Keyan Zhu-Salzman

Areas of Expertise

• Insect-plant-environment interactions

Professional Summary

Keyan Zhu-Salzman, Ph.D. is a professor in the Texas A&M University Department of Entomology. Her research interests lie in the field of insect-plant-environment interactions. Work in her lab aims to understand plant defense signaling pathways in response to phloem-feeding aphids, as well as how herbivorous insects cope with plant anti-nutritional factors or adverse environmental challenges. She is also studying impact of electron beam irradiation and hypoxia on storage insect pests. Zhu-Salzman serves on editorial boards of Insect Science and Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. Over her career, Zhu-Salzman has garnered several million dollars of research funding and has published 110 peer-reviewed papers. Her classroom teaching focuses on Insect Biotechnology in upper level of undergraduate courses. Students learn principles of molecular biology, genetic and genomics techniques in the lecture class, and master a set of basic techniques through hands-on experience in the laboratory class.

Selected Publications

• He, L., I.W. Chen, Z. Zhang, W. Zheng, A. Sayadi, L. Wang, W. Sang, R. Ji, J. Lei, G. Arnqvist, C. Lei and K. Zhu-Salzman (2022) In silico promoter analysis and functional validation identify CmZFH, the co-regulator of hypoxia-responsive genes CmScylla and CmLPCAT. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 140, 103681
• Ji, R., J. Lei, I.W. Chen, W. Sang, S. Yang, J. Fang and K. Zhu-Salzman (2021) Cytochrome P450s CYP380C6 and CYP380C9 in green peach aphid facilitate its adaptation to indole glucosinolate-mediated plant defense. Pest Management Science 77: 148–158
• Lei, J., I.W. Chen, G. Wright, S. Pillai and K. Zhu-Salzman (2020) Electron beam irradiation induces DNA endoreplication in holometabolous juvenile insects: a rapid flow cytometry-based diagnosis. Journal of Pest Science 93: 1131-1142
• Lei, J., G.K. Jayaprakasha, J. Singh, R. Uckoo, E.J. Borrego, S. Finlayson, M. Kolomiets, B.S. Patil, J. Braam and K. Zhu-Salzman (2019) CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED1 controls resistance to aphid by altering indole glucosinolate production. Plant Physiology 181:1344-1359
• Zhu-Salzman, K. and R.S. Zeng (2015) Insect response to plant defensive protease inhibitors. Annual Review of Entomology 60: 233-252