Qing Yang

Qing Yang, a principal investigator at the Institute of Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. She has made pioneer contributions to the development of novel pesticide molecular targets that are highly effective and safe for both humans and animals. Her major research interests include: 1) discovering new pesticide targets, specifically key proteins involved in chitin-associated bioprocesses such as chitin biosynthesis, degradation, and assembly in insect pests and phytopathogens of agricultural significance, and 2) developing small molecules to target these proteins. The ultimate goal of her work is to control insect pests, nematodes, and phytopathogens of agricultural importance in a human-safe, eco-friendly, and efficient manner.

Dr. Yang is dedicated to the study of chitin biology, with a particular focus on the mechanisms of chitin degradation and biosynthesis. Chitin is an essential structural biopolymer found in cell walls and spore walls in fungi and other microorganisms, and it plays a significant role in virulence and drug resistance. In insects, chitin is vital for survival as it is the primary component of the cuticle and exoskeleton. Its unique physicochemical properties also make it highly attractive for various biomedical and material science applications.

The goal of Dr. Yang’s laboratory is to identify environmentally friendly molecular targets involved in chitin degradation and biosynthesis, with the aim of developing novel drugs and agrochemicals. Her team employs cutting-edge, multidisciplinary approaches—including molecular biology, structural biology, and chemical biology.

“Molecular targets are the soul of designing efficient and safe drugs,” she says. “Our job is to be like Detective Conan—searching for molecular clues left behind by pathogens and pests. We capture key proteins and use them as bait to identify small bioactive molecules that can combat these threats.”

Yang Q*, Fukamizo T*. Targeting Chitin - containing Organisms. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Springer Nature. 2019

Wei Chen, Peng Cao, Yuansheng Liu, Ailing Yu, Dong Wang, Lei Chen, Rajamanikandan Sundarraj, Zhiguang Yuchi, Yong Gong*, Hans Merzendorfer, Qing Yang*. 2022. Structural basis for directional chitin biosynthesis. Nature, 610(7931): 402 - 408.

Jinli Chen, Yanwei Duan, Yuanyuan Zhou, Qing Yang*. 2024. Squeeze pumping of lipids and insecticides by ABCH transporter. Cell, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.11.033. (Epub ahead of print, PMID: 39721587)

Nan Wu, Qiaoxia Lin, Fei Shao, Lei Chen, Haoyue Zhang, Kaiwen Chen, Jinrong Wu, Guirong Wang, Huanan Wang*, Qing Yang*. 2024. Insect cuticle - inspired design of sustainably sourced composite bioplastics with enhanced strength, toughness and stretch - strengthening behavior. Carbohydrate Polymers, 333: 121970.

Lei Chen, Fei Shao, Kaiwen Chen, Nan Wu, Bingbing Sun, Dan Ge, Guirong Wang, Huanan Wang*, Qing Yang*. 2024. Organized assembly of chitosan into mechanically strong bio - composite by introducing a recombinant insect structural protein OfCPH-1. Carbohydrate Polymers, 334: 122044.

Mingbo Qu, Takahiro Watanabe - Nakayama, Shaopeng Sun, Kenichi Umeda, Xiaoxi Guo, Yuansheng Liu, Toshio Ando*, Qing Yang*. 2020. High - speed atomic force microscopy reveals factors affecting the processivity of chitinases during interfacial enzymatic hydrolysis of crystalline chitin. ACS Catalysis, 10(22): 13606 - 13615.

Wei Chen, Xi Jiang, Qing Yang*. 2020. Glycoside hydrolase family 18 chitinases: The known and the unknown. Biotechnology Advances, 43: 107553.

Wei Chen, Di Wang, Shaoyong Ke, Yangrong Cao, Wensheng Xiang, Xiaoli Guo*, Qing Yang*. 2024. A soybean cyst nematode suppresses microbial plant symbionts using a lipochitooligosaccharide - hydrolysing enzyme. Nature Microbiology, 9(8): 1993 - 2005.

Lin Liu, Yeqiang Xia, Yingchen Li, Yong Zhou, Xiaofeng Su, Xiaojing Yan, Yan Wang, Wende Liu, Hongmei Cheng*, Yuanchao Wang*, Qing Yang*. 2023. Inhibition of chitin deacetylases to attenuate plant fungal diseases. Nature Communications, 14(1): 3857. 

Mingbo Qu, Lin Kong, Pengfei Li, Aijing Zhang, Toshio Ando, Qing Yang*. 2025. High-speed atomic force microscopy reveals opposite traffic of processive chitinases impairs α-chitin biodegradation. Carbohydrate Polymers, 352, 123176.

Tian Liu, Yanwei Duan, Qing Yang*. 2018. Revisiting glycoside hydrolase family 20 β-N-acetyl-d-hexosaminidases: Crystal structures, physiological substrates and specific inhibitors. Biotechnology Advances, 36(4): 1127-1138.