研究領域：(1)Focusing on the interactions bewteen rice dwarf virusmovement protein (MP) and cytoskeleton proteins (including actin andmicrotube proteins) and plasmodesmata in the aspects of molecular biology and cell biology; Functional mapping of RDV MP and studying the MP mutantson the effects on virus cell-to-cell movement and mediated resistance against virus infections in transgenic plants; Cloning the host factor(s)involving in virus cell-to-cell movement and virus replication.
(2)研究調節病毒複製的細胞調節因子。
(3)植物基因工程
科研課題：(1).轉基因植物外源和內源基因共抑制(cosuppression)問題的研究，國家自然科學基金項目,1997.1-1999.12.
(2).TMV外殼蛋白突變體對病毒粒子組裝和突變體外殼蛋白介導抗性的研究，國家科委863項目,1996.1 - 2000.12.
(3).花卉花色基因工程育種，北大-雲南合作項目，1998-2000.
(4).花卉花期基因調控研究，深圳市科技局資助項目，1996-2000.
(5).水稻矮縮病毒(RDV)細胞間運動蛋白的作用機理研究，國家自然科學基金項目，1998.1-2000.12，.
(6).玉米矮縮病毒基因的克隆和轉化，科技部轉基因專項計畫，1999-2001。
(7).Molecular Biology and cell biology of rice dwarf virus movementprotein, Rockefeller Foundation grant. 1999-2001.
代表性論文：迄今，已在國內外專業學術刊物上發表論文60多篇，出版專著一本。近期發表文章：
Xu, H., Li, Y. (1998): The rice dwarf phytoreovirus segment S11 encodes a nucleic acid-binding protein. Virology, 240: 267-272.Mao, Z., Li, Y. (1998): The 42K protein of rice dwarf phytoreovirus is a postcleavage product of the 46K outer capsid protein encoded by genome segment S8. Archives of Virology 143:1831-1838.
Zhang, F., Li, Y. (1997): Molecular cloning and functional analysis of major core protein gene (S3) of rice dwarf virus Chinese isolate. Acta Virologica 41: 161-168.
Zheng, H., Li, Y. (1997): Recovery of transgenic rice plants expressing rice dwarf virus outer coat protein gene (S8).
Theoretical and Applied Genetics 94: 522-527.
Li, Y., Wei, C.H. (1996): Immunodetection of beet necrotic yellow vein virus RNA3 encoded protein in different host plants and tissues. Acta Virologica 40: 67-72.
