<p><strong>Dr. Duoduo (Dora) Wang</strong> is an Assistant Professor of Plant Physiology at the University of New Hampshire and an Associate Editor for <em>The Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology</em>. She earned her Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology from the University of Nottingham in 2018, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Florida and Cornell University.</p>
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<p>Dr. Wang’s research focuses on uncovering the genetic and molecular mechanisms of fruit softening, using tomato as a model system. As a key horticultural crop, tomato plays a vital role in both fresh and processed markets, yet its short shelf life leads to significant postharvest losses. Softening, a ripening-associated process, directly affects fruit quality, shelf life, and disease resistance. Due to its well-characterized genetics, short life cycle, and efficient transformation system, tomato serves as an ideal model for studying softening in climacteric fruits, with insights applicable to other fleshy fruits.</p>
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<p>Striking a balance between controlling softening and preserving key quality traits such as flavor is essential for improving fruit quality and ensuring sustainability in the food supply chain. Dr. Wang’s lab integrates molecular genetics, bioinformatics, and genomics to tackle key unresolved questions in this field. The lab welcomes highly motivated graduate and undergraduate students seeking hands-on experience in plant physiology, genetics, and molecular biology.</p>
Research Interests
- Fruits
- Omics Studies (Genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics)
- Genetic Manipulation
- Molecular Biology
- Plant Genetics
Selected Publications
Wang, D., Mandal, P., Rahman, M. S., & Yang, L. (2025). Engineering tomato disease resistance by manipulating susceptibility genes.. Front Genome Ed, 7, 1537148. doi:10.3389/fgeed.2025.1537148
Chen, Y., Cao, F., Zou, Y., Li, Y., Wen, J., Fu, Y., . . . Lu, Y. (2024). The Discovery of the Potential Attractive Compounds of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). Horticulturae, 10(3), 299. doi:10.3390/horticulturae10030299
Ortega‐Salazar, I., Crum, D., Sbodio, A. O., Sugiyama, Y., Adaskaveg, A., Wang, D., . . . Blanco‐Ulate, B. (2024). Double CRISPR knockout of pectin degrading enzymes improves tomato shelf‐life while ensuring fruit quality. PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET, 6(2), 330-340. doi:10.1002/ppp3.10445
Zou, Y., Chen, Y., Wang, D., Xie, X., Li, G., Zheng, C., . . . Cao, F. (2023). The Effects of Nine Compounds on Aldehyde-Oxidase-Related Genes in Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). Genes, 15(1), 35. doi:10.3390/genes15010035
Wang, D., Lu, Q., Wang, X., Ling, H., & Huang, N. (2023). Elucidating the role of SlXTH5 in tomato fruit softening. Horticultural Plant Journal, 9(4), 777-788. doi:10.1016/j.hpj.2022.12.005
Wang, D., Jin, S., Lu, Q., & Chen, Y. (2023). Advances and Challenges in CRISPR/Cas-Based Fungal Genome Engineering for Secondary Metabolite Production: A Review. Journal of Fungi, 9(3), 362. doi:10.3390/jof9030362
Wang, D., Lu, Q., Jin, S., Fan, X., & Ling, H. (2023). Pectin, Lignin and Disease Resistance in Brassica napus L.: An Update. Horticulturae, 9(1), 112. doi:10.3390/horticulturae9010112
Wang, D., Kanyuka, K., & Papp-Rupar, M. (2023). Pectin: a critical component in cell-wall-mediated immunity.. Trends Plant Sci, 28(1), 10-13. doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2022.09.003
Wang, D., & Seymour, G. B. (2022). Molecular and biochemical basis of softening in tomato.. Mol Hortic, 2(1), 5. doi:10.1186/s43897-022-00026-z
Silva, C. J., van den Abeele, C., Ortega-Salazar, I., Papin, V., Adaskaveg, J. A., Wang, D., . . . Blanco-Ulate, B. (2021). Host susceptibility factors render ripe tomato fruit vulnerable to fungal disease despite active immune responses.. J Exp Bot, 72(7), 2696-2709. doi:10.1093/jxb/eraa601
