Research Areas: Molecular Genetics of Cyanobacteria and Plants; Photosynthesis;

QingfangHe

AssociateProfessor

DepartmentofAppliedScience

UniversityofArkansasLittleRock

Research Areas: Molecular Genetics of Cyanobacteria and Plants; Photosynthesis; AppliedPhycology

Ph. D., 1998, ArizonaStateUniversity

Postdoctoral Training, 1998-2002, Carnegie Institution of Washington at Stanford

Research Description

My group members are studying the molecular mechanisms by which photosynthetic organisms cope with environmental stress that causes inhibition to photosynthesis and reduction in crop yield. Understanding these mechanisms will help in developing crop plants that are able to thrive even under harsh environmental conditions. Currently we are focusing our studies on a family of four high light inducible polypeptides (HLIP) with similarity to the light harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins of vascular plants in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. These polypeptides accumulate under a variety of stress conditions and they are required for surviving exposure to high intensity light. The exact mechanism of HLIP action and the function of these polypeptides in survival during high light exposure are not clearly understood. HLIPs are preserved in vascular plants; they may play important roles in these systems as well. The regulatory mechanism that governs the expression of the genes encoding HLIPs (hli) has not yet been elucidated. Several important questions are being addressed. These include how hli genes are regulated, whether HLIPs form complexes, and what are the roles of HLIPs in cell survival. The approaches being used combine genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics tools.

Publications

Jantaro, S., Ali, Q., Lone, S. & He, Q. (2006) Suppression of the lethality of high intensity light to a mutant lacking four hli genes by the inactivation of the regulatory protein PfsR in Synechocystis PCC 6803. J. Biol. Chem. 281, 30865-30874.

Hsiao, H-Y., He, Q., van Waasbergen, L. G. & Grossman, A. R. (2003) Control of photosynthetic and high light-responsive genes by the histidine kinase DspA: Negative and positive regulation and interactions between signal transduction pathways. J. Bacteriol.186,3882-3888.

Havaux, M., Guedeney, G., He, Q. & Grossman A. (2003) Elimination of high-light-inducible polypeptides related to eukaryotic chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins results in aberrant photoacclimation in Synechocystis PCC 6803. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1557, 21-33.

He, Q. (2003) Microalgae as platforms for recombinant proteins. Handbook of Microalgal Cuture, Ed by A. Richmond. pp471-484, Blackwell Science.

Grossman, A. R. Bhaya, D. & He, Q. (2001) Tracking the light environment by cyanobacteria and the dynamic nature of light harvesting. J. Biol. Chem. 276, 11449-11452.

He, Q., Dolganov, N., Bjorkman, O. & Grossman, A. R. (2001) The high light inducible polypeptides in Synechocystis PCC 6803: Expression and function in high light. J. Biol. Chem. 276, 306-314.

He, Q., Paulsen, H. & Vermaas, W. (1999) Expression of a higher plant light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding protein in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Eur. J. Biochem. 263, 561-570.

He, Q. & Vermaas, W. (1999) Genetic deletion of proteins resembling type IV-pilins in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803: Their role in binding or transfer of newly synthesized chlorophyll. Plant Mol. Biol. 39, 1175-1188.

He, Q. & Vermaas, W. (1998) Chlorophyll a availability affects psbA translation and D1 precursor processing in vivo in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 5830-5835.

He, Q., Brune, D., Nieman, R. & Vermaas, W. (1998) Chlorophyll a synthesis upon interruption and deletion of por coding for the light-dependent NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase in a photosystem I-less/chlL- strain of Synechocystis PCC 6803. Eur. J. Biochem. 253, 161-172.