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Hieng-Ming Ting Assistant Professor

Ph.D. in Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, the Netherlands

Specialty: Plant Molecular Biology, Plant Metabolomics

E-mail: jimmytinghm@ntu.edu.tw

Laboratory: Life Science Building R920

Telephone: 886-2-3366-2531

Current Research Interests

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1) Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology of plant metabolites (polyacetylenes, terpenes)

2) Study plant metabolites induced cellular responses and signal transduction in plants

3) Study role of volatiles organic compounds (VOCs) between different organism

Metabolomics Laboratory

Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology of plant metabolites (polyacetylenes, terpenes) Physiological roles of plant secondary metabolites could be reflected through their importance in plant defense against pathogens/predators and different environmental stresses, and as communication molecules when interact between different species. Many plants secondary metabolites are recognized to be major sources for (new) drug discovery, nutrition supplements and are often used as medicine against chronic diseases. Comparative transcriptomics and metabolomics technologies will be used to engineer and elucidate the biosynthesis pathway of plant secondary metabolites (polyacetylenes, terpenes) (Figure 1).

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Figure 1. Workflow illustrating how to do metabolic engineering in plant systems.

Study plant metabolites induced cellular responses and signal transduction in plants

Plant secondary metabolites are synthesized upon the pathogen attack or mechanical damage, which cause the disruption of plant tissue. However, plant secondary metabolites are toxic for the plant at higher doses. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the recognition/perception and signaling of plant secondary metabolites in plants, available Arabidopsis mutants will be treated with specific metabolites for further transcriptomics and metabolomics profiling studies (Figure 2).

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Figure 2. (A) Phenotypes of Arabidopsis (Col) and mutant (Mut) under specific metabolite (GHP) treatment. (B) Transcriptional profiling analysis of Arabidopsis (Col) and mutant (Mut) under specific metabolite (GHP) treatment.

Studies on the interaction between plants and insects

When a plant is bitten by an insect, a series of chemical defense mechanisms are activated to resist the insect. In our laboratory, different mung bean and soybean strains were used to investigate the defense mechanism of leguminous plants against pests. We found that the insect-resistant strain of mung bean produced many different volatile compounds (VOCs) and flavonoids (flavonoids) after being bitten by insects (Figure 3). ). We will further explore the anti-insect mechanism of these compounds with a view to applying them to agricultural pest control.

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Figure 3. The trade-off between pest defense and drought in mung bean insect-resistant strains (R1) and insect-susceptible strains (S1)

Selected Publications

  1. Yi-Ju Chen#, Boon Huat Cheah#, Chih-Yu Lin, Yu-Ting Ku, Cheng-Hsiang Kuo, Yuan-Yun Zhang, Bing-Rong Chen, Nean Olga, Cheng-Han Hsieh, Pei-Min Yeh, Freddy Kuok San Yeo, Ya-Ping Lin, Wen-Po Chuang, Cheng-Rui Lee, Hieng-Ming Ting* (2023). Inducible chemical defenses in wild mungbean confer resistance to Spodoptera litura and possibly at the expense of drought tolerance. Environ Exp Bot. 205: 105100

  2. Hisao-Hang Chung#, Hieng-Ming Ting#, Wei-Hsi Wang, Ya-Ting Chao, Cheng-Han Hsieh, Maria Karmella Apaya, Yi-Chang Sung, Shih-Shun Lin, Fang-Yu Hwu, Lie-Fen Shyur (2020). Elucidation of enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of bioactive polyacetylenes in Bidens pilosa using integrated omics approaches. J. Exp. Bot. eraa457.(# Co-first author).

  3. Hieng-Ming Ting*, Boon Huat Cheah, Yu-Cheng Chen, Pei-Min Yeh, Chiu-Ping Cheng, Freddy Kuok San Yeo, Ane Kjersti Vie, Jens Rohloff, Per Winge, Atle M. Bones and Ralph Kissen* (2020). The Role of a Glucosinolate-Derived Nitrile in Plant Immune Responses. Front Plant Sci 11, 257.

  4. Bo Wang#, Arman Beyraghdar Kashkooli#, Adrienne Sallets, Hieng-Ming Ting, Norbert C.A. de Ruijter, Linda Olofsson, Peter Brodelius, Marc Boutry, Harro J. Bouwmeester, and Alexander van der Krol (2016) Transient production of artemisinin in Nicotiana benthamiana is boosted by a specific lipid transfer protein from A. annua. Metabolic Engineering, 38: 159–169. (# equal contribution)

  5. Hieng-Ming Ting, Thierry L. Delatte, Pim Kolkman, Johana C. Misas-Villamil, Renier A.L. van der Hoorn, Harro J. Bouwmeester, and Alexander van der Krol (2015) SNARE-RNAi results in higher terpene emission from ectopically expressed caryophyllene synthase in Nicotiana benthamiana. Molecular Plant, 8(3):454–466.

  6. Seifu Juneidi, Hieng-Ming Ting, and Alexander van der Krol (2014) Tissue specific expression of a terpene synthase in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 5(18):2799-2810.

  7. Hieng-Ming Ting, Bo Wang, Anna-Margareta Rydén, Lotte Woittiez, Teun van Herpen, Francel W.A. Verstappen, Carolien Ruyter-Spira, Jules Beekwilder, Harro J. Bouwmeester, and Alexander van der Krol (2013) The metabolite chemotype of Nicotiana benthamianatransiently expressing artemisinin biosynthetic pathway genes is a function of CYP71AV1 type and relative gene dosage. New Phytologist, 199(2):352–366.

  8. Na Tian, Shuoqian Liu, Hieng-Ming Ting, Jianan Huang, Sander van der Krol, Harro Bouwmeester, and Zhonghua Liu (2013) An improved Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation of Artemisia annua L. by using stem internodes as explants. Czech Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 49(3): 123–129.

Courses Taught

  • General Biology

  • Plant Physiology 

  • Trends in Plant Science

  • Research Training 

  • Seminar

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