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Department of Entomology Faculty

Que Lan
Associate Professor

 

Additional Information

Que Lan

Contact Information

Address:
840 Russell Labs
1630 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Phone number:
608-263-7924

FAX:
608-262-3322

E-mail:
Que Lan

Research Areas

  • Cholesterol intracellular transport in insect models
  • Insect hormone-regulated stage-specific gene expression
  • Sterol carrier protein- inhibitors: insect growth regulator/mode of action
  • Funding agents
  • NIAID
  • DOD (DWFP)
  • USDA (Hatch)

Research Interest

Toxicology/Molecular Biology

Metamorphosis is a very complex process in insects. Cross-talk between Juvenile hormone and ecdysteroids initiates metamorphosis in the last larval stadium and in pupal/adults development. I am interested in hormone-regulated gene expression during metamorphosis in insects. The model systems used in my laboratory are the Yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti and the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta.

The precursor for ecdysteroid biosynthesis is cholesterol, which has to be obtained from exogenous sources in insects because there is no de novo cholesterol biosynthesis. Insects are efficient in converting phytosterols to cholesterol. However, one of the key processes of absorbing cholesterol or sterols is intracellular transportation of cholesterol/sterols through the midgut. My interest in cholesterol metabolisms is focused on intracellular cholesterol trafficking and how this process is controlled in insects.

Education

  • B.S. Microbiology, Wuhan University
  • M.S. Biology, Brock University
  • Ph.D. Entomology, University of Minnesota
  • Post Doctorate Training, Developmental Biology, University of Washington

Associates

  • David Anstrom (Research Associate)
  • David Dyer (Research Specialist)
  • Min-Sik Kim (Graduate student)
  • Ryan Larson (Grdaute student)
  • Jeff Lorch (Research Specialist)
  • James Radek (Research Associate)
  • Irina Vyazunova (Graduate Student)
  • Vilena Wessely (Research Specialist)

Recent Publications (last five years)

Larson, R.T., Wessely, V., Jiang, Z. and Lan, Q. 2007. Larvicidal activity of sterol carrier protein-2 inhibitor in four species of mosquitoes. J. Medical Entomol. In press.

Dyer DH, Wessely V, Forest KT, Lan Q. 2007. 3-D structure/function analysis of sterol carrier protein-2-like2 reveals differences among SCP-2 family members. J Lipid Res. 2007 Dec 15; [Epub ahead of print]

Vyazunova, I. , Wessely, V., Kim, M-s., Lan., Q. 2007. Identification of two sterol carrier protein-like genes in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Insect Mol. Biol. In press.

Kato, N., Muller, C.R., Fuchs, J.F., Wessely, V., Lan, Q. and Chstitensen, B.M. 2006. Regulatory mechanisms of chitin biosynthesis and role of chitin in peritrophic matrix formation in the midgut of adult Aedes aegypti. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 36(1):1-9.

Blitzer, E.J., Vyazunova, I. , Lan, Q. 2005. Functional analysis of AeSCP-2 using gene expression knockdown in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Insect Mol. Biol. 14(3):301-7.

Kim, M-S., Wessely, V., Lan, Q. 2005. Identification of mosquito sterol carrier protein-2 inhibitors. J. Lipid Res. 46(4):650-7.

Kato, N., Mueller, C.R., Wessely, V., Lan, Q., Christesen, B.M. 2005. Mosquito glucosamine-6-phosphate N-acetyltransferase: cNDA, gene structure, regulation and enzyme kinetics. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 35(6):637-46.

Kato N, Mueller CR, Wessely V, Lan Q., Christensen BM. 2005. Aedes aegypti phosphohexomutases and uridine diphosphate-hexose pyrophosphorylases: comparison of primary sequences, substrate specificities and temporal transcription. Insect Mol Biol. 14(6):615-24.

Lan, Qand Wessely, V. 2004. Expression of a sterol carrier protein-x gene in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Insect Mol. Biol. 13(5):519-29.

Lan, Q and Massey, R.J. 2004. Subcellular localization of mosquito sterol carrier protein-2 and sterol carrier protein-x. J. Lipid Res. 45(8):1468-1474.

Lan, Q. and Christopher A. Grier . 2004. Critical period for pupal commitment in the Yellow Fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. J. Insect Physiology. 50(7):667-76.

Vyazunova, I and Lan, Q. 2004. Stage-specific expression of two actin genes in the Yellow Fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Insect Molecular Biol. 13(3):241-9.

Dyer, D.H., Lovell, S., Thoden, J.B., Holden, H.M., Rayment, I. Lan, Q. 2003. The structural determination of an insect sterol carrier protein-2 with a ligand bound C16 fatty acid at 1.35A resolution. J Biol Chem. 278:39085-39091.

Krebs, K.C. and Lan, Q. 2003. Isolation and Expression of a Sterol Carrier Protein-2 Gene from the Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Insect Mol. Biol. 12(1):51-60.

Krebs, K.C, Brzoza, K.L. and Lan, Q. 2002. Use of subtracted libraries and macroarray to isolate developmentally specific genes from the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 32(12):1757-67.

 

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