Quan Zeng, Ph.D.
Department of Plant Pathology
103 Center for Integrated Plant Systems
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, 48824
832-671-3499 (Cell)
517-353-3272 (Lab)
zengquan@msu.edu
Education:
● 2006 – 2011: Ph. D. Biological Sciences,
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
● 2002 – 2006: B.S. Biological Engineering,
Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
Research Experience:
● 2011-present: Michigan State University
Post doctoral research associate, Laboratory of Dr. George W. Sundin, Department of
Plant Pathology
Research area: The role of Hfq-regulated small RNAs in the regulation of bacterial
virulence in Erwinia amylovora
● 2006-2011: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Graduate student researcher, Laboratory of Dr. Ching-Hong Yang, Department of
Biological Sciences
Research area: Genetic regulation of the type III secretion system of Dickeya dadantii
3937
● 2005-2006: Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
Undergraduate research assistant, Laboratory of Dr. Nanping Wang, Institute of
Cardiovascular Science
Research area: Role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma in human
vascular endothelial cells
● 2004-2005: Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
Undergraduate research assistant, Laboratory of Dr. Zhaoxin Lu, Department of
Biological Engineering
Research area: Identification and characterization of microorganisms that produce the
antimicrobial substance
Focus of the Ph. D. thesis:
● First, I established a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter-flow cytometry screening
system in combination with transposon mutagenesis to identify novel regulators of the
type III secretion system (T3SS) in Dickeya dadantii 3937, a phytopathogenic bacterium.
● I then studied the regulatory mechanisms of some of the T3SS regulators identified in the
screening, such as OpgH/OpgG, Hor, and polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase). In the
study of the PNPase, I discovered that PNPase controls the mRNA stability of hrpL
(encoding the T3SS master regulator) and rpoN (encoding a regulator of hrpL), and a
regulatory small RNA rsmB (controls hrpL mRNA degradation). In the pnp mutant,
abundant amount of 3’ end truncated rsmB RNAs was present. Each rsmB RNA
molecule has multiple RsmA binding sites. By binding to RsmA molecules, rsmB RNA
antagonizes the degradation effect of RsmA on hrpL mRNA. I demonstrated that the 3’
end truncated rsmB RNAs in the pnp mutant are still partially functional to bind RsmAs
and to antagonize their degradation on hrpL mRNA with the remaining RsmA binding
sites, although with greatly reduced biological activities.
● Another project I am currently working on is to study the mechanism of bistable gene
expression of the T3SS in D. dadantii 3937. We discovered that the T3SS gene
expression is bistable in many phytopathogenic bacteria including D. dadantii. In a
homogenous bacteria population, a small population of cells expresses T3SS genes at
higher level (high state) while the rest of the bacteria population expresses T3SS at lower
level (low state). In order to study the mechanism of this phenomenon, I constructed a
GFP-mCherry dual promoter reporter to study the gene expression of a bistably expressed
T3SS gene of D. dadantii (hrpA) and a T3SS regulatory gene. We demonstrated that the
bistable gene expressions of T3SS genes (hrpA and hrpN) are controlled by the same
regulatory pathway. In addition, we proved that a threshold level of hrpL (HrpL is the
master regulator of T3SS in D. dadantii) expression is needed, but can not guarantee the
high state expression of hrpA.
Teaching, Mentoring and Volunteer Experience:
● 2006 – 2011 (8 semesters): University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Teaching assistant, General Survey of Microbiology (BIO SCI 101),
Teaching evaluation score (average of 5 years): 4.86/5
● 2007 – 2010 (4 semesters): University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Teaching evaluation score (average of 4 years): 4.96/5
Teaching assistant, Experimental Microbiology (BIO SCI 580)
● 2007 – 2010: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Mentor to four undergraduate students, Angela d'Hanis Yost, Jerry Yang, Girjit Singh,
and Kristen D Timm, and 1 high school student Jonathan Yu, for five semesters in total.
Taught and guided the students in general microbiology and molecular techniques. Angie
is now working at the Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital, Girgit is applying for pharmacy
school, Kristen is in the nursing clinical of UWM, and Jon is studying at Stanford
University
● 2009: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Invited lecturer of General Survey of Microbiology (BIO SCI 101)
Invited to give lectures of the chapter “Diseases” for 154 undergraduate students
● 2010: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Open House
Graduate student presenter
● 2007 – 2008: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Vice president of the Chinese student and scholar association
● 2009 – 2010: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Secretary of the Table Tennis Club,
Co-organizer of the 2009 and 2010 National Collegiate Table Tennis Association
(NCTTA) tournaments Midwest region.
Awards and Honors:
● Best graduate student presentation award, Second Place, 69th Annual Meeting of the
North Central Branch American Society for Microbiology, 2009
● Chancellor award, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2007-2011
● Ruth Walker travel award, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of WisconsinMilwaukee, 2008 and 2010
● Excellent graduate award, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China, 2006
● Outstanding undergraduate student award, First Class, Nanjing Agricultural University,
Nanjing, China, 2003, 2004 and 2005
Presentations:
● 2011 “Investigation and characterization of the bistable gene expression of the type III
secretion system in Dickeya dadantii”
Department of Biological Sciences Colloquium, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
Milwaukee, WI.
● 2010 “Regulatory mechanisms of exoribonuclease PNPase and regulatory small RNA on
T3SS of Dickeya dadantii”
The American Phytopathological Society (APS) Annual Meeting, Charlotte, NC. (Poster)
● 2010 “The role of exoribonuclease PNPase and regulatory small RNA in T3SS regulation
in Dickeya dadantii”
Milwaukee Microbiology Seminar, Milwaukee Microbiology Society, Milwaukee, WI.
(Invited speaker)
● 2009 “Regulatory effect of PNPase on type III secretion system of Dickeya dadantii”
North Central Branch – ASM Annual Meeting, La Crosse, WI. (Speaker)
● 2008 “Dissect the T3SS regulatory network of Dickeya dadantii by a GFP-flow
cytometry system”
General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Boston, MA. (Poster)
Publications:
Zou L.*, Q. Zeng*, H. Lin, G. Gyaneshwar, G. Chen, and C.-H. Yang. SlyA regulates T3SS
genes in parallel with the T3SS master regulator HrpL in Dickeya dadantii 3937. Appl.
Environ. Microbiol. (In press). *Co-first author
Q. Zeng, M. D. Laiosa, D. A. Steeber, E. M. Biddle, Q. Peng, and C.-H. Yang (2012) Cell
individuality: the bistable gene expression of T3SS in Dickeya dadantii 3937. Mol. PlantMicrobe Interact. 25:37-47.
Yamazaki, A., J. Li, Q. Zeng, D. Khokhani, W. C. Hutchins, A. C. Yost, E. Biddle, E. J.
Toone, X. Chen, C.-H. Yang (2011) Derivatives of plant phenolic compound affect the type
III secretion system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa via a GacS/GacA two component signal
transduction system. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 56:36-43.
Q. Zeng, A. M. Ibekwe, E. Biddle, and C.-H. Yang (2010) Regulatory mechanisms of
exoribonuclease PNPase and regulatory small RNA on T3SS of Dickeya dadantii. Mol.
Plant-Microbe Interact. 23: 1345 – 1355.
Yi, X., A.Yamazaki, E. Biddle, Q. Zeng, and C.-H. Yang (2010) Genetic analysis of two
phosphodiesterases reveals cyclic diguanylate regulation of virulence factors in Dickeya
dadantii. Mol. Microbiol. 77:787-800.
Li, Y., A. Yamazaki, L. Zou, E. Biddle, Q. Zeng, Y. Wang, H. Lin, Q. Wang, and C.-H.
Yang (2010) ClpXP protease regulates the Type III Secretion System of Dickeya dadantii
3937 and is essential for the bacterial virulence. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 23:871-878.
Yang, S., Q. Peng, M. San Francisco, Y. Wang, Q. Zeng, and C.-H. Yang (2008) Type III
secretion system genes of Dickeya dadantii 3937 are induced by plant phenolic acids. PLoS
ONE 3(8): e2973.
X. Bie, Z. Lu, Y. Fang, Q. Zeng, F. Lu, and Y. Yuan (2006) Identification of a
microorganism strain producing the antimicrobial substance with 16S rDNA sequence
analysis. Food Science (In Chinese), 2006, Vol. 27, No. 11
Paper in preparation:
Quan Zeng, Lifang Zou, Akihiro Yamazaki and Ching-Hong Yang. Identification of novel
regulators of type III secretion system in Dickeya dadantii by a promoter-probe screening
system. In preparation.
Languages:
● English and Chinese (native)