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Yong-sung Joo

Seoul National University · Agricultural and Biological Sciences

About the Lab

Professor Yong-sung Joo's research lab focuses on plant-insect interactions, particularly the role of circadian rhythms and tissue-specific defense mechanisms in mediating indirect plant defense. The lab investigates how plants time their volatile emissions—especially green leaf volatiles and sesquiterpenes—through the circadian clock to optimize attraction of natural enemies of herbivores. Using molecular, physiological, and ecological approaches in native plants like *Nicotiana attenuata*, the lab explores how phytohormones such as jasmonates and strigolactones regulate tissue-specific defenses against herbivores with distinct feeding strategies.

circadian clockherbivore-induced volatilesplant defensetri-trophic interactionstissue-specific defense

Research Overview

Papers
68
Total Citations
709
Papers (5y)
43
Primary Field
Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
43total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
79total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|64 citations·2017
Herbivore‐induced volatile blends with both “fast” and “slow” components provide robust indirect defence in nature
Youngsung Joo, Meredith C. Schuman, Jay K Goldberg, Sang‐Gyu Kim, Felipe Yon, Christoph Brütting, Ian T. Baldwin
SJR Q1Functional EcologyOA

Abstract Plants emit volatile blends specific to particular herbivore interactions, which predators and parasitoids learn to associate with prey, increasing herbivore mortality and thereby plant fitness in a phenomenon termed indirect defence. Herbivore‐induced plant volatile blends commonly include both rapid, transient green leaf volatiles ( GLV s) and delayed, enduring sesquiterpenes. A few laboratory studies indicate that insects can use plant volatiles to time behaviour, but it is not known

Insect ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
2
Article|53 citations·2021
Pith‐specific lignification in Nicotiana attenuata as a defense against a stem‐boring herbivore
Youngsung Joo, Hoon Kim, Moonyoung Kang, Gisuk Lee, Sungjun Choung, Harleen Kaur, Shinyoung Oh, Jun Weon Choi, John Ralph, Ian T. Baldwin, Sang‐Gyu Kim
SJR Q1New PhytologistOA

Plants have developed tissue-specific defense strategies in response to various herbivores with different feeding habits. Although defense responses to leaf-chewing insects have been well studied, little is known about stem-specific responses, particularly in the pith, to stem-boring herbivores. To understand the stem-specific defense, we first conducted a comparative transcriptomic analysis of the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata before and after attack by the leaf-chewing herbivore Manduca sex

Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
3
Article|40 citations·2018
Herbivory elicits changes in green leaf volatile production via jasmonate signaling and the circadian clock
Youngsung Joo, Meredith C. Schuman, Jay K Goldberg, Antje Wissgott, Sang‐Gyu Kim, Ian T. Baldwin
SJR Q1Plant Cell & EnvironmentOA

The timing of plant volatile emissions is important for a robust indirect defense response. Green leaf volatiles (GLVs) are emitted by plants upon damage but can be suppressed by herbivore-associated elicitors, and the abundance and composition of GLVs vary depending on the timing of herbivore attack. We show that the GLV biosynthetic enzyme HYDROPEROXIDE LYASE (HPL) is transcriptionally regulated by the circadian clock in Nicotiana attenuata. In accordance with transcript abundance of NaHPL, GL

Insect ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
4
Article|34 citations·2020
Strigolactone signaling regulates specialized metabolism in tobacco stems and interactions with stem-feeding herbivores
Suhua Li, Youngsung Joo, Dechang Cao, Ran Li, Gisuk Lee, Rayko Halitschke, Gundega Baldwin, Ian T. Baldwin, Ming Wang
SJR Q1PLoS BiologyOA

Plants are attacked by herbivores, which often specialize on different tissues, and in response, have evolved sophisticated resistance strategies that involve different types of chemical defenses frequently targeted to different tissues. Most known phytohormones have been implicated in regulating these defenses, with jasmonates (JAs) playing a pivotal role in complex regulatory networks of signaling interactions, often generically referred to as "cross talk." The newly identified class of phytoh

Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
5
Article|32 citations·2017
Circadian clock component, LHY, tells a plant when to respond photosynthetically to light in nature
Youngsung Joo, Variluska Fragoso, Felipe Yon, Ian T. Baldwin, Sang‐Gyu Kim
SJR Q1Journal of Integrative Plant BiologyOA

Abstract The circadian clock is known to increase plant growth and fitness, and is thought to prepare plants for photosynthesis at dawn and dusk; whether this happens in nature was unknown. We transformed the native tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata to silence two core clock components, NaLHY (irLHY) and NaTOC1 (irTOC1). We characterized growth and light‐ and dark‐adapted photosynthetic rates ( A c ) throughout a 24 h day in empty vector‐transformed (EV), irLHY, and irTOC1 plants in the field, and in

Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
6
Article|18 citations·2020
Reduced host plant growth and increased tyrosine-derived secondary metabolites under climate change and negative consequences on its specialist herbivore
Hyun Jun Park, Bo Eun Nam, Sun Young Moon, Sang‐Gyu Kim, Youngsung Joo, Jae Geun Kim
SJR Q1The Science of The Total Environment
Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
7
letter|16 citations·2018
The circadian clock contributes to diurnal patterns of plant indirect defense in nature
Youngsung Joo, Jay K Goldberg, Lucille T. S. Chrétien, Sang‐Gyu Kim, Ian T. Baldwin, Meredith C. Schuman
SJR Q1Journal of Integrative Plant BiologyOA

The plant circadian clock regulates the rhythms of plant metabolism. Many herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) fluctuate, diurnally, but the role of the circadian clock in the emission of HIPVs and their ecological consequences remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the timing of herbivore attack can alter the outcome of tri-trophic interactions, and this is mediated by the circadian clock, under both field and glasshouse conditions. Although most HIPV emissions did not have a circadia

Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
8
Article|9 citations·2011
Acclimation responses of Tamarix chinensis seedlings related to cold stress
Youngsung Joo, Eun Ju Lee
SJR Q2Journal of Ecology and EnvironmentOA

The purpose of this study was to investigate the acclimation responses of Tamarix chinensis to cold stress. We evaluated the acclimation responses by measuring biomass, daily elongation rate, chlorophyll content, and total soluble carbohydrate content. The plant samples comprised leaves from seedlings of 2 different ages (8 and 12 weeks); the leaves were collected 0, 2, and 4 weeks after cold treatment. We found that the cold-treated samples showed reduced daily elongation rates and chlorophyll

Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
9
Article|8 citations·2022
Ontogeny-dependent effects of elevated CO2 and watering frequency on interaction between Aristolochia contorta and its herbivores
Hyun Jun Park, Bo Eun Nam, Gisuk Lee, Sang‐Gyu Kim, Youngsung Joo, Jae Geun Kim
SJR Q1The Science of The Total EnvironmentOA

Effects of environmental change on plants can differ due to sequential changes in their life-history strategies (i.e., ontogenetic variations). The fitness of herbivorous insects by physiological changes of the host plant could be affected depending on their diet breadth. However, little is known regarding the combinational effects of plant ontogeny and climate change on plant-herbivore interactions. This study examined the plant ontogeny-dependent effects of climate change on the interaction be

Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
10
Article|6 citations·2025
MYC2 and MYC3 orchestrate pith lignification to defend Nicotiana attenuata stems against a stem‐boring weevil
Sungjun Choung, Gisuk Lee, Moonyoung Kang, K.S. Park, Eunae Park, Sunghee Lee, Junyong Song, Jay K Goldberg, Ian T. Baldwin, Youngsung Joo, Sang‐Gyu Kim
SJR Q1New PhytologistOA

Lignin is a key structural polymer that also serves as a potent defense against biotic stress. Herbivore-induced, jasmonate-dependent pith lignification in Nicotiana attenuata plays a crucial role in defense against the stem-borer Trichobaris mucorea. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying herbivore-induced lignification remain largely unknown. We demonstrate that NaMYC2 and NaMYC3 orchestrate pith-specific lignification in response to T. mucorea attack. RNA-seq analysis reveals that mono

Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
11
Article|4 citations·2024
Estimation on Individual-Level Carbon Sequestration Capacity of Understory Perennial Herbs
Bo Eun Nam, Jeongmin Kim, Seungki Lee, Youn Kyoung Son, Byoung‐Hee Lee, Youngsung Joo
SJR Q2Journal of Plant BiologyOA

Abstract The carbon sequestration capacity of plants has been used as a nature-based solution to reduce carbon emissions. Perennial herbs potentially contribute to carbon sequestration by allocating carbon to belowground parts as well as trees. As individual-level estimations have mainly been carried out for tree species, individual-level carbon sequestration for understory perennial herb species is poorly understood. To estimate the below- and aboveground carbon sequestration capacity, ten pere

Nature and Landscape ConservationEnvironmental Science
12
Article|1 citations·2025
Unveiling the Hidden Impact: Urbanisation Disproportionately Reduces Belowground Insect Functional Group Richness
Ui‐Joung Byeon, Yong‐Chan Cho, J. Kim, Ji‐Won Kang, Changku Kang, Jong‐Seok Park, Youngsung Joo
SJR Q1Diversity and DistributionsOA

ABSTRACT Aim Anthropogenic effects, for example, urbanisation, induce environmental stressors that often result in biodiversity loss, with significant implications for ecosystem services. In particular, the decline in insect biodiversity can reduce essential services such as pest suppression or food web disruption in urban areas. Potentially, the impact of urbanisation may differ between above‐ and belowground insect communities. This is because the two groups may be influenced by different abio

Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and SystematicsAgricultural and Biological Sciences
13
Article|1 citations·2024
Girdling behavior of the longhorn beetle modulates the host plant to enhance larval performance
Min‐Soo Choi, Ju‐Hee Lee, Jeongmin Kim, Sang‐Gyu Kim, Youngsung Joo
SJR Q1BMC Ecology and EvolutionOA

BACKGROUND: Preingestive behavioral modulations of herbivorous insects on the host plant are abundant over insect taxa. Those behaviors are suspected to have functions such as deactivation of host plant defenses, nutrient accumulation, or modulating plant-mediated herbivore interactions. To understand the functional consequence of behavioral modulation of insect herbivore, we studied the girdling behavior of Phytoecia rufiventris Gautier (Lamiinae; Cerambycidae) on its host plant Erigeron annuus

EcologyEnvironmental Science
14
peer-review|0 citations·2020
Decision letter: Volatile DMNT directly protects plants against Plutella xylostella by disrupting the peritrophic matrix barrier in insect midgut
Youngsung Joo
OA
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
15
peer-review|0 citations·2023
Editor's evaluation: The push–pull intercrop Desmodium does not repel, but intercepts and kills pests
Youngsung Joo
OA
Agronomy and Crop ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Research Areas

Plant ScienceEcology, Evolution, Behavior and SystematicsInsect ScienceMolecular BiologyRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingEcology

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