 2008 as part of the Foods for Health initiative and is now an Associate Professor in the Plant Sciences department. Her research focuses on understanding the biosynthesis and regulation of phytochemicals in plants with the goal of improving crop nutrient content and performance in the adverse environment.