Leqing Qu

Title: Leqing Qu: Innovator in Seed-Specific Promoter Technology

Introduction

Leqing Qu is a prominent inventor based in Tsukuba, Japan. He has made significant contributions to the field of agricultural biotechnology, particularly in the development of seed-specific promoters. With a total of four patents to his name, Qu's work focuses on enhancing the expression of foreign proteins in seeds, which has important implications for crop improvement.

Latest Patents

One of Qu's latest patents is titled "AGPase promoter from rice and uses thereof." The objective of this invention is to provide promoters with seed-specific activity and methods for expressing foreign proteins in seeds. The inventors isolated the promoter of ADP-Glucose pyrophosphorylase, which is expressed in rice seeds. They constructed binary vectors with the ADP-Glucose pyrophosphorylase promoter inserted upstream of the GUS reporter gene and transformed rice using this method. The GUS expression level was used to examine the site of expression, the expression pattern during seed maturation, and the level of expression in seeds. The findings revealed that expression occurs in the embryo during the early stages of maturation and throughout the seed during maturation, with particularly high expression in the embryo during the late stages.

Another significant patent is "Seed-specific promoter from the rice glutelin GluB-4 gene and uses thereof." This invention also aims to provide promoters with seed-specific activity and methods for expressing foreign proteins in seeds. The inventors isolated the promoters of several genes expressed in rice seeds and constructed binary vectors with each promoter inserted upstream of the GUS reporter gene. They transformed rice using this method and utilized GUS expression levels to examine the site of expression, expression patterns during seed maturation, and expression levels in seeds. This research led to the discovery of promoters with site-specific activity in seeds, demonstrating higher activity than constitutive promoters and known seed-specific promoters.

Career Highlights

Leqing Qu is affiliated with the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, where he conducts his research. His work has significantly advanced the understanding of seed-specific promoters and their applications in agricultural biotechnology.

Collaborations

Qu collaborates with Fumio Takaiwa, a fellow researcher in the field. Their joint efforts have contributed to the development of innovative solutions for enhancing crop performance through genetic engineering.

Conclusion

Leqing Qu's contributions to seed