Dr. Rongda (Ron) Qu
Professor of Crop Science
CROP SCIENCE
PERSONNEL
Campus Box 7287 1200 Partners II 840 Main Campus Dr.
Raleigh, NC 27606
rongda_qu@ncsu.edu
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COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES | ||
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Dr. Rongda (Ron) QuProfessor of Crop Science |
CROP SCIENCE
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1200 Partners II Campus Box 7287 1200 Partners II 840 Main Campus Dr. Raleigh, NC 27606 |
CURRICULUM VITAE | ||
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rongda_qu@ncsu.edu |
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Dr. Qu's graduate training was in plant cell and molecular biology. Prior to coming to NC State, Dr. Qu worked in rice and wheat biotechnology at the Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA) and Montana State University (Bozeman, MT). Dr. Qu is co-teaching CS720 (Molecular Biology in Plant Breeding) with Dr. R. Dewey.
Dr. Qu serves as an advisor to graduate students, conducts research in genetic transformation for improvement of turfgrass and other crops, and in transgene expression in monocot plants.
Dr. Minesh Patel, Researcher
Dr. Wan Jun Zhang, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Dr. Ruyu Li, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Kaimei Xu, Research Assistant
Bingwu Wang, Graduate student (Ph.D.)
Dr. Elumalai Sivamani isolated and characterized a strong promoter from a rice ubiquitin gene, rubi3, and further improved its strength. Jianli Lu, a former graduate student, found that the expression of the promoter is near-constitutive, and the degree of the expression enhancement by rubi3 5’ UTR intron is tissue-dependent. Shown in the figure is the GFP expression driven by the rubi3 promoter in a rice embryo (Fig. 1).
Using transgenic callus lines and plants transformed with the rubi3 promoter, Dr. Partha Samadder,a former Postdoctoral Research Associate, and Jianli Lu, observed intron-mediated enhancement at transcriptional, RNA accumulation and translational levels. Shown in the figure is the GUS reporter gene driven by the rubi3 promoter without (left) and with (right) its 5’ UTR intron in transgenic callus lines (Fig. 2). 
Dr. Shujie Dong developed an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol for tall fescue transformation. She introduced fungal disease resistance genes and observed transgenic plants resistant to both brown patch (Rhizoctonia solani) and gray leaf spot (Magnaporthe grisea) diseases. Shown in the figure is the resistance of transgenic plants to the gray leaf spot disease (right panel) with control (left panel) (Fig. 3). Kanishka de Silva is continuing this project. 
Dr. Shujie Dong introduced a heterologous gene into tall fescue for improved drought tolerance and saving of irrigation water. Shown are transgenic tall fescue plants (front row) and control plants after 6 days of no watering (Fig. 4). 
Dr. Kasi Azhakanandam, a former Research Associate, and Bingwu Wang have been working to improve agronomic traits of tobacco through genetic manipulation (Fig. 5). In addition, we are interested in producing useful proteins in tobacco for added value.
St. Augustinegrass breeding: St. Augustinegrass breeding: In the collaborative project with Dr. A. Bruneau, Ruyu Li, a former graduate student, collected germplasm, and used various approaches to develop somaclonal variations and mutations of St. Augustinegrass for cold tolerance and finer leaf texture (Fig. 6). The promising lines are in field trials. 
In a collaborative project with Drs. J. Cheng and L. Li, we are trying to improve the quality of the biomass crop for better biofuel production through genetic transformation. We have obtained transgenic switchgrass plants. Shown here is the regenerated switchgrass plants from tissue culture (Fig. 7). Sivamani E., R. K. DeLong and R. Qu
Protamine-mediated DNA coating remarkably improves bombardment transformation efficiency in plant cells
Plant Cell Rep (2009) 28:213–221
DOI 10.1007/s00299-008-0636-4
Qu, Rongda, Hong Luo, Virgil D. Meier (2008)
Turfgrass, in Kole, C. and Hall, T. C. (eds.),
“Compendium of Transgenic Crop Plants: Transgenic Plantation Crops, Vol. 8. Ornamentals and Turf Grasses”,
Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2008, pp 177-218
Jianli L., E. Sivamani, X. Li and R. Qu
Activity of the 5' regulatory regions of the rice polyubiquitin rubi3 gene in transgenic rice plants as analyzed by both GUS and GFP reporter genes
Plant Cell Rep (2008) 27:1587–1600
DOI 10.1007/s00299-008-0577-y
Jianli L., E. Sivamani, K. Azhakanandam, P. Samadder, X Li and R Qu
Gene expression enhancement mediated by the 5' UTR intron of the rice rubi3 gene varied remarkably among tissues in transgenic rice plants
Mol Genet Genomics (2008) 279:563–572
DOI 10.1007/s00438-008-0333-6
Samadder, P., E. Sivamani, J. Lu, X. Li, and R. Qu
Transcriptional and post- transcriptional enhancement of gene expression by the 5’ UTR intron of rice rubi3 gene
in transgenic rice cells.
Mol Genet Genomics (2008) 279: 429-438
DOI 10.1007/s00438-008-0323-8
Dong, S., H. D. Shew, L. P. Tredway, J. Lu, E. Sivamani, E. S. Miller, and R. Qu
Expression of the bacteriophage T4 lysozyme gene in tall fescue confers resistance to gray leaf spot and brown patch diseases.
Transgenic Res. (2008) 17: 47-57
DOI 10.1007/s11248-007-9073-3
Azhakanandam, K., S. M. Weissinger, J. Nicholson, R. Qu and A. K. Weissinger (2007) Amplicon-plus Targeting Technology (APTT) for rapid production of a highly unstable vaccine protein in tobacco plants. Plant Mol. Biol. 63: 393-404
E. Sivamani, and R. Qu (2006) Expression enhancement of a rice polyubiquitin promoter PlantMol. Biol. 60: 225-239.
R. Li, A. H. Bruneau, and R. Qu (2006) In vitro somatic embryogenesis and improved plant regeneration of St. Augustinegrass [Stanotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze] by 6-benzyladenine in callus induction medium. Plant Breed. 125: 52-56.
L. Li, R. Li, S. Fei, and R. Qu (2005) Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.]. Plant Cell Tiss. and Org. Cult. 83: 223-229.
Chen, X., W. Yang, E. Sivamani, A. H. Bruneau, B. Wang, and R. Qu (2005) Elimination of perennial ryegrass by engineering E. coli argE gene for suicidal activation of pro-herbicide, N-acetyl-PPT. Mol. Breed. 15: 339-347.
Dong, S. and R. Qu (2005) High frequency transformation of tall fescue with Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Plant Sci. 168: 1453-1458.
Bahieldin, A., H. F. Eissa, H. T. Mahfouz, W. E. Dyer, M. A. Madkour, and R. Qu (2005) Evidence for non-proteinaceous inhibitor(s) of ?-glucuronidase in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaf and root tissues. Plant Cell Tiss. and Org. Cult. 82: 11-17.
Li, L., and R. Qu (2004) Development of highly-regenerable callus lines and biolistic transformation of turf-type common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] Plant Cell Rep. 22: 403-407.
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